Page 64 - What Doctors Don't Tell You - AU-NZ (February-March 2020)

TIVES

RECIPES

FOR A HAPPY

GALLBLADDER

After years of gallbladder

troubles, Juliet Sullivan devised Low-fat pancakes
a diet that will keep In this recipe I use a sugar alternative 2 Whisk the egg white, milk and
because it’s best to avoid sugar vanilla extract in a small bowl.
your digestion generally. You can omit it altogether if 3 Add the wet ingredients to the dry

running smoothly, you don’t want your pancakes sweet. and stir well.
4 Heat a nonstick frying pan for a
even after surgery Ingredients couple of minutes on high, then squirt

½ cup (75 g) gluten-free flour a few sprays of the oil spray into the
pan (or a few drops of water if you are
1 Tbsp stevia
steam frying).
¼ tsp baking powder
fyousufferfromgallstonesoragrumbling 5 Immediately pour your batter into
gallbladderasIdidbeforeIhadmygallbladderout, ¼ tsp salt the pan and cook until bubbles form
whetheryouhaveoptedfornaturaltreatmentor 1 large egg white and the edges appear dry, then flip
Iyouarewaitingforsurgery,youwillneedtowatch ½ cup (118 mL) skimmed milk and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
yourdiet. ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Althoughexpertsbelievethatano-fatdietcanbe Small amount of coconut or olive oil To serve:
harmful,itdoesseemtobeuniversallyacceptedthat cooking spray, or water for steam Add blueberries, bananas, raspberries and
cuttingdownonfatintakereducesthelikelihoodofa frying pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with honey
for a little extra indulgence.
gallstoneattack,as,withoutfat,thegallbladderwillnot
bestimulatedtoreleasebileintothesmallintestine. 1 Mix the flour, baking powder and
Thegallbladdercollectsandstoresbile,madebythe salt in a large bowl. Add the stevia or
liverasaresultofitsmanydetoxificationprocesses.It sugar.
thenreleasesthebileintothesmallintestinewhenfood
entersfromthestomach.
Thishelpswiththedigestionoffoodbecausethe
gallbladdercontainsbilesaltsandothersubstances Herearesome Bolognese by replacing • Make your own
thatneutralizetheacidiccontentsofthestomachas easywaysto the meat with lentils, dressings using low-fat
theyarriveintheduodenum(thefirstpartofthesmall kidney beans and yogurt, lemon/lime juice
intestine)andemulsifyandbreakdownfat. cutdownon mushrooms. and herbs.
Thebileduct,whichconnectsthegallbladderto fat: • Use only “good” oils • Remove all visible
thesmallintestine,canbecomeblockedbygallstones, or oil spray like olive or fat and skin from meat
makingitdifficultforbiletobereleasedfromthebile • Avoid processed foods coconut when cooking. and choose leaner cuts.
duct.Thisiswhatmaycausesymptoms—theextreme and cook from scratch • If you are cooking I avoided all red meat
pain,bloating,nauseaand whenever possible. This anything that sticks to while I waited for my
vomitingassociatedwitha will give you control over the pan, use a few drops operation, but I did eat
gallstoneattack. how much fat goes into of water rather than oil. some poultry and fish.
your food. This is known as steam • Avoid eating out, but
• Check labels for high frying. I have also used if you do, ask the kitchen
Excerpted fromThe fat content. wine to ‘fry’ food. Wine to dry roast, grill or bake
Gallstone-friendly • Bulk out meals with adds moisture as well your food. Some will
y
Diet by Juliet Sullivan vegetables and pulses. as flavor. Most of the agree to do this.
(Hammersmith Health For example, you could alcohol will burn off in • Avoid sauces, dressings
Books, 2019)
make a gallstone-friendly the cooking process. and gravies.
REFERENCES
1 BrJGenPract2004;54:574–9

64 WDDTY | ISSUE 04 | FEB/MAR 2020 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ