What To Eat & What To Avoid After Gallbladder Surgery

If you are preparing to get gallbladder surgery, you may be a little anxious about the recovery process. More specifically, you may want to know what you will need to eat after gallbladder surgery. First, you should know that gallbladder surgery is a very safe procedure that has been performed thousands of times. There is a low risk of complications and you can safely live without your gallbladder. So what is the gallbladder removal diet like? What are the foods to avoid after gallbladder surgery? Read on to learn more.

What Is Gallbladder Removal Surgery?

Your gallbladder is an organ that secretes and stores bile in a concentrated form. Bile is created by the liver in order to help you digest fats. Gallbladder removal surgery, or cholecystectomy, is performed for a variety of reasons. However, the most common reason is because of gallstones, which cause intense pain and can be dangerous if left untreated. As stated before, you can live a perfectly normal and healthy life without a gallbladder. But there are foods that you will need to avoid. What are the foods you should avoid after gallbladder removal surgery?

What To Eat After Gallbladder Surgery: The Gallbladder Removal Diet

In the days after getting laparoscopic gallbladder surgery in Baltimore, you will be put on a clear liquid diet for a few days. Clear liquids include water, broth, and electrolyte beverages. This diet is mainly to help your digestive system recover while still allowing you to get the hydration you need while you recover. After a few days, you’ll be able to start adding more foods into your diet. Your doctor may advise you to stick to a BRAT (bread, rice, applesauce, and toast/crackers) diet or something very similar. You will want to eat bland foods that are easy to digest and provide you with necessary carbohydrates are key to making sure you can recover. You’ll likely be on this diet for a few days after transitioning from clear liquids. From here, you’ll be able to add solid foods back in. The key is to avoid foods that are high in fat and to eat small portions until you can handle eating normally again.

Foods you should avoid after gallbladder removal surgery include:

• Deep fried foods (fries, potato chips, fried chicken)
• High fat meats and dairy products, as well as products that contain them (like cream-based soups or pasta sauces)
• Any food made with butter, lard, or hydrogenated oil
• Pizza
• Cheeseburgers
• Chocolate

The general rule: if it’s high in fat, avoid it! Some other foods you may want to avoid are:

• High fiber foods such as nuts, seeds, and legumes
• Alcoholic beverages
• Spicy foods

You might be worried that you’ll have to give up these foods for the rest of your life. The good news is that you don’t have to! You can start adding high-fat foods back into your diet when your doctor tells you it’s safe, which is generally after a month post-op. However, it’s highly recommended to stick to a low-fat diet for most of your meals (and enjoy an occasional indulgence every once in a while). Interested in learning more about surgical procedures? Learn about laparoscopic bariatric procedures and how they work!