Natural Diet For Gallstones – The Top 5 Foods to Reduce Your Gallstone Symptoms and Pain
When you have symptoms of gallstone problems, it’s difficult to focus on anything but solutions. One of the keys to eliminating the pain is changing your diet. Five foods can start bringing gallbladder relief quickly:
- Apples: As the saying goes, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” This certainly applies to your gallbladder health. Apples contain malic and tartaric acids which break down cholesterol. As 80% of gallstones are made primarily of cholesterol, apples can soften or help to dissolve gallstones. This is why most liver and gallstone flushes advise eating apples or drinking organic, unfiltered apple juice for days before your flush.
- Artichokes: The artichoke is wonderful for your gallbladder. It encourages more bile production. This, in turn, can thin down the proportion of cholesterol in your gallbladder which can help dissolve gallstones. Artichokes simultaneously reduce cholesterol production by your liver. While fun to eat the artichoke “meat” from the leaves, it’s often very slow. Artichoke hearts, of course, are much easier to eat. The easiest of all, though, is taking artichoke extract or supplements.
- Radishes: There are several kinds of radishes in the world. In North America, we often think of the Cherry Belle variety that is red on the outside and white in the inside and is about an inch in diameter; but, there are many other kinds: the Daikon (originally from Japan), the Black Radish (excellent for your gallbladder), and the Red King, to name a few. Like the artichoke, radishes stimulate bile production and help break down fats — both of which are helpful if you have gallstone pain.
- Turmeric: This spice is often used in curry dishes, giving it a vibrant orangish-yellow color. Curcumin is turmeric’s beneficial component that decreases inflammation, destroys liver cancer cells, and most importantly for the gallbladder, dissolves gallstones. Note that the body can best utilize turmeric when it is consumed along with black pepper.
- Leafy Greens: Mothers around the world hound their children to eat their spinach, and for good reason. The health benefits of leafy greens like spinach go way beyond benefiting just your liver and gallbladder. Other greens such as mustard greens, collard greens, and kale are equally as effective. Greens contain chlorophyll, which helps make the body more alkaline. Foods that are acidic in nature (meat, dairy products, sugar, grains, alcohol), leave an acidic ash in your body that the liver must dispose. Eating greens reduces this residue, lessening the burden on the liver and, consequently, the gallbladder.
If you or someone you know has gallstone pain, symptoms of gallbladder problems, or wants to learn about a healthy diet for gallstones, visit our site for optimum, natural gall bladder health.