Happy Monday! Huge thank you to Mod R for a week of awesome posts.
It’s a beautiful, although overcast day. I have a mountain of work ahead of me, all of which needs to be done asap. Good news, I can sit in the chair a bit longer now, and I no longer wince when I try to stretch.
We’ve received the first design of the interior chapter headings for Roman’s novella and it is too adorable for words. I wish I could show you, but I need to get all the paperwork settled. It is amazing how tasks accumulate when you take time off.
My new gallbladder-missing status has come with menu challenges. Prior to the surgery, my diet was mostly “things that might not hurt me.” Prior to that, there was severe limiting of starches because of the prediabetes. I had stuck to whole grains, fresh vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion, cooked vegetables like brussels sprouts and cauliflower, fruit, fish, and small servings of meat.
Onion is off the table for some reason. The dietary guidance doesn’t explain why, just says limit. Cauliflower and broccoli are gas producing and counter indicated right now. Salmon, my go to fish, is fatty, and everyone says it should be approached with caution. Bacon, sausage, etc. are right out. I can’t keep leaning on oatmeal, no matter how plain or old fashioned, because there is too much starch, and I have to be really careful, as I am unmedicated for the next 30 days.
Help me, BDH. Give me some healthy breakfast ideas that don’t have fat, sugar, or simple carbs. ::looks at the list:: Maybe I should eat paper. On second thought, with my luck, I will develop termite metabolism and find some way to digest it.
can you eat dairy ? Greek yoghurt with fresh blueberries for breakfast…? Scrambled eggs…?
Yogurt with protein powder, flax and chia seeds, blueberries, nuts, splash of milk.
can you have eggs?
scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives – Ramsey recipe
Japanese runny eggs with a little soy sauce and put them over maybe Ezekiel bread.
Or nonfat yogurt blended with fruit to make a smoothie. That plus whole grain toast is my kid’s go to breakfast about half the time.
I had my gallbladder out last September and this is one of
my go to breakfasts. I add cinnamon to the top for flavor and use plain Greek yogurt because it has the least carbs and sugars. I like FAGE if your store sells it because many stores carry fat free, 1%fat, 2% fat and full fat. I usually do either the 1% or 2% so that there is a small amount of fat to balance carbs and sugars.
Fage also makes a Lactose-free version now too, if you’re trying to avoid gas-triggering foods! Coconut yogurt is also surprisingly really good and lactose free.
I’m reading this late but this post is my time to shine!!
protein pancakes!
4 scoops sugar free vanilla protein powder (125 g)
1/2 c almond flour
1/2 c coconut flour
6 LG eggs
2 tbls baking powder
1 c water
I top with butter/yogurt/berries or nothing
makes 4 servings
check out Women Food and Hormones or the Obesity Cure for other recipes & strategy. I follow a high fiber ketogenic diet to cure my insulin resistance.
mwah!! xoxo
These look good but the nut flours are full of fat so probably not great following gall bladder surgery.
Also, be aware that whatever they do to dairy products like yogurt/sour cream to make them low/non-fat create severe digestive upsets in something like 1/3 of the people with digestive surgeries. Ditto for low-fat protein drinks. I had an emergency cholecystectomy and my husband had a full Whipple. Together we have had so so many dietician and doctor briefings.
Things high in cholesterol but low in fat like shrimp are actually full of lipids so equally hard to digest. A couple shrimp are fine but many shrimp are hard to digest, for example.
On the positive side, Chipotle’s carnitas are ridiculously low on fat. For awhile after I lost my gall bladder I was eating carnitas bowls with rice, corn salsa and other salsas because it never made me feel bad.
For a nobsubar, low fat breakfast (or dinner at my house usually) I turn to low fat “Quark” (a bit like cottage cheese) and stir it with a bit of milk)water until smooth. I just add things which fit my current diet. Usually some frozen Raspberries and occasionally crushed almond. I will use my vanilla mill for a bit of flavour.
My mom and sister swear on banana pancakes which is basically mashed banana and egg and then baked in the oven. You could add fruit, but b/c of the bananas it might already be too much sugar.
Quark is very expensive and difficult to find in America, Alexandra, but I find the basic recipe is very easy to make:
Quark (Homemade Cheese)
Bring milk to a simmer in a saucepan; remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Whisk buttermilk into milk; let sit at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight. Strain mixture through cheesecloth over a bowl in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
Cook’s Note
Be sure to let it cool to room temperature before whisking in the buttermilk, or you will end up with a curdled, hot mess!
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/240584/quark-homemade-cheese/
For comparison, and because Ilona has been known to enjoy getting scientific from time to time, this link has all the background and discussion as well a more complex recipe: https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-quark/
Wishes for a rapid recovery, Ilona, and no more interesting health experiences.
If dairy is allowed, I am a huge fan of cottage cheese and fruit (whichever ones are permissible). For texture I often add chopped nuts and/or grape nuts.
Non fat cottage cheese with sugar free maple syrup and cinnamon is my go-to snack.
Cottage cheese is also delicious with chopped tomatoes mixed in, if your stomach will tolerate tomatoes. In my misspent youth, when I was really in a hurry and eating on the go, V-8 stirred in got the job done. Obviously I am an eat-to-live kind of person; while I definitely appreciate fine food, it’s all fuel for me.
Apples have a decent amount of fiber in them to counterbalance the natural sugars. I eat a ton of bean salads, and you might be able to modify something like these: https://www.lastingredient.com/three-bean-salad/ or https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/223344/summery-bean-salad/
As far as protein options, how about nuts and hard boiled eggs?
I’m in a similar situation right now and it is FRUSTRATING as all get out. I feel you! And I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread for possible ideas for myself.
Omelettes!
Buckwheat. With butter mixed in after buckwheat has finished cooking.
Another idea is to add milk, to make a soup texture.
Could add blueberries.
______
Blueberries are good in pancakes too.
Egg white omlette? With some safe veggies (spinach, tomatoes?) Or does that have too much fat?
Or a tofu scramble with butternut squash? Here is a recipe that may be good and you could just not use onion? https://jenniferskitchen.com/2014/10/butternut-tofu-scramble-with-avocado.html. You could also try hummus with veggies or a white bean hummus https://simple-veganista.com/simple-white-bean-hummus/
Beans/lentils/legumes would also be my go to, but if cruciferous veggies are limited because of gas, then I wonder if those would be indicated? 🤔
Tried ‘Bean-o’, and sadly it didn’t work for me.
The pharmacist told me to go for something with simethicone, like Gas-X.
I’ve also heard that cooking some epazote (an herb) with beans can help prevent gas. No idea how it might interact with post-surgical digestive systems or medical conditions.
soaking beans for 24hrs before cooking can help with the gas producing aspect of beans
To a point. I’ve tried it, plus all the other recommendations, and beans other than green beans just mess with me at this stage in life. Back in the day they didn’t bother me.
ive heard that adding apple cider vinegar to the soaking beans reduces the gas.
Breakfast: Fruit (such as mango or apple) and a few nuts (more as you learn to tolerate them). Or a slice of mozzarella.
For no apparent reason, my husband and I both find that melted cheese is much more likely to cause digestive upset than cold cheese (even years after digestive surgeries).
Note on bacon: I can’t find the numbers but bacon cooked in a microwave in a ridged microwave cooker until crisp has relatively little fat. Something like half that of bacon cooked normally.
As I mentioned in a different comment: chipotle carnitas are very low in fat.
As I remember, some hams are fairly low. You still can’t have a ton of it though yet. But enough to flavor eggs.
Pre-cook veggies/potato so you can add them easily and quickly to eggs. You can add a tiny amount of sausage to add taste if you want. You can use only egg whites which gets rid of the fat and then use that fat allowance with a little bit of bacon etc. Once a month or so has gone by, you can try making cook’s illustrated stratas without bread in custard dishes and then freezing.
After I had my gall bladder out, I was more careful than I needed to be. Cautiously increase fat amounts but don’t go insane. Remember cooked veggies and fruit are easier to digest and having everything else easier to digest can also help.
Also, I found the amount of fat in different cheeses is very different than what I would have guessed.
Babaganoush can be low in fat and carbs. It’s fairly bland for breakfast.
Carb-balance tortillas are low in carbs if you want to try a breakfast burrito kind of thing.
Cooked Mushrooms with a half-piece of toast.
Also, consider that your gall bladder probably hadn’t been functioning well for some time. After a fairly short time post-surgery , I found my digestion had reverted back to “pre-surgery” levels which weren’t great but were a known quantity. The difference in what people can tolerate pre vs post surgery is not always as big as you think (per surgeon).
If they put you on something like Prevacid: for some people it really helps. For other people, it can actually make digestion worse. It took me too long to find this out.
Small amounts of cooked onion never caused any trouble to my husband or myself. He had a whipple which is extreme digestive surgery. Broccoli, on the other hand, was a bear. Just try things cautiously.
I have to mention again from an earlier post: What they do to dairy to make it low/non-fat can cause severe upset. My husband was limited to an extremely low fat and extremely low fiber diet following surgery. They tried to give him these products and they made him really sick. The hospital dietician said that was really common so if they sit ok, then eat them but if you are eating them and feeling bad, try stopping.
Regarding prediabetes: you can limit starches too much which can make your blood sugars go higher (my mom had that problem). But also: diabetes is a long-term disease. Unless your blood sugar gets dangerously high, your doctor may be fine with it being temporarily high for a month while you adjust to this surgery. It is something to talk to them about. Our personal experience was that too many veggies caused lots of trouble at first and you are having to juggle a lot of restrictions. Sometimes you have to eat what you can tolerate best in the short-term.
Use beans.
If you can have the sugar from fruit then I’d say do some type of fruit/vegetable smoothies for breakfast. Banana, apple, avocado…yum. It doesn’t look pretty but tastes pretty good.
Or for a savory option, you could shred some zucchini and carrot (and whatever other veggies you are allowed to eat), add some light salt and pepper, and use either egg or flaxseed egg (if you can have flaxseed) as the binding agent. Mix it all up and form thin patties and throw those bad boys in the oven (to avoid the oil from frying on the stove). Bam…maybe?
Or if you have a good nonstick pan, you might be able to do them on the stove without oils.
Those sound tasty!
Avocado is very high in fat. I would personally avoid it like the plague for at least a month.
Happy to hear you are still on the road to recover ilona! I understand it’s hard to work on figuring your new food reality with work looking but I hope the BDH comes through!!!!
One big thing I’ve noticed is that we in North America are stuck in what we can and cannot eat for breakfast. If we asians can have “heavy on the meat” dim sum for breakfast, why restrict it to oatmeal and eggs? Find what foods work for you and enjoy! Pizza can’t be the only acceptable breakfast exception!
Breakfast rules bedamned!
That’s what I was going to say, I’m so stuck on what is a “breakfast food” and what is not. I personally prefer a warm breakfast but I can’t make myself tuck into “a full english” cooked beans and sausages even after 15 years in the U.K. because it’s just not “breakfast allowed”. 😅
I didn’t realize you weren’t a native Brit, Mod R! Are you originally from the US?
I think she said in the past she’s from Romania, if I remember correctly?
We’ve talked about this in my household more than once. I don’t really like most traditional breakfast foods, so I typically have leftovers for breakfast. My kids have picked up similar habits and are just now old enough to realize that most people consider it weird.
Personally, I consider it weird that there are designated breakfast foods in the first place. I’ll eat what sounds good, and if that’s stew or spaghetti, so be it LOL.
My boys eat leftover dinner for breakfast too! I thought it was strange; they like the heavier meal at the beginning of the day🤷🏽♀️
Ooh, forgot to add, I love miso soup w tofu &seaweed.
Tofu & veggies soup is also delicious.
I second the miso soup with stuff in it. It is very satisfying in the morning, especially in winter.
My sister and I are also leftovers for breakfast eaters! The top leftover breakfast is the morning after Thanksgiving, seconded by leftover Chinese.
Same here. If you can have breakfast for dinner – which was definitely popular with my kids when my husband was away – you can totally have dinner for breakfast. It comes down to mental flexibility on that particular subject; not everyone is flexible on the same subjects.
my 9 yo regularly eats dinner leftovers for breakfast before school. they’re less sweet, more dietary varied and more filling ahead of a school days so hubs and I are all for her savory approach!
Try poached eggs, smoked trout and plain toast. Also whitefish salad is pretty good for breakfast
Sorry. I am no help at all.
My current breakfast these days is a lot of tea w/ a little sugar and 2% lactose free milk. (My diabetes diet prohibits fruit but allows milk.)
I can’t think of anything that fits the parameters and appeals to me, even after 12 hours fasting, and I don’t have the fat limits you do. I usually wait for lunch to get solid food. (Entree salad, anyone?)
Perhaps a Japanese breakfast, such as miso soup with seaweed…
What about soups and stews for breakfast! Instead of thinking of it as breakfast think of it as your first meal of day – I also like banana pancakes
Here to second soups and stews. I love a good veggie soup for breakfast! Soups have the soothing feeling I want for a soft start to the day! I’ve always loved leftovers for breakfast…
my hubby usually has soup for breakfast also. I’m inclined to have leftovers. 😁
I have no medical training whatsoever, so I don’t know if these will fit the bill, but: as someone else suggested, sugar-free protein shakes with additions such as powdered cocoa (no sugar added) or instant coffee or a bit of cinnamon or … to keep from having the same flavor every day. Also, if you want something savory and can eat a little bit of white rice, maybe look at making congee/juk/jook/xi fan (it also has other names) in your slow cooker or instant pot or rice cooker. It is very little rice with a lot of water to make a porridge. You can make it with water or broth and add things like sliced ginger, sliced mushrooms, a lean protein, some spinach, etc. (Basically, you can look at a bunch of different recipes and make it your own way)
eggs. There are a million ways to cook eggs. Omelette, frittata, quiche, scrambled, boiled, poached, with vegetables, with cheese… I’ve been on low carb diet and eggs are my go-to. after my gall bladder was gone, I introduced fats back in slowly and really only have problems with really greasy food. Good luck!
This was my experience too–I was only limited for a few months, and then introduced fats back in after that. I found that nuts and avocados, along with eggs, were a godsend for me once I was able to eat them again after my surgery.
Me too! 😁
I was thinking eggs too – a million ways to cook them so you don’t get bored!
Eggs, absolutely. What others have said.
Also what others have said– branch out and try foods not normally considered breakfast in the US. Salad (if you can have the greens) with fruit and a little vinaigrette maybe.
I am interested in others suggestions so will be following this thread myself.
Lightly toasted rice cake spread with plain pumpkin (no salt or sugar)and layered with avocado and topped with a poached egg
eggs in whatever form you enjoy and steak. everyone is different, so try small amounts of things and see how you fare. I have trouble if I eat a lot of lettuce, and I limit pork since fat cells are within the meat unlike beef.
Almost sounds like the Mediterranean diet would be best. I had some of the and issues so I made fruit smoothies with yogurt and added no sugar or diet fruit juice along with sugar free Gatorade to keep electrolytes up. I would switch with cottage cheese and fruit but have to look for low fat versions. Omelets are good too or just veggies scrambled with eggs.
If you are ok with soya, tofu is great for protein. Firm variety can be coated in flavourings and oven baked or air fried for crispness. Silken tofu can be blended into smoothies and also makes for a great chocolate mousse when blended with melted dark chocolate! Tempeh is also good and has more of a chew. If dairy is off the menu, vegan protein powder might be an option. Wishing you continued recovery, love.
I had my gallbladder removed a couple of years ago. I’m not sure of the pre-diabetes but I wanted to give you hope. As you recover from the surgery itself, you can slowly start to introduce the foods that are worrisome until find your new limits. Everyone is different, so while I am lucky enough to be back on a relatively normal diet, just with smaller portions, you’ll need to try everything yourself.
I’m glad you’re recovering!
I’m just seconding your comment!
As a Gall Bladder Free individual myself – I eat all the things!
To offer a ray of hope, I give you a list of some of my current favorites for breakky… I do enjoy a piece of bagel, or a baked apple with nut butter if I’m really hungry…. Or yogurt and fruit, or fruit and cheese, or crackers, or left over steak, or what ever my hand lands on in the fridge.
It gets better, and congrats on your recovery! May it continue to be apace!
+1 on small quantities and you have to try things to see your reaction. Everyone’s body reacts differently and takes different times to recover. May it be quick!
Apparently over time your bile duct opening expands to make a mini-reservoir of bile. Not as much as your gall bladder held, but enough to make most things digestable if you don’t eat too much.
You may have to switch to low-cheese pizzas in the long-ru though.
Avocado Toast – with all different kinds of toppings.
+1
As someone allergic to everything in the onion family (including garlic) I would suggest looking for items that are ‘FOD’ compliant. I use Fody brand products. Amazon has them. Sprouts grocery as well. Not sure where to find them in Texas.
yes I was going to suggest the FOD MAP app. My friend is celiac (with dairy and soy allergies) and she recently started just doing FOD because her issues are getting more extreme as she gets older.
Also, if it says no onions, then no leeks/garlic/shallot/allium family.
I think the FOD MAP app might help a lot. you could look at the one she uses.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.temeraire1798.fodmapaz
What do they say about probiotics supplements? I am very happy with mine, but I still have all my bits and bobs inside my body.
I had similar thoughts since a temporary fodmap diet helped my husband after an severe stomach infection seriously messed up his digestion for quite a while.
And your list of restrictions seems to overlap the same groups of food items.
And there is some good apps out there, I cannot recall which one we used, but it was also helpfull when buying processed food.
In Australia the Apple app is FODMAP and it’s by Monash University which is amazing as it can be a minefield figuring things out without it
+1 Love that App. I’m in the US and have had it on my phone for years. It’s so great to check ingredients in restaurants against. Monash U really came through.
I have IBS and celiac and use the Monash University FODMAP app all the time. There is a small initial cost for the app but it is really great. Most dieticians don’t even know what FODMAP is.
Many thanks! I had never heard of FODMAP!
What about chickpeas? Can you eat hummus dip or the snack made from chickpea flour that look like Cheetos called Hippeas chickpea puffs vegan white cheddar?
I don’t know if you have Old Tyme 647 bread down in Texas but it has only 6 net carbs per serving and comes in multigrain, Italian, wheat and white varities so maybe something like avocado toast. You could sprinkle some lemon juice on the avocado slices for a little tang or a light dusting of garlic salt. Also, what about yogurt, Greek or Icelandic? Buy the plain variety and add your own fresh fruit cut up to taste. Hard boiled egg? I had my gall bladder out 43 years ago when I was 8 weeks pregnant and now pretty much eat what I want but during the recovery period fatty foods were a no-no. It does get better as your body adapts. And even as a currently restricted diet is a somewhat boring, it sure is better than the pain!
Actually oatmeal IS recommended for diabetics. You just need to use old fashioned (or steel cut). Avoid instant. And then undercook it about 1 min. It will make it a bit toothsome but takes longer to digest in the gut and doesn’t throw your blood sugar out of whack. Leigh (15 year diabetic)
White meat turkey or chicken, tuna packed in water (and drained), Egg substitute – doctored with spices and/or herbs.
The HEB brand steel cut oats are good and you can cook them in the microwave in 6 minutes.
Frittatas!
They’re easy to make and easily customizable. I like zucchini, mushrooms, and fresh spinach in mine. Can you do goat cheese? That works well in them, too. (I assume regular cheese is out for now.) I mean, honestly, you can pretty much throw anything in a frittata. (I’ve put pasta and gnocchi in.) If you have leftovers, you can heat up it up with a salad for lunch.
Ilona, I second the frittata idea from Tempest. You can also use mostly egg whites (with one large egg – yolk included).
Goat cheese is so good in frittatas and is often tolerated better for some people (of course you need to like it and tolerate it too).
Tempest is right! Frittatas are versatile and are also great for more than breakfast (think appealing snack)!
Switching a diet is terribly difficult! I’ve got a lot of food allergies and it can be a real trial.
As a suggestion (I don’t know what your tolerance for soy products is), but I’ve found light broths and miso soup to be very soothing in the morning. You could add a poached egg and spinach, or some tofu or chicken for protein.
You could also try any type of pudding your diet allows: chia and vanilla, or banana and blueberry, for example, with some walnuts (if possible).
I hope this helps, and good luck on your food journey!
In India, we usually have a fairly healthy lentil-based wrap as breakfast. And you can do endless variations of it. You start with your light lentils – yellow, without covering (see mung/toor dal). Soak one cup overnight, in the morning empty the night water, blend with with 2-3 tablespoons of fresh water, one green chilli, salt, cumin seeds and coriander leaves or whatever greens you like to make a pancake-y paste. Make flat crepe-like pancakes and stuff them with grated cottage cheese, tomatoes / any salad vegetables you can stomach + spices you like. Protein for ages + micro nutrients. Can be used as tortillas too.
Dosa’s for everyone. They are amazing!
This sounds amazing!
+1000
Crave dosas allll the time
There are a lot of recommendations for beans and legumes. Check with your doctor because these often cause more gas than the vegetables you are already avoiding. The reason they want you to avoid gas-producing substances is because your system can’t take the pressure yet. I was told specifically to avoid them and honestly they were more trouble to me than a slightly higher level of fat. It is really hard to tell after these kinds of surgeries what is causing trouble. I would recommend trying to vary things a little just so you can tell if something unexpected is causing trouble.
In case they didn’t tell you: avoid carbonated water too.
My go to “feel good food” is rice (basmati) with avocado, mango, maybe some edamame or/and short cooked vegetables (carrot, zucchini or others) and cottage cheese. I find it delicious and good for my stomach all day. So maybe it’s an alternative for your usual breakfast.
Wish you all the best!
I enjoy a piece of toasted whole wheat nutty bread, with a couple fried eggs on top. I do the eggs in my non-stick so I don’t have to use a lot of grease. What about a quiche lorraine? is that too much fat?
Quiche Lorraine has cheese, cream, onions, and bacon in it, among other things. Not really healthy, but super yummy. I’m sure, though, that somebody has a healthy version.
Beans on multigrain toast if that’s not too starchy. Here’s a tasty recipe that’s a bit like Boston baked beans but with less sugar than the trader recipe or canned baked beans. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-breakfast-beans
Also dhal is a really nice breakfast food. Proteins enough to be filling, nutritious, and most recipes are low fat and sugar. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/khatti-dhal
Kedgeree is an old fashioned tasty breakfast in England, a smoked fish and rice dish. This recipe seems to meet your criteria if you cut out the onion. You can also substitute jackfruit or smoked tofu or another type of meat for the fish if smoked haddock isn’t available in Texas.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/smoked-haddock-kedgeree
I was going to mention kedgeree as well. The one time I had it, it was an adapted recipe with watercress included. You could likely stick any kind of chopped dark leafy green in and it would still taste good. Most recipes have enough protein to balance the rice I would think.
My 91 yr old dad (almost 92!) has always been a snack eater. I started making him drink Boost protein shakes last year when he started loosing weight. He drinks 2-3 of them everyday in addition to raw nuts, fresh and dried fruit, and candy that is kept next to his recliner. If you want to use commercially made protein drinks I think Glucerna is supposed to be best for diabetics. However, I enjoy adding protein powder, such as Vital Proteins, to fruit smoothies or other drinks.
As someone who rarely eats “breakfast food”, dinner leftovers have been my goto breakfast for years. Take your time getting back to work — setbacks are the worst!
We make a bunch of egg bites in muffin pans every week. Low fat cottage cheese, liquid egg whites, and usually some veggies – like frozen spinach – ground up in a blender or food processor then baked in the oven with a water bath for steam. Grab a couple every day and add some beans for fiber. Relatively low fat, good amount of protein, and lasting.
Good luck! I hope you feel better and become more comfortable as you heal.
Others have given suggestions.
I had my gallblader yanked under circumstances similar to yours.
3 months after I was able to eat anything I wanted, so it just takes a bit of time.
2 weeks after the operation I was physically pretty well back to normal.
Take it easy for now and things will improve.
This was my experience as well. My diet was back to pre-gll bladder surgery by about the end of month 3.
This was the same for me. I didn’t really modify my diet, although I didn’t have a big appetite for a couple of weeks post-surgery. I’m 3 years gallbladder free and my only ongoing concern is that some fatty/oily foods can send me immediately to the bathroom. It does make me more selective in my food choices when I’m eating out or spending days travelling, but it’s readily managed 🤷🏻♀️
Agree. It takes less time than you think to be able to eat a reasonable amount of pretty much any food. You may have to eat smaller quantities but not tiny. That’s why I do think you should talk to your doc about how careful you need to be about diabetes in the very short term if you are only pre-diabetic.
In the long-term, volume of food can be as much a problem as fat. Your digestion will be slower with lower levels of bile and what seems like a modest amount of food in one meal might be too much depending on what you ate in the prior meal because less has been digested in the same amount of time than was normal before. I used to blame everything on fat but learned that sometimes it is just cumulative volume – and that includes volume of healthy things like lettuce. Eating bigger meals for lunch instead of dinner is much much more comfortable for us.
pretty much my story as well, bc mine was laparoscopic it wasn’t as hard a recovery. Everyone is suffering but a lot of what you hear about GB surgery is the extreme cases but they make it sound like it is everyone. I ate carefully for several months but after that my diet was normal. I didnt eat much fried foods or greasy foods regularly, didn’t eat a ton of meat, but after a couple of months I could handle anything within reason. went to sporting events with my son& had a sausage sandwich, was fine. I eat hot dogs ( grass fed beef) , np. we have prime rib for Christmas , no problem. again my regular diet is heavily weighted towards vegetarian,which helps I think, but I otherwise just eat normally.
While waiting for my gallstone surgery my go to breakfast was smoothies with spinach, strawberry and almond / oat milk. Supertasty and it worked for me without triggering an attack.
if you can do oats, muffins, pancakes, baked oats etc with oat flour might be a great idea.
I also love doing egg whites with cottage cheese and zucchini, spinach, and tomatos (don’t add salt until you taste it, there’s at least some in the cottage cheese)
I know others said Greek yogurt and I agree, but I like mine with PB fit powder and bananas :), or apples cooked with ginger and cinnamon.
Also, sometimes I use seasoned ground turkey instead of sausage, and for me at least it hits similar so that might be something to try.
Wishing you the best of luck and a speedy recovery!
When my sister had hers out she ate a lot of mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn) mixed with rice, even for breakfast . She didn’t have any problem with salmon but YMMV there. If you aren’t doing this already for your pre diabetes you could break down your food into 6 smaller meals instead of 3 regular ones. Keeps your blood sugar steadier and makes stuff easier to digest. Good luck!
Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and a tablespoon of chopped up granola. I need protein sometimes but do not feel like eating and drink. The premier protein shakes that are available at Costco and Sam’s. You can get them in the grocery store, but they are prohibitively expensive. My favorite flavors are, caramel popcorn and chocolate peanut butter. Sara Lee has a multigrain bread that is whole-grain and very good – I like the multigrain variety. Put a bit of cheddar on it and stick it under the boiler. I had my gallbladder out 25 years ago and I eat onions and was never told to avoid them. One thing I do not eat is buttered popcorn. I had to cut out the butter butter for life. I avoid broccoli and cauliflower because of the after effects. Good luck.
Need to do a bit of research but I would suggest that you switch to Cod instead of Salmon as your go to Fish. Or Turbot or flounder. Generally White fish are way leaner than Salmon by a factor of at least 10 (200 vs. 2000 or something).
For a substitute on the carbs thing, I would suggest Quinoa as the protein tpo carb ratio is on the good side for your needs at this point.
And you can use Chia seeds. You soak them overnight or less, in the milk product you are allowed and add fruits and nuts.
You can also make dessert puddings.
Egg white omelets are pretty popular. You can even boost the protein level with soft tofu scrambled in.
Hope that helps.
Take care!
One of my pre diabetic dinner options is a “pankake/omelet” of quinoa. I use flakes of quinoa seasoned and wet with a little milk (1 or 2 spoons dependent of the amount quinoa) and I let it for half a hour to homogenise some and use very small amont olive oil extravirgen to fry/cook until it start getting golden in colour. Its good option to eat as pankake substitute if you have some souce or even as the protein fpr sanduichs. Ps I wont give seasoning advice for It becouse in my experience people give up finding their own version to make it work It work If they dont like the original. So trown in the seasonings you like and see what works and what doesnt when you doing your version of quinoa. I spent years eating soy beans dishes (had to stop becouse side effects of woman hormones) and learn this lesson: when you are cooking protein substitute find the seosoning and options that work for you. Experiment and dont give up becouse you didnt like the first 10 attempts. You can find the ones that work for you. Pps I never had my gallblader removed but I agree with what most people said so far eggs can be donne in many diferent ways so it doesnt get repetitive and you can with some testing find 2 or 3 ways that are fast and easy to make that you find good also fruit is a good breakfast item some light acidic fruits like oranges and peanaples are good complements for it.
+1 on the quinoa and finding your own seasonings. Quinoa is delicious and you can throw whatever you want into it.
On the salmon – most store-bought salmon is farmed; I forget what species they use. If you can find sockeye, which is only available wild-caught, that’s a whole other story. Much less fatty, and consequently you have to be more careful on the timing. It tastes better IMO though. Of course wild-caught salmon of any species is going to be less fatty than farmed.
We were told Dover sole and tilapia have the lowest fat content in fish.
How’s some sort of milk rice?
Rice, cooked in Coconut milk or any other you can eat (soy, almond etc.etc). With a little vanilla, cocoa or cinnamon; with light fruits, something like that?
I had my gallbladder out a few months ago and I lean heavily on zero fat Greek yogurt smoothies. I make a peanut butter, chocolate banana smoothie. I use peanut butter powder that is 90% fat free, cocoa powder, half of a small frozen banana, fat free milk and the yogurt. If I feel my body can handle it I’ll add a few tablespoons of steel cut oats I soaked over night.
Sounds delicious!
Avocado toast with tomato? Avocado does have fat but perhaps it would be more digestible. Can you skip the breakfasty things and have something like tuna salad, maybe on whole wheat toast or ryecrisp? Or egg salad, substituting yogurt for mayo, or greek yogurt with sliced banana and other fruit?
Nonfat, high protein Greek yogurt and sugar free granola have been my go-to since my gallbladder removal. Quick, easy, and tasty.
Termites are healthy and edible. Not that I would eat them, but I have heard that it is true, and they would probably taste better than the paper.
Although I have eaten paper.
Can you have eggs? Egg whites? If so, you could make an omelet of whatever few things you CAN eat, minus fruit. Mushrooms, very ripe bell peppers, asparagus, spinach, etc.
Can you have potatoes? Olive oil? If so you could make all sorts of stir fry with otherwise bland ingredients.
I know you can’t have regular cheese, but what about feta? It could dress up all sorts of stuff if you can have it. Especially a cucumber salad.
A lot of Indian cooking is low fat and low sugar, with a lot of flavor. I would imagine that beans are not good for you, but they use a lot of lentils. Moroccan cooking uses those same ingredients in a lot of different ways, again no beans, and neither of those nationalities uses the broccoli family.
I wish you success in finding yummy foods that don’t hurt you.
Hugs to you.
I don’t know if it’s available where you are, but spelt crackers/toast (dinkel wheat/hulled wheat), might those be an option? Not carb free, but it’s the kind of carbs that take longer to digest. Can be topped with anything you like and can handle, just like regular crackers/toast.
Then again, this might be a European thing, in which case it won’t help at all…
Have you thought about consulting a registered dietician/nutritionist? Lots of great ones out there who take health insurance and most likely offer virtual appointments.
I lost my gallbladder 12 years ago when a cyst that was removed from my liver had surrounded the gall bladder and they came out together. The nurse warned me that there might be times when I ate something and my system would swiftly eject it. I avoided fat and spice and gave up my much loved twice cooked pork with cabbage and peppers and onions. Eat carefully for the first few weeks then slowly try things and reintroduce the foods you love the most. We eat a lot of hard boiled eggs for breakfast and they are great sliced on avocado toast as well. Get protein in you, then try fruits and veggies. Just take your time and pay attention. Good luck!
I have had my gallbladder out and have other stomach/dietary issues. I cook eggbites every week and they do not bother my stomach. When all else fails I go back to the BRAT diet my mother fed me growing up with a bad stomach. Which is Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and toast. Obviously, something plain there are low sugar varieties of applesauce to keep your carbs down.
As a massage therapist into Organics, nutrition, and other health related subjects, have an eye out for helpful items published world wide. There was a study done some years ago, that revealed that cooked potatoes that were chilled, at least overnight in the refrigerator, had a Lower GI than the once cooked. Potato salad, ‘re-fried’ potatoes with…or In something, are options. Will include Some of the links that came up: (1) https://nutritionfacts.org/video/glycemic-index-of-potatoes-why-you-should-chill-and-reheat-them/ (2) https://somethingnewfordinner.com/blog/10-ways-to-lower-the-glycemic-index-of-potatoes/ (3) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cooling-resistant-starch
Hope this assists!
I recently heard this about rice. Rice eaten after 24 hours in the fridge won’t affect blood sugar as much as freshly cooked rice.
May I suggest some Indian breakfasts if you have access to Indian stores/ingredients.
You can try poha. Its flattened rice and has lower GI than rice as it’s less processed. The dish is highly customizable and you can make it any veggies of your choice and skip what you don’t like. Here’s a recipe link : https://mytastycurry.com/vegetable-poha-recipe-indian-breakfast-poha-made-healthy
You can also try daliya with veggies (it’s not gluten free if that’s a concern)
Daliya is basically broken wheat. It can also be customized with any vegetables of your choice.
Recipe link : https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/dalia-khichdi-recipe-dalia-recipe-baby/#wprm-recipe-container-36968
Another option is sooji Upma. Sooji is also broken wheat but a little more processed.
Breakfast:
1) Rice pudding with cinnamon or turmeric (replace milk with coconut milk – but here you have to pay attention to the ingredients such as stabilizers)
2) millet casserole with baked apples (Boskop variety)
Further ideas:
caraway anise fennel helps with different types of digestive problems
shallots are easier to digest than regular onions
One of my challenges with breakfast is it’s the one meal I need to be “grab and go” for 3 days of the week. I usually rely on Two Good low fat yogurts for this. I might top it with berries and/or nuts, or just ground cinnamon and ginger.
Two Good Low Fat Vanilla – 90 cal, 2g fats, 40mg sodium, 13g protein, 4g carbs (2g sugar). Their Lemon and Peach have similar stats, and also taste really good.
If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, check out dashi. You can make it a number of ways (bonito flakes are the best IMO), and add almost anything to it. Wakame, tofu, miso paste, mushrooms, fish, and veggies to name a few. My favorite toppings for it are scallions and daikon. Experiment until you find a combination of stuff you enjoy in it.
Wishing you all the best!
eggs, yogurt, digestive no sugar biscuits, blueberries, simple no sugar mixed grains, bananas, mango, avocado, everything you like made out of soy (if it isn’t gassy for you), spinach, wholewheat toast, there is more fish in the sea other than salmon like tuna, and that’s all from the top of my head
Chia pudding or quinoa possibly? So long as cook the quinoa up with water instead of chicken stock (unless you want a savory!), you can mix it with a lot of the same things you’d have rice or oatmeal.
As for lunch/dinner, if you can have lean chicken, I chop chicken and cook it in a pan, and quinoa and stock, steam for suggested cook time. Seasoned to taste and then stir in baby spinach and cheese before plating up. But you can leave off either if anything is a no-go.
Hopefully you feel better soon. My mother had a rough couple months after the gall badder came out, and then she was back to being able to eat anything but avocado – just too rich. Salmon has been fine for her.
I love breakfast scrambles. I don’t know if you want to consider it, but waxy potatoes are supposed to be low starch.
My mom is a long-time diabetic and has cereal every morning (usually Cheerios). My Dad likes to makes juices for her and they saw some positive test results after he started incorporating celery into her juices.
I also don’t know if there’s a correlation, but she takes collagen daily.
Baked turnip is my no starch replacement for baked potatoes. Cut into smaller pieces as they take longer to cook. I just season with salt and bake with a little avocado oil. Tastes delicious.
I’m long time diabetic and now on a low-potassium diet. My favorite breakfast lately is a whole wheat English muffin with mashed fruit on top. 30 g carb for the muffin. Strawberries and a tsp of so of Splenda munched and mixed. Spoon on top of the muffin and zap for 30 seconds. Strawberries are remarkably low in sugar so enjoy. For variety you can add peaches, pineapple and banana, but they will add sugar, so use restraint.
All veggies are good, but watch out for avocados they’re very fatty.
Ham is a lean meat if you avoid those tasty fat stripes.
I don’t know if keto is okay, but I have a keto waffle recipe that uses almond flour, egg, water and olive oil (I think those are the ingredients). Then you can make them salty or sweet with what you put in them. And you didn’t mention eggs for breakfast, do you not like them? I like them scrambled with a bit of cream cheese. Or Greek yogurt with blueberries and strawberries. You don’t even need to sweeten it.
Lol. Surgery sucks.
Food is food, labels are bad.
Your new breakfast may not be a breakfast food, but we promise not to tell. Find something you like on your list and eat it for breakfast.
These muffins are the best. Grain free and very tasty. And the author is a diabetes specialist.
https://www.drdavidludwig.com/grain-free-pumpkin-spice-muffins/#pumpkinmuffinrecipe
I had my gallbladder out in October 2023. My go to breakfast is non fat plain Greek yogurt. Sometimes I add fruit sometimes I don’t. I found plain had less sugar than the flavored ones. If you like cottage cheese there is a low fat version of it also that has protein. I eat a lot of beans different ways. I can now eat some salmon, steak, bacon all in moderation. I wasn’t given a list of foods to stay away from. It’s basically been let’s try and see what happens. Sometimes I take a digestive enzyme before eating really fatty foods like a burger. Take it slow in trying some foods. My body seems to handle fried food ok but if I use too much low fat sour cream it’s a no. So what works for one person might not work for everyone. Good luck. You got this.
And there are support groups on FB that sometimes has helpful info. You are welcome to contact me if you have questions also.
I have no practical help except to say it gets easier and your body will slowly adjust ( to having no gallbladder ) A couple years after removal there were all kinds of things I couldn’t eat without a frantic trip to the restroom. Ten years later I eat everything and really only remember I had it out from the scar. Glad you are starting to feel slightly better. I think people really underestimate the recovery from gallbladder surgery. It is a big surgery. Be gentle to yourself we will all still be here ready to read when you feel up to it.
I’m so with you! I had my gallbladder removed just a month ago! I also have PCOS so carbs are technically bad for me.
My doctor said heart-healthy, low fat, low carb, high fiber diet. (Like just eat air??!)
Variety is the spice of life soo…
Day 1- oatmeal for breakfast. Lemon tuna pouch mixed with a tbsp of no fat ranch, carrots, hard boiled egg, sugar free vanilla pudding for lunch. Slow cooker chicken breast, side salad, green beans, fresh cut pineapple for dinner.
Day 2- carb master yogurt, cut strawberries for breakfast. Leftover chicken breast on whole wheat or low carb bun, sliced apple for lunch. Zucchini pasta with low sugar spaghetti sauce(I add cooked ground turkey to it)for dinner. Cottage cheese with sliced peach for dessert.
Day 3- skinny whole wheat bagel, 2 tbsp low fat cream cheese for breakfast. Shred a piece of leftover chicken add taco seasoning, black beans, chopped up bell peppers, serve over cauliflower rice with a dollop of sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) for lunch. Salmon, baked sweet potato, spinach salad for dinner.
Day 4- frozen mixed berry smoothie (add ice, protein powder if you want, I add car master vanilla yogurt) for breakfast. Leftover zucchini pasta if you have it. Otherwise chicken broth for soup, cottage cheese, fresh pineapple for lunch. Slow cooker shepherds pie- cooked ground turkey, can or frozen bag of mixed veggies (or just add carrots and green beans and whatever veggies you like- corn if allowed, leftover peppers, peas etc), cauliflower mashed potatoes (or real ones), jar of beef gravy. Serve with a biscuit (or dinner roll) if allowed for dinner.
Day 5- oatmeal for breakfast. Leftover shepherds pie for lunch. Grapes or some blueberries and carb master yogurt for snack. Grilled veggie or turkey burger on low carb bun or in a lettuce wrap with tomatoes, pickles, carrots and no fat ranch for dipping, cottage cheese for dinner. Grilled peach with a scoop of sugar free vanilla ice cream for indulgent dessert.
Day 6- baked egg with chives, sprinkle of pepper, chopped bell pepper, diced tomatoes, sprinkle of cooked ground turkey, sprinkle of cheese for breakfast. You can make a bunch of these in a muffin tin. I usually eat 2 at a time and freeze extras in pairs. Grilled chicken strips with honey mustard dipping sauce and side salad for lunch. Banana for snack. Slow cooker pork chops, sprinkle with dry stove top stuffing and pour on no sugar added can peaches (juice an all- 2 cans), cook on low 6 hours. 1 pot meal for dinner.
So many great ideas!
Another veggie pasta idea — we love spaghetti squash! You can do it in the microwave, just stab a few holes and cook the entire squash until it’s a bit soft, then scrape out the flesh. It won’t satisfy if you’re looking for carb-y pasta, but it’s tasty and holds sauce well so we find it very appealing. Probably a bit more starchy than zucchini, but hopefully not too bad!
Low-fat yogurt with small amounts of fruit? My mom makes “smoothies” by mixing fat-free plain Greek yogurt with unsweetened soymilk. Egg white omelette with spinach and low-fat cheese?
This morning I fried up some spinach and chopped pepper (yellow/orange/red) and chopped tomato with a bit of coconut oil and then scrambled eggs. I topped with a tiny sprinkling of cheddar. I’m new to the Diabetes game and it didn’t effect me much. I had my gallbladder out a few years ago. I only have issues with meat sometimes now so hopefully you have success in your dietary adventures in the future.
What is breakfast to you? I wouldn’t have thought broccoli or cauliflower would fall into that category but you mentioned those. My go-to would probably be Asparagus Soup – I got this recipe from the “Outsmart Diabetes Cookbook” (Prevention.com) years ago and it is delightful…
Asparagus Soup
2T Butter
8oz Shitake Mushrooms (stems removed) sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2lb asparagus, trimmed, roasted or grilled, then cut into pieces (reserving half tips)
2.5c chicken broth
1/2t salt
1. Cook the mushrooms in 1T of the butter on med-high.
2. Cook the onions in the same pan in the other half of the butter until brown/caramelized.
3. Puree everything except the mushrooms and reserved asparagus tips in a food processor.
4. Put the puree in a pot with the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with reserved asparagus tips.
I imagine you need to skip the onion but I left it in the recipe for the wider audience.
I know you specifically said you wanna chill on the oats, but maybe later on when you’re less sick of them?
I love to do a baked apple stuffed with oats.
There’s a million recipes and varieties on it. Like a healthy apple pie, and so delicious.
IMO, make an appointment with a nutritionist. Your doc should have a recommendation.
Have you looked at the Low Fodmap diet? I think it naturally cuts out the foods you are worrying about and there are recipes online that you can try. The diet is designed around removing hard to digest foods like sugar, onions and cruciferous vegetables. The diet is for avoiding foods that could upset your digestive system and you add the restricted foods one at a time to see if they trigger any negative reactions. I have found it helpful for identifying triggers for my IBS but it is used for other stomach disorders.
Pepperoncini? Okra? I don’t know how much starch you can have. My mom has had her gallbladder removed for years. She just started keto and says she feels amazing. The strange thing is that fried foods are hard for her but she can go on a high fat diet. I feel like she should ask an expert about that.
I’m with your mom. I can’t tolerate fried breaded coatings but can eat cake no problem. It isn’t just the amount of fat.
Sadly, post gall-bladder I can’t tolerate coffee at all. It isn’t a fat issue. Just a more irritable intestine. My husband who had a much more major surgery can still drink coffee- usually!
When I was having issues on breakfast, I pretty much “gave up” on anything traditional and went with a Vegan Chocolate Protein Powder (0 fat, lots of fiber and protein, sweetened with Stevia) which I mix with Unsweetened Almond milk and coffee. So it’s basically a mocha coffee that is filling and full of “good stuff” so it didn’t trigger any of my other issues. Added bonus, as long as you have no allergies to the ingredients it will fit in literally any diet plan as it’s low carb, low fat, no dairy and high protein.
The protein powder I use Garden of Eden’s Fit line in Chocolate. Other flavors are available as well as unflavored.
I used to hate “drinking” my breakfast but I converted quickly and have actually had trouble switching back. It was also convenient for travel. I’d get a coconut milk powder (can’t seem to find an almond milk one, not that I’ve really looked) and pre-pack single serving snack bags with the protein + milk powder so on the road I could just add half a bottle of water, shake, top with coffee and I’m good.
The coffee is a preference for me (as my preferred AM caffeine source) – but you could absolutely just drink it in milk or as part of a berry smoothy for something different.
Mom had her gallbladder removed decades ago. Her breakfast is usually greek yogurt, oatmeal or eggs (omelet or with a slice of whole wheat toast). The fat in even whole fat yogurt or one or 2 eggs don’t seem to be a problem for her – but I also recall there was a medication change that made small amounts of fat not be a huge problem. She even has a slice of bacon with us on Sunday Sourdough Waffle day…..
I had my gallbladder out (thanks to the NHS) about a year and half ago. I wasn’t told that there would be any restrictions and frankly the only thing I’ve noticed is spicey food travels through me at the speed of light (pardon the description) I eat well but balanced and try to eat smaller portions as it allows my body to process. I would suggest introducing foods you love in small amounts and watching thr reaction. honestly I’ve not had any pain and I enjoy the odd English breakfast now and again..
sending healing and a big hug
Cottage cheese is good, but I cant do the texture. I blend it with non fat greek yogurt and its more protein. You can take it a lot of places to flavor wise. It’s great with veggies as a dip, you can mix in ranch seasoning or do a swirl of sugar free berry jam and nuts. Its also a good base for meat salads like chicken or tuna salad if there is a kind of protein that works for you. I lean towards a savory breakfast myself
Kale Smoothie, something like this
https://www.loveandlemons.com/kale-smoothie/
First, keep reminding yourself that this diet routine is most likely temporary. When I had my gallbladder removed, my doctor also told me to stay on a strict (low fat etc) for the first few months, because she said that would prevent issues while healing. Then, after I was fully healed, she said I could add things back in, a little at a time. Long story short, I followed her advice and have had almost no issues. (Ok, the fried kippers and other fried foods the time I vacationed in Ireland did me in for a day or so, but totally worth it: how often am I going there?!!) 😁
Regarding breakfast ideas, the best thing I did while recovering was throw categories out the window. Something was a breakfast food if I felt like eating it for breakfast.
Example: do you like savory breakfasts? Then you should try some savory breakfasts such as congee (if you can have rice) or shaksuka (spelling?) made with less spicy ingredients. My daughter and I enjoy savory breakfasts even now that I can eat pretty much anything. Also check out vegetarian recipes or cookbooks…lots of good ideas there.
Good luck and glad you’re feeling better! 😁
If you like asian cuisine, try Kani (there’s a little bit of starch), cucumber and carrots sliced with kewpie mayo and and tofu with eggs.
I have no gall bladder and an ‘at risk for diabetes’ A1C. A meal plan I was given does low-fat cottage cheese with a teaspoon of honey, a small slice of whole grain toast with the tiniest shred of butter, and 2 hard boiled eggs for one breakfast. An alternate day is a piece of fruit with 1 piece of whole grain bread topped with less than a teaspoon of mayo, 1 hard fried egg, 1 slice of ham lunchmeat, and an ounce of sliced cheese.
I also get a lot of protein shakes with water (or lowfat milk), cashews or almonds, string cheese, Greek yogurt (plain or low sugar), and no sugar added applesauce. Additionally there are healthy green salads that include chopped carrot, tomato, and sliced cucumber, topped with tiny amounts of dressing, and lots of lean meat.
Alternatively, instead of dressing (depends on what’s in your dressing) you can use lemon or lime juice with a touch of olive oil. All the fats on my meal plan are measured in 1 teaspoon or less amounts. Occasionally I get a single serving of whole grain pasta or seasoned rice or 1/2 cup of potato. Lots of water and no fruit juices.
I got curious about the onion so I looked it up. Apparently it is “poot” inducing.
Gas-Inducing Foods: Some foods like beans, cabbage, broccoli, and onions can lead to gas and bloating. Monitor your reactions and adjust your consumption accordingly. (source:https://www.drsuniltibrewal.com/diet-plan-foods-to-eat-avoid-after-gallbladder-removal-surgery/)
Maybe go Asian for a little while? Mung bean / cellophane noodles are a filling, easy to digest go-to for me to bulk up salads and soups.
Caveat: mung beans are beans. And lentils are legumes and can have a similar effect. Apparently sprouting either one reduces the specific sugars that cause the gassiness.
And hummus is mashed chickpeas/ garbanzo beans so both that and soybeans are also legumes and therefore potential gas-producers [including processed forms like tofu]
Rats. can’t edit posted comments. wanted to suggest cold noodle salads like https://pupswithchopsticks.com/yum-woon-sen-thai-glass-noodle-salad/ or https://www.hungryhuy.com/banh-xeo-savory-vietnamese-crepes/ using alternative milk to the coconut cream.
no fat cottage cheese or plain yogurt (I actually like to mix them) with a runny egg on top. add wilted greens and/or pickles for a savory breakfast bowl.
idk if any of that’s on your list. This sounds terrible, it sucks, I’m sorry!!!
Hmmm
Funny peculiar how recomendations are different from one country to another.
The danish recomendation is to eat what you like, but eat smaller meals.
Scrambled eggs and ham and avocado? Try adding a pinch of lemon juice to the eggs for extra smoothness (samin nosrats book “salt, fat, acid, heat)
Our family eats a mix of roasted and raw nuts on yoghurt. A mix of roasted almonds, hazelnuts raw and roasted, cashews, sunflowerseeds and a smaller amount of whole buckwheat dryroasted for ekstra crunch.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery
Very sorry to hear about this trouble. I don’t have a specific recipe but your description reminded me of when we introduced solids to the kids, perhaps look at some ideas for Baby-led-weaning (real food instead of mush) for inspiration? They make muffins out of the most absurd stuff like zucchini and squash. Or sweet variations with bananas, dates, apples.
Fingers crossed!!
Wow, thank you for sharing! We are on the Bresaden Protocol (reversing Alzheimer’s) to help with inflammation, brain fog and fatigue. Turns out what’s good for the gut is good for the brain and heart. We also have pre-diabetic and other aging issues.
Our diet is lean grass fed meat (Costco sells New Zealand meat boxes once a year) and local eggs, wild caught fish to reduce heavy metal exposure, low carb vegetables, healthy fat: olive, avocado, Thai kitchen coconut cream as a dairy substitute (no carb, sugar or cholesterol) and MCT (skips the liver goes straight into stomach to be used asap) and small amounts of ghee for the butter taste without dairy.
Fruit low glycemic berries or cherries. 2 servings max per day and usually with cinnamon to control sugar spikes. We use tiny amounts of local honey or maple syrup. Take sugars trigger the bad gut bacteria to grow which can manifest into everything you eat going straight to storage instead of into fueling your body. ‘Overfed and under nourished’
Fiber offsets carbs. Flax seed and raw vegetables are our friend.
As we age (starts in our 30’s) we lose the ability to produce our own folates such as B-12 which makes digesting dairy, grains, legumes including peanuts and peas, night shades (onion, bell pepper, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant) more difficult and inefficient.
I recommend you have tests done for heavy metal, folates and other vitamin deficiency such as D, magnesium etc so you can focus on what your body really needs to reset your gut health.
You might have to seek out a functional doctor. Bad news, they don’t usually take insurance. Good news you can do appointments online and they can order tests most HMO’s can’t and use a discounted test service.
They can also offer outside the HMO box solutions such as low dose naltrexone for lowering inflammation and brain fog by triggering your own body to produce opiates. They can order compounded hormones high enough to protect your brain, joints, heart but low enough to not raise the risk of cancer. These are tweaked as needed.
Plus they can get discounts from reputable supplement companies that are independently tested for impurities and know how combining certain things that will help your body absorb them. I didn’t know methylcobalamin b12 was easier for the body to uptake.
I hope this helps Big Love!
Very interesting, glad to see this.
yogurt and fruit? that’s my go to breakfast
Is dairy ok? How about low fat cottage cheese or ricotta with fresh berries. Egg white omelet with spinach, vegetable soup with wild rice ( I like soup for breakfast). I haven’t read the rest of the comments yet so hope these aren’t all mentioned already.
I really enjoy a frittata or scramble for breakfast. Eggs and maybe Canadian or turkey bacon with spinach , mushrooms and garlic or whatever veggies you can have? Some low fat cheese on top?
Best wishes for fast healing and some amazing food options that work for you.
The Mayo Clinic has a set of low-fat recipes, for exactly this sort of circumstance: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/low-fat-recipes/rcs-20077196
Good luck, and wishing you a speedy recovery
My go to:
–Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, spinach, peppers, and parmesan (some times I throw in cut up lean meat)
–A slice of whole grain bread with nut butter and cheese (or avocado if no dairy)
–French toast (made with whole grain bread, eggs and yogurt) with banana and nut butter instead of syrup
Navy bean soup with greens and salsa added (better with a little bit of pork)
Baked acorn squash with salsa and chicken (lots of spices).
much commiseration! i struggled with just low fat meals after my gall bladder was removed. i don’t have diabetes, so i could freely eat carbs and sugar. i have missed butter and mayo, having never realized exactly how MUCH fat is in just one single tablespoon. plus i had to admit to myself that what i put on my sandwiches was definitely NOT just a single tablespoon.
if i cheat and eat too much fat in one meal, i get stomach pain. so that has motivated me to stick to the damn low-fat restrictions. i AM making progress, i really am getting better, but i desperately crave all the yummy high-fat comfort foods i haven’t been able to have.
i ate a lot of soup. chicken noodle, or beef and barley vegetable soup. and i’d toast a piece of bread and dunk it in the soup. the campbells soups were pretty low fat. other than that i mostly ate pasta, rice, and potatoes, plus fruit. all carbs, but that’s what i lived off that first month and part of the second before i was able to start cooking more regularly.
if all these dietary restrictions are too darn much, perhaps call your doctor who is handling your diabetes/prediabetes and ask if its ok for you to relax on the carbs restrictions for just *only* a couple months while your body heals from this surgery, then as you’re able to add more fat in, go back to the low carbs and low sugar. the doctor might say its ok as a temporary measure.
everyone, my surgeon included, says this IS a temporary situation. and truly, my body IS adapting, it absolutely is getting better, albeit slowly. my mom had hers out and she too said it takes a few months. i’m trying to be patient. but as everyone in the hoard knows, patience is hard. here’s wishing you all the extra patience to deal with these food restrictions, and here’s hoping your body heals and recovers quickly.
It’s so hard for we humans to change our habits. If we do it slowly, one taste, one bite, one meal, etc at a time we can do. Is it fun? Hell no. It’s ok to stomp your feet and scream in protest. You’re among friends.
Breakfast can be anything – in Norway it’s hard boiled eggs, leftover fish, caviar and a variety of cheeses, very small slices of bread and some jam. Try goat cheese from Trader Joe’s. Amazon has egg white wraps you can try. I use them with hummus, cucumber and sprouts. You can get them plain or with spices. Shred, potatoes (gold and sweet potato), zucchini, mushroom and carrots and either fry it up or make patties with a little egg and bake them to your desired crispness. I usually put a couple of poached eggs on top. Salt/pepper to taste and maybe a little cilantro on top (leaves only)
Sending you very gentle healing hugs!
Cherrios with one blueberry?
Turkey bacon! Moderately. Blt with avocado instead of mayo with turkey bacon. And you can skip the tomato.
Egg “biscuits”. Cook in a cupcake tin and freeze. Use as needed. Personal favorite is flavored with rosemary and gruyere cheese. Use a “dry” hard cheese due to your condition in very small amounts. And I think you are limited to egg whites. We also like red bell pepper in them. And mushrooms.
You have a lot less bile without a gallbladder. The liver does it, but it’s a longer process. Harder to breakdown fats. Family members have gone through this. I remember one doctor stating onions may cause bleeding, affect blood sugar. That was years ago.
Lots of chicken, turkey. 😊
Well maybe entomatadas (corn tortillas, filled up with chicken covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cream and cheese) thy are like enchiladas but not spicy you can have them green or red, and you can change the chicken for scrambled eggs or meat, or just eggs they are many ways to cook them
Congee – it contains rice, but it mostly water/broth and can be dressed up with protein, vegetables and spices.
Recipe: 1 part rice to 9 part water/broth (so 1 cup of rice makes a lot of congee)
Bring water/broth to a boil. Stir in rice. Simmer until porridge (~45min-1hr). Dress up as you like: steamed/leftover vegetables, meat, eggs, spinach, whatever.
I love to add shredded cabbage when I add the rice, which means by the time it’s done the cabbage is silky and soft.
Good luck
While I’ve got a different set of guidelines, what’s helped me the most is realizing breakfast doesn’t have to be breakfast foods. I’ll have soups/salads/rice bowls etc
I think that with your dietary restrictions, that you should see a dietician or nutritionist, to help you with your diet and meal planning. I am a nurse and I know how confusing it is for post gallbladder removal and prediabetic. Some people have no issues eating after surgery but some people do. Sometimes its just experimentation to see what your digestion will tolerate.
I really enjoy egg-muffin bakes – I put cooked turkey sausage (or turkey bacon or chopped ham or chopped canadian bacon or no meat at all) and finely-chopped bell pepper or whatever veggies fit your current guidelines (I usually microwave the veggies for a few seconds to soften them) in muffin tins, with or without a bit of shredded cheese or crumbled feta, then pour beaten eggs over the meat/veggies, mix a bit, and bake (for reduced fat, can use egg whites or a mix of whole eggs and whites).
I make these in big batches and then freeze them; they defrost great for a quick breakfast. I like them with a bit of salsa but that may not be on your current list of best-for-you items at the moment.
I also do egg-mugs (search Hungry Girl Egg Mug recipes for inspiration) for a quick breakfast when I’m short on time.
I hope you’re able to find amazing, simple, delicious things to eat that make your body and mind happy while you heal!
Quinoa Egg Bites are my go to for breakfast. Easy to make and add in the veggies that work for you, they keep for a week in the fridge or you can freeze them. Low calorie/low carb and they’ve never affected me and I’m 2 years post gallbladder removal.
Easy recipe found here-https://goodcheapeats.com/easy-quinoa-egg-bites/#recipe
Egg Muffins, oatmeal pancakes, turkey bacon (I like mine extra crispy)
Egg whites (Kirkland) – use spray butter in dish to prevent sticking and put in microwave for 1 min (increase in 15 sec increments based on amt or microwave. I season with Ms dash (no salt) lemon pepper/ everything seasoning. I add in veggies if I have any – so it’s like a microwave omelette. You can use non-stick pans too.
ok as a diabetic post gallbladder. Oatmeal is ok IN MODERATION. Bananas are ok with my gallbladder, and leaner meats and nicely cooked veggies that are nice and soft. Raw veggies are a hard no. Bacon is a no as well. Sirloin steak is a yes as it is leaner. I didn’t have issues with onions, but green peppers and okra caused lots of problems. Red bell pepper was ok if cooked. best advice in my personal situation was to eat 5 small meals per day and have protein at each even if I just dipped an apple in nut butter.
You’ve got me looking – and I found this on the aarp website – sounds like a healthy breakfast parfait:
“Create several alternating layers of berries and Greek-style yogurt in a milkshake glass, then sprinkle with toasted almonds or roasted pistachios. For the more adventurous, grill or pan-grill skewers of strawberries, drizzle with balsamic vinegar or a balsamic reduction, sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds and fresh basil, and serve atop ricotta or plant-based ricotta.”
I like this and plan to try it – I can make most of it ahead of time and it feels like it has a little Orro-like panache!
Another breakfast food I do enjoy is toast (whole wheat) with feta or goat cheese and sliced red bell pepper on top. You can fancy it up with pea shoots or cucumber slices as well. It’s great on hot mornings. You could use ricotta as a spreadable cheese a option that would be better for your diet right now.
I have been doing the Plant Paradox diet for nearly five years. It focuses on certain plant proteins, lectins.
For breakfast, a green smoothie or one of his muffin-in-mug recipes are pretty good, and you can tweak them to your tastes. Recipes call for organic stevia for a little sweetness.
https://gundrymd.com/plant-paradox-green-smoothie-recipe/
I like to add a little lime juice, too – mint and lime… green virgin mojito, anyone?!
https://gundrymd.com/lectin-free-muffin-recipe/
You can add almost anything to this recipe – seasonal fruit, spices, Lily’s chocolate chips…
I think a beet salad with tangerines could be good.
Maybe mashed turnips with nuts or your favorite savory items. (Can we make fried turnip cakes?)
Don’t forget your root vegetables! Yes, be cautious of the sugar content but the fiber helps with that.
Every morning I have four ounces baked sweet potato (no skin), two ounces salsa or marinara sauce, two hard boiled eggs, six ounces frozen blueberries, and a big mug of tea. The sweet potato and salsa freeze well so I pre-make individual servings and once a week take out six, let them thaw in the fridge overnight, and add the eggs the next day and voila! I have six days of breakfasts ready to go. I sometimes add cinnamon to the blueberries and half a cup of high protein Greek yogurt if I feel extra hungry.
I eat a lot of turkey bacon that I cook in my air fryer until it’s crispy. Aldi house brand is my favorite.
I know you said no oats but I wonder about that. My doc always told me it was a good choice for low glycemic, but I guess maybe just in comparison to the other grains?
I like my oats raw with salt, a spoonful of chia seeds, and milk. Or if I want something hot, they’re also good cooked and savory with soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger.
My brother swears by chia seed pudding with sliced fruit. He assembles it the night before and gets it out of the fridge in the morning, making it a super speedy breakfast.
Breakfast tacos with vegan chorizo?
Kate Farms meal replacement shakes?
Not sure how you feel about breakfast soup, but I love miso soup for breakfast or a different seaweed soup called miyeokguk –you can usually get quick packets at Hmart.
I saute up shredded cabbage and zucchini (sometimes add spinach) and once it’s good and singed, I either throw in a couple of eggs and scramble it all together, or fry the eggs separately and serve them on top. I like to top it with Siete japaleno hot sauce or a chili crunch or something. I use avocado oil spray in cast iron, so the cooking fat is pretty minimal.
Also, I wonder if something like banana pancakes would work? You just mash up a ripe banana with an egg and cook it like pancakes. You can add cinnamon or salt or other things to spice it up.
If you can have chickpeas, Farinata (chickpea flatbread) is really good. It’s generally served as an appetizer, but I like it leftovers for breakfast, topped with an egg or with veggies or avocado.
Baked barley is good as well. I make it for dinner (with chicken or meat), and then have leftovers for breakfast with whatever I have around.
Farinata:
1 ½ cups chickpea flour
2 cups water
1 tsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
finely chopped fresh rosemary
coarse sea salt and/or freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, fine sea salt and 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a good size bowl (one with a pouring spout is helpful) until the flour is completely incorporated and the batter is smooth and slightly frothy. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours (the longer, the better).
Shortly before ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450F. Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil to a rimmed nonstick 13×9” baking pan or 12” rimmed nonstick pizza pan. Pour in the batter. Sprinkle the top with the rosemary and bake the farinata for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are set and it is firm in the center. It should be a nice golden color with some brown spots; if desired, put the pan under the broiler for a few minutes to get additional browning. Sprinkle with a little coarse salt and/or pepper if you’d like, and allow to cool slightly. Cut into squares or wedges, and serve hot.
Optional: Sprinkle some topping(s) on the batter just before baking. Very thinly sliced zucchini or onion, chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil or well-drained fresh tomatoes, pine nuts, mixed herbs, or slivered Kalamata or niçoise olives are all good choices. There’s no need to stick with tradition; add whatever toppings suit your tastes.
what about Kasha? with allowed fruit and cinnamon? or with sauteed mushrooms ?
Egg muffins – a misnomer, it’s lazy omelette baked in a muffins tin in the oven but they’re tasty and versatile, you can check whatever is safe for you in there https://www.wellplated.com/healthy-breakfast-egg-muffins/
No gallbladder since 1979 and diabetic for over 20 years. My Dr. said that sourdough bread has less effect on blood sugar than other types (and can be made with all types of flour). It is slower to digest so it is easier on the GI tract, causes much less of a sugar spike. It is also more filling than regular bread. And it’s fun to make.
Have you looked at plant based butter? Check the label for fat content.
Turkey bacon and sausage is good.
A quesadilla with turkey sausage, tomato, low fat cheese, mushrooms, maybe avocado. Low carb tortillas are easily found. Use your favorite meat and experiment. Avocado oil cooking spray works well when you need just a touch of an oil to cook something.
Another no carb protein meal is: a package or 2 of chicken drummettes, a large ziplock bag, your favorite fajita seasonings (as hot or mild as you like), and a good splash of lime juice. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Place in ziplock bag, add seasoning of choice. Close bag and shake. Add lime juice to bag, close and shake. Place bag in fridge for a few hours or overnight to marinate. Dump in a baking dish and bake in the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Good cold too. Also works with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Variation: use the salt, pepper and lemon. Discard the lemon juice before baking. Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray of choice. Bake. About 10 minutes before done cooking, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
It will get better. After all these years the only thing that might give me trouble is something fried and too oily. Since fried foods aren’t good for diabetics anyway, it doesn’t happen often. The gallbladder restrictions you mentioned are temporary. It only seems like an eternity!
Take your time. When you tire, rest! Don’t try to do “just one more thing”. Very little can’t wait for a few more hours, or days (even the BDH).
Best wishes on your recovery.
Hi, both myself and my husband have had our gall bladder removed. I haven’t changed much in my diet from before and he has issues with too much mayo and some fatty stuff. We both eat salmon, just don’t cook it in something fatty. You may be able to eat some of your regular diet, just pay attention to what happens with different foods. One thing I have for breakfast is Greek vanilla yogurt with peaches, blueberries,and strawberries blended into a smoothie. It fills me up for hours. I also use different granola with my yogurt.
Good luck with trying different foods-keeping a list of reactions will help.
I had an unexpected diagnosis of gestational diabetes with my 2nd kid. (Kind of explained the first kids 99% big head though 😉 And I really struggled with breakfast as everything I could think of that counted to me as “breakfast” had too much sugar or carbs.
Some dietiticians are great, others were terrible and triple dosed me with Mom guilt for eating cream cheese due to the fat content when I was only trying to control sugar.
Anyway in the 4 months I was a diet-controlled diabetic, I never found a happy place on breakfast, so I don’t have any ideas for you. My advice though is to reassess how important your earlier food rules are compared to your new ones. And find one of the good dietiticians who will help you carve out enough space for some creative meals that balance all of your restrictions with some give and take from day to day.
Gluten free waffles are 90 calories each, and the pumpkin and chocolate chip ones are reasonably not-cardboard flavored. I’m an RN, BSN, CCM and work with a LOT of diabetics via phone to discuss eating habits. It’s not about “fewer carbs” as it is about “smarter carbs.” You want to look for things with a low glycemic index to help slowly increase sugars and keep the sugar stable for a bit rather than simple carbs that spike and then drop sugars. Ex: compare sweet potatoes vs. regular white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are full of fiber -the complex type that produces less gas than things like cauliflower- and nutrients without spiking the sugar. Oatmeal is actually phenomenal for diabetic and prediabetic patients, and if you want to swap out flavors, throw canned (or better yet, roast it yourself) pumpkin in there to help soften it and improve the texture and flavor. Also, maple syrup -the real stuff, not overly processed cheap things- and honey for sweeteners if needed are more helpful to the body and easier to process than white sugar.
While eggs have fats in them, they also have the enzymes to break them down as well as HDL to counteract and work with the LDL numbers. Cooking them in coconut oil instead of butter may taste a little less creamy and buttery, but helps the liver and gall bladder process and filter things rather than putting the extra saturated animal fat into your body. And don’t put with carbs. Similarly, salmon, yes, as you say, is also fatty, and but if you love to eat it, do so!! Just eat it a little less frequently and without carbs. In a given meal, carbs + fats = more difficult to digest and process, which is why when we eat 3 meals a day spread apart, we need them both. If, however, we graze and nibble on 5 smaller meals, our blood sugars tend to stay a bit more stable overall, and we can omit either fats or carbs from a given meal without our bodies crying havoc and letting slip the dogs of hangry war.
Also, minimizing processed dairy may help. Milk especially is difficult to digest. But if you can’t go without, try having your glass of milk or cup of warm milk without anything with it, then 30-45 minutes later (or beforehand) have whatever you’d eat normally with it to satiate your taste buds. The time lapse allows your pancreas to start getting the enzymes to digest the dairy without extra complex work.
Truly and honestly, it’s about coupling things appropriately. I’ve a diabetic who couldn’t give up doughtnuts, but eating one once per week instead of daily and without pairing it with proteins, (no more bacon with the doughnut) he was able to drop his A1C by 3% without medication changes. That said, it’s not 100% ideal, but any steps in the right direction help.
Anywho, not trying to go too long here. But back to the sweet potato bit; if you slice them about the thickness of bread and toast them, they make a reasonable substitute for toast and can be paired well with almond butter, peanut butter, various types of trail mix and fruits, etc.
Thinking lots of healing vibes!!
Not sure if this will be accessible in the US, but BBC Food has so many healthy-type breakfast ideas:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/healthy_breakfasts
Greek yogurt is a go-to for me with raw honey and some chopped walnuts. Scrambled eggs? Frittata with vegetables? Fruit smoothies? Breakfast bagel with cheese and ham? I tend to add chia seeds to a lot of things I eat for an extra protein hit without a lot of added calories. Sometimes Cheerios and a banana are my best friend in the morning. One thing that I can eat day and/or night is spanakopita – for me it transcends meal rules because it’s just that delicious!
Savory French toast instead of the usual version with tons of butter and maple syrup? I fry 1 slice whole-grain bread soaked in 1 beaten egg in a skillet using a very small amount of olive oil with rosemary sprinkled in the skillet’s heating oil, and then on the surface of the cooking slice. Any leftover egg gets tossed with Italian seasoning + whatever veg I have on hand as a topper. If broccoli and kale are on the restricted list for now, what about asparagus, green beans, baby spinach, bell peppers, or shredded Swiss chard?
I did post a savory oatmeal recipe in response to the initial announcement of your surgery, too.
Egg white omelet with low-fat cheese and mild herbs?
Chicken or turkey sausage is still pretty lean if meat choices are still on the table. I basically substitute everything red meat wise to turkey or chicken like bacon.
Yams/ sweet potatoes are very versatile and low glycemic index. Also crabmeat is pretty great with eggs for an eggs benny if you want to substitute a crabcake for the English muffin. Shrimp tacos are not fatty – avoid fried seafood though and avoid butter which will be a difficult for gallbladder issues. Avoid oils like olives and avocado etc. and I just read ricotta and cottage cheese are good ones for no gallbladder diets, there are a ton of recipes which use ricotta.
Just a bit of your friendly oil- I like olive oil, add salt and pepper and Dill and let them heat up with the pan while you scramble your eggs.
You can have different herbs with your eggs to change things up, but I can eat dill scrambled eggs multiple times a week and enjoy them – 🙂 also if sweet potatoes aren’t too much, they are lovely 🙂 even if butter is off the menu, a bit of cinnamon turns them into cookies 🙂
Food limitations suck, and it gets better when your body starts to appreciate it 🙂
Good luck and speedy healing!
Good luck with finding a balance with what you can and cannot eat. No advice from me.
Glad you can stretch without pain.
Please get plenty of rest when you need to and don’t worry about the Horde.
Low carb and low fat together can be tough. Here are some ideas, as you may not be up to cooking right now.
1. Purely Elizabeth keto granola w/almond or coconut milk
2. Veggies Made Great Frittata ( https://www.veggiesmadegreat.com )
3. Keto oatmeal (the BOMB with Berries) – https://thebigmansworld.com/low-carb-keto-overnight-oatmeal-paleo-vegan/
4. Roasted Asparagus and cherry tomatoes w/ chicken breast ( having dinner for breakfast..)
I hope this helps.
from a keto perspective, are you allowed almond flour to make things with? low to no carbs i just dont know if there are limits from other areas. plus a lot of keto diet items have a lot of fats and i dont know whats acceptable. avacado eggs might be your new best friend.
poached eggs with turkey bacon? They cook in water and can be low fat and turkey bacon is lower in fat than regular bacon.
I searched using the criteria of “high protein low fat low carb breakfast” and got a bunch of stuff back. Some was using a wrap with eggs, frittatas and others.
I can’t eat onions or garlic. I make spinach and tomato, (or whatever veggie you have) frittatas and eat for breakfast or lunch. Low fat cottage cheese with whichever fruit you can eat or low fat yogurt with grain free granola. English muffin toasted, topped with natural peanut butter and banana slices. Ha ha sometimes I just have corn flakes. Scrambled eggs with whatever veggie you prefer, tho I frequently have them with a small tortilla and a little salsa. I have also followed the Low Fodmap diet for stomach issues.
I roast a big batch of mushrooms and peppers (and lots of chillies but that’s optional of course) with roast peppers and garlic seasoning every weekend. I then add a few tablespoons of the mix with some spinach and chopped fresh coriander and I make an omelet with egg whites and low fat cottage cheese! absolutely delicious and very filling – high on fiber and protein.
For dinners I marinate chicken thighs in Cajun seasoning, chillies, garlic, fresh coriander and honey and then bake. we eat these with baked sweet potatoes and sugar snap peas.
Hope these help! feel better soon!
You might research the low histimine diet. My sister had many of the same issues and taboo foods. When she follows this, she has very little to no pain. Here’s a site with recipes https://www.throughthefibrofog.com/low-histamine-recipes/
If you limit sodium, a lot of low histamine recipes may need to be modified – EDS/MCAS/POTS are common comorbids, so a lot of low histamine recipes (for MCAS) are also high sodium (for POTS). My cardiologist wants 5-10 grams of sodium a day (preferably 10) for the POTS, and that’s pretty common.
Eggs.
Wild salmon is a lot less fatty than farmed salmon too.
I had gall bladder symptoms not when my son was a few days old. Went to A&E (ER) referred by GP as pain was bad so I can commiserate it is not fun.
First off they tried to say they’d admit me – I pointed out I had a young baby, was breastfeeding and was in no way going to be separated. Doc then prescribed antibiotics and told me to ‘eat low fat food like soup and ice cream’ I said I was pretty sure ice cream wasn’t low fat. Doc said ‘get the low fat type of ice cream’
🤦🏻♀️ Nurse snuck back in to make sure I knew not to eat ice cream. 🙄
Doctors can be surprisingly dumb for smart people.
Low fat type of ice cream has a lot of sugar to compensate for not having the fat. Also, there is a lot of water in the low fat varieties causing ice crystals and very hard ice cream. Depending on the ice cream manufacturer air is pumped into the ice cream to give it more overrun. I learned this from America’s Test Kitchen when I was watching one of their episodes on ice cream.
Anyone would be better off with just a small teaspoon of the full fat version of ice cream than the low fat stuff.
We like frittatas in my house. My wife is much better at it than I. Lots of vegetables sautéed then added to beaten eggs.
Have you tried steel cut oats? I used to use a recipe where I boiled them the night before and finished them up in the morning.
Hope you are recovering well from your surgery despite the mointains of paper piling up.
You could try Shakshuka if eggs are an option. There are many versions, the classic having peppers and Tomatoes, the onions and spices could be left out/adjusted to your taste. Since the eggs simmer in the sauce it’s quite nice to prepare and can be any meal really.
Also thank you for giving us Sanctuary first as a serial and then as a Novella- juhuuu
I eat hard boiled egg with an apple. Maybe whey protein shakes? Or low fat yogurt?
My mom was a severe diabetic and had no gall bladder. She also had multiple myeloma cancer so she needed a diet high in iron. She ate lean meats high in iron like steak and roast with the fat trimmed off. All her veggies were cooked and she focused on greens and beans/peas. Raw veggies were not a friend to her digestive system.
My SIL ate a lot of protein shakes and soups during the year after her surgery. Blending the soup seemed to help with the gassier veggies. Lots of carrots, spinach, peas, and potatoes. Have you tried quinoa instead of oatmeal? It doesn’t spike my blood sugar as much, but has a similar mouth feel. You can also bake it and make “crispy” quinoa, then add it to egg white fritters. Good luck <3 it's a long recovery, but my SIL feels amazing now.
You are more dedicated with your diet than I was when I had my gall bladder removed. I honestly don’t remember if I was told to avoid certain foods but I just ate what I wanted and suffered the consequences if it didn’t agree.
I have altered my diet the last year to lose 35 lbs. My favorite breakfast meal is wholewheat toast with almond butter and topped with a sliced banana with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I love the taste and it is filling. Not sure if this would fit your dietary needs though….
So I think the challenge is that bananas aren’t great for diabetes (fruits like apples and grapes are much better).
I think oatmeal if you’re using steel cut is fine in diabetes (not instant).
Greek yoghurt with fresh berries.
Indian breakfasts tend to be savoury – so I’ll often make a veggie rice dish called khichidi. I use 50% brown basmati and 50% quinoa mix. One part rice/quinoa mix and one part split mung Dahl lentils (also known as mung Dahl chilka). Wash in water until clear. Then to 1 part dried ingredients you add 1.5-2 parts water, depending on how loose you want the final result. Add a bit of salt and a pinch of turmeric. Cook in the instant pot for 8-10 minutes or in a pressure cooker for the equivalent time.
Stir in a knob of butter before serving. Really good with a simple pea and potato curry or with Khadi (a yoghurt soup) or even just on its own. Plain like this is often eaten when you’re not well.
If you want to jazz it up can temper some cumin and fennel seeds with a bit of ginger and add in some veggies.
Here is an excellent base recipe for khichidi and you can riff off this to suit.
https://www.sanjanafeasts.co.uk/2018/11/village-style-gujarati-khichdi/
Actually I have to say all of Sanjana’s recipes are fantastic.
That dish is the parent of the British kedgeree mentioned in some comments far above. Both sound delicious – I’ve only had the kedgeree, and the one I had was adapted to add greens. I’m going to try your own version with some greens added.
Enjoy!
Yes it is exactly that!
This blog also has an excellent recipe for kadhi – a sour yoghurt soup made with chickpea flour roux.
It doesn’t sound appealing but it’s delicious esp with khichidi
Urgh; best of luck! I shall simply admit my lack of knowledge and wish you the best.
I’m so sorry you have been struggling! My blood sugar also started creeping up, so last fall, I started fasting and eating keto, and I’m happy to say it knocked out my high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides in 6 weeks. My father had the same experience. It definitely takes some getting used to. You can google “Dr. Fung diabetes”, and he’s also written several books. He is a very reputable doctor and his research sources are excellent. My board certified internist, functional medicine licensed dietician, and board-certified functional medicine internist all agree.
I haven’t been able to eat gluten, dairy, eggs, or soy in years, so I have a lot of experience with menu modifications. I used to be an avid baker and I really miss bread, so I found this recipe in January and I’ve been very happy with it. Gluten-free baking is a bit tricky, but, accordingly to my completely normal husband who can eat anything, it is pretty good.
I will eat a slice or two for breakfast as avocado or just plain regular toast, along with some lean chicken sausages from Costco, a big handful of microgreens, and a small amount of blueberries and raspberries.
I also make a “cereal” out of hemp seeds, chia seeds, chopped pecans, and freshly ground flax seeds that I spoon over raspberries and blueberries and then pour in coconut milk, but I would imagine any non-dairy or dairy milk you can tolerate would work as well. There is a good amount of fat in the nutritionally dense “cereal”, so it may not work for your gallbladder-less self.
I also make smoothies in my Vitamix with a base of green tea or coconut milk, spinach, berries, fresh ginger, a lemon slice, kale or another green, and sometimes an avocado. It is not the yummy grape juice-based smoothie I used to drink, but it is super good for you. I may try adding some dates and cherries for variety this week.
Here is the bread recipe:
https://www.sweetashoney.co/keto-bread-loaf-no-eggs-low-carb/
You may want to consider consulting with a good functional medicine doctor. That changed my life! Also, you may want to consider starting to take digestive enzymes with every meal. Those really helped me for years before I recovered from my gut and autoimmune issues, and they may help with gas from cruciferous veggies.
Please reach out if you have any questions! Good luck and rest assured, at least one person is out here suffering along with you! 🙂
This is off topic but do we have an update on the arcane society orders? I’m a little bummed because they were supposed to be my birthday present and they’re not here. 🙁
When I look at the website it just says in production and should be shipped at end of March.
Hi Ashley, when you check the updates page atm it adds that the books are expected at the warehouse on April 19th and to be shipped to readers the week after.
https://arcanesociety.com/updates/
As a member of the gallbladderless club, ability to eat cars will come back. But it’s small slow amounts. I can eat a cheeseburger but takes 30 minutes if I want to keep it down. No more 5 minute meals while running errands!
In the meantime, baked zucchini, veggies in babaganoush, smoked trout on rye or sourdough due to low glycemic or miso soup as I heard someone else mention.
Good luck and feel better soon
welcome to “dumping syndrome”! 15% of us missing gall bladders do develop it. High fat meals, certain caffeine’s can incite it (I could drink Starbucks blond roast but not Duncan Donut anything; I can do m 2% milk but not half and half or cream; I can do light butter at least). It is trial and error. For 2 years my go to meal or snack was low-fat vanilla yogurt with muesli or Cheerios cereal mixed in, or scrambled eggs with turkey bacon. My gall bladder loss was triggered by my 35lb weight loss. My poor little bile reservoir could not handle all the waste filtering through it and it literally “backed up”, swelled up, and almost exploded, Do not give up, you will eventually even out, though it took me 2 years
I deal with pretty severe food restrictions – lost more than 20% of my body weight in less than 3 months, and finally ended up on a low histamine diet. I did all the elimination diets – cut gluten, soy, eggs, dairy for 6 months then added them back in one at a time; the autoimmune diet; FODMAP; the two page food migraine trigger list from the neurologist – all of them before finally getting a few dx that explain things.
On all of the elimination diets, smoothies are the easiest food to modify to get the macros/micros I need for a specific meal (and they play nicely with mild gastroparesis). They can have as much or as little protein or fat as you want. I usually use frozen berries as a base. Adding Greek yogurt (full fat), protein powder, peanut butter, avocados, chia seeds, etc. gets me the protein/fat ratio I’m looking for.
I’ve had the best luck with Orgain for protein powders and nutrition replacement shakes. I have systemic allergic reactions to Boost and Ensure even medicated 🤦♀️
Have you heard of Buddha bowls? They’re also really easy to modify – choose your protein, your fat, your carbs, your seasoning/dressing and just layer it. Eggs make a good base for bowls when I can tolerate them.
You can try using buckwheat instead of oats to make porridge. Buckwheat is a very low GI food and is supposed to be easy to digest and good for your gut. You could do buckwheat porridge with cinnamon, some fresh fruit and a light drizzle of maple syrup for breakfast. Or if you wanted something savoury, cook it with chicken broth and a couple of tablespoons of white miso paste, top with any lean protein and cooked veggies you fancy.
For lean protein that you can use in any meal, I recommend steamed chicken. Get a heatproof dish that will fit into your steamer and put a small upside down bowl in the middle (a rice bowl works well if you have one). Place some chicken drumsticks or legs (needs to bone in) around the bowl. You can add aromatics like sliced ginger and goji berries if you wish but it’s not necessary. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of salt. Place in your steamer and steam for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken, and holding the small bowl, carefully invert the dish. The bowl will be filled with a golden brown liquid. This is chicken essence and is intensely flavourful and nutritious. Skim the oil off the top and you can either drink it neat or use it for cooking porridge. Shred the chicken meat and use however you’d like. It will be very tender and moist.
Wishing you a swift and easy recovery!
I had my galbladder out at 19 (yay genetics!) and found that there was so much I couldn’t eat. My body has adjusted to most things over the 20 years since, but not completely. I’m also celiac so I get the bread restricted, ‘omg why so much oatmeal’ nature of your experience. I’m glad you’re on the mend and sorry it was such a harrowing experience!
I did a lot of ground turkey breakfast scrambles with half egg whites at the time. No peppers or onions because your stomach acid levels need time to adjust and stop giving you heart burn (what my doc told me). I also love this recipe right now – https://callascleaneats.com/cookie-baked-oatmeal/. It’s still oat based but is delicious and doesn’t feel like more of the same old thing. I add 1/2 tsp of vanilla and almond extract, and put frozen berries with the chocolate chips into the divided mixture before baking.
Good luck! We the galloping horde hope you feel back to normal (ish) soon!
Sounds like you could eat for a year without repeating using these suggestions. Take good care of yourself.
In a similar yet slightly different boat. I just got my very first carton of egg whites and I’ve been going nuts with it. Omelets, scrambled snacks, dashed into questionable ingredients in a frying pan. The experiments keep it interesting.
You may want to look at Maria Emmerich’s Protein Sparing books and recipes as this will meet all of your needs. It’s Keto but without all the fat. In addition as she is a licensed nutritionist, a consult with her may help you in general. (I have her books. The recipes are yummy and I don’t make a dime for the recommendation so this is not a plug or advertisement for her.) I hope you feel better and I’m so sorry you have gone through this.
I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago. I still have rough moments, as sometimes I’m good with a certain food and sometimes not. But I know I can eat Greek yogurt, small amounts of cheese, eggs, bananas, veggies and most fruit. Salmon doesn’t seem to be problematic, but I don’t eat large amounts. Sourdough bread/English muffins can be used for sandwiches or just toasted for jam, honey or pb. Some granola is good.
Be careful with cooking oils and dressings. I’ve found them to be problematic. If you eat something fatty, be careful for a few days.
Chopped Kale salad w quinoa and Garbanzo beans( you can add grilled chic or small amts of salmon).
If you like this idea I can type up the whole recipe. Its not hard, just long. It has a lemon based dressing with grape-seed oil as the fat.
Avocado toast; I live for this fast breakfast. 1 small haas avocado sm diced tri colored peppers,(smash up with fork) s&p to taste. Spread on toasted whole grains & seeds bread.
Fiber one cereal w almond milk.
I make Puerto rican beans and place it over romaine lettuce ( I almost spelled it Roman😳 ) lol
I don’t know if you like Spanish bananas ; plantains. I buy them let them get yellow cut them into thick (1/2 in)circular slices; soak them in salted (sea salt coarse freshly ground) cold water for 1/2 hr then air fry them until a Caramel brown( my boys like them burnt on the outside bcse they are crunchier w soft sweet middle). They are a sweet treat.
Quinoa (I use the quick Success boil in a bag)
I don’t know if you like tuna, not your Tuna but the canned one😂; you can finely chop up the tuna mix with sm diced celery, basil, and peppers with mayo( there are low fat choices) s&p to taste and put them on 1/2 (seeded middle scooped out) Roma tomatoes with a bit of mozzarella on the side.
“not your Tuna but the canned one” 🤣. That cracked me up!
When I typed it, I was giggling 🤭
Yeah, we do not want to eat the furry and fluffy kind of Tuna. 😉
Egg bites can be really useful. You can use onion or garlic powder, which often doesn’t have the same gassy problems as sauteed onion or garlic. They’re also really flexible; you can make them vegetarian or not, use more egg whites than eggs, add salsa verde to a batch, whatever floats your boat. I really like using frozen spinach (thawed and then very well drained) and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese (lots of flavor for relatively little fat) as a treat.
You can find recipes all over the internet, but here’s one targeted for diabetic-friendly: https://healthydiabetic.us/recipe/diabetic-breakfast-make-ahead-egg-cups/
Use silicone baking cups if at all possible; much less prone to sticking problems.
Deviled eggs? Although I top mine with home made bacon bits, you can leave those off. Minced celery in there gives them a delightful lift. There are many ways to cook eggs–quiche makes a delightful breakfast and can be low in carbs. You can keep fat content down by limiting the cheese.
Let’s see. I do not know the carb content of hulled barley (Natural grocery store carries it) but you can fix it like oatmeal–dress it up with just about anything after cooking.
Miso soup–with or without tofu (I sub in mushrooms because I’m not a tofu person). You can dice veggies in there and the miso broth is very soothing, almost like tea (Natural Grocery store carries a great white miso. The red is very strong. The color is actually yellow, fwiw.)
Feel better soon!
Carb Balance tortilla (I have T2 diabetes and these are great for my blood sugar) with peanut butter and some grapes, berries or apples, or with egg, refried beans and salsa, or with hummus and cherry tomatoes?
Would be able to have vegan breakfasts? Oh She Glows cookbook has a chapter on breakfast and we like the smoothies (or do fruits have too much sugar?). You could check it out from the library.
Personally, I like soup for breakfast. It’s warm, satisfying and for me is comfort food.
Scrambled eggs (limit butter) with chives. Yogurt with a bit of fruit and if ok granola (within acceptable amounts), Cottage cheese.
Can try a Japanese style breakfast of miso soup, grilled white fish, and rice if there is a rice option that’s not too complex (not sure about this one)
Maybe see if Sourdough toast is ok. True fermented sourdough has a different structure which can make it ok where other breads may not be but I’m not sure if this applies to your situation.
The greens of onions are usually ok for non-onion diets as it’s the sugars in the onions (and garlic) that are difficult to process and gas producing. They’re water soluble which is why infused olive oil can sometimes still be ok when the actual thing isn’t.
Can you eat avocados? I like mashed avocado on Wava crackers. Not sure if that is too much fiber. How about Cream of wheat – my husband likes it with milk and honey or sugar, I eat it like grits with salt and butter 😀 He is from Maryland/ Pennsylvania and I am from Georgia/ Virginia. We have a bit of north south tastes going on.
Cream of wheat? I just looked at the nutrition vs oatmeal and I think it might work for you. I’m so, so sorry you’re having to deal with this. Hopefully you will normalize after time like my Mom did.
As a pre-diabetic, I’ve been leaning heavily on whole wheat bran blueberry muffins! Here’s a pretty good recipe that works for me: https://foodess.com/blueberry-bran-muffins/
Sometimes I take out half the sugar and add in a banana or applesauce.
Omelette with finely chopped halloumi cheese and plenty of dried spearmint. Even with the spearmint alone it’s delicious.
I’m 18 months post GB removal and once I got over my fear of eating anything I’ve just tried to eat “reasonably” and accept much of what I eat will either produce awe inspiring gas or require a trip to a private washroom in 15 min. If I’m trying to be really good I cook out of the “Plant You” book my doctor recommended.
https://www.amazon.ca/PlantYou-Ridiculously-Amazingly-Delicious-Plant-Based/dp/0306923041?dplnkId=a689ed49-9808-498c-9ef5-8a60166bdb3c&nodl=1
I bounced back from the surgery quickly, the mini incisions heal up in no time, the gas though…so much gas.
Zucchini fritters, 2 eggs and 1 grated zucchini (courgette).
As others have mentioned, I cannot eat Gluten, Dairy, or soy. Also, teetering on the line of diabetes and high A1C.
I found this protein powder to use in Gluten free baking.
https://a.co/d/19qNYgH
You can also use for a smoothie with banana, fruit, coconut milk and a bit of stevia or honey or real maple syrup.
I make my own ghee, and fry eggs in coconut oil with a tiny bit of ghee.
I use quinoa a lot as well, high in protein and fiber.
Love all the new suggestions from the Horde and send you healing vibes!
Get plenty of rest and take care of yourself!
I like to have rice heated in a pan with my homemade kimchi and an over medium egg on top.
How about fruit in yoghurt?
Ensalada de Bacalao (cod fish salad) recipe is online. OMG! Mi Abuelita would make this early in the mornings ( she lived right off the beach in Puerto Rico) .
Dont use the onions and I never used peppers in the salad. You also eat it with cooked Hot yuca and yautia (root veggies) tho they aren’t needed we just used them bcse we didn’t eat alot of meat. With virgin Spanish olive oil drizzled on top.
Green apples,(or bananas) with havarti cheese and avocado ( sliced thin)
Cantaloupe/honeydew w greek yogurt or havarti/provolone cheese
I like using homemade tzatziki sauce for dipping Radishes/celery/carrots /cucumbers/olives (can u eat radish?)
We are a large multi cultured international family. I think I’ve eaten about everything.
I do not know if any of these choices would bother your stomach, just giving alternatives.
I totally feel you! I have found all natural peanut butter on gluten free bread or English muffins is a quick breakfast that is filling. I just make sure I stick to the portion size for the peanut butter. I’ll even do a PBJ with sliced strawberries instead of jelly. I also like packaged tuna. you have to watch the portion size, but I don’t think it’s as fatty as salmon. I’ll mix a tiny bit of mayo and dill relish with it and put it on top of a thick slice of tomato or a gluten free spinach wrap. there are flavored options but I’m not sure about the salt levels. Sending healing thoughts!
We make “Yum Yum Rice”.
It’s cheap, easy, and Yummy.
Boil your favorite rice according to directions
(ie Basmati, Black Rice, Mixed, Jasmine…)
Finely mince up 4 Cups of your favorite Veggies
(ie carrot, celery, asparagus, zucchini, etc…)
Chop up your favorite pre-cooked protein
(ie Steamed White Fish, Chicken Breast, Boiled Egg Whites, Crushed Toasted Almonds, etc..)
Gently mix 1-2 cups cooked rice with the 4 cups of Veggies in a large bowl.
Now you are ready to make *Single servings* in a microwaveable bowl. Fill the bowl 3/4 of the way, add 1 TBL Spoon Sesame Oil to veggie & rice, stir it in. Microwave on high to soften & warm the veggies to your preferred texture. Once it’s ready, stir in Bragg’s Amino Acids (Best Flavor) or Soy Sauce to taste with a serving of your Protein.
It’s a lot of chopping, but totally worth it! We make a HUGE BOWL when we’re going to have a busy week and alternate having it for lunch and dinner for a few days. It’s also wonderful as part of scrambled eggs/omlets.
The main fat in salmon is the skin.
Skinless salmon has very little fat! I steam mine in the microwave, wrapped in the butcher paper the meat counter wraps it in. Less than 2 mins, lemon for garnish.
Grahm cracker with reconstituted peanut butter powder and mashed strawberries
Hmm, those are some seriously restrictive restrictions! If it were me, I think I’d do as several people above have suggested and ditch traditional ‘breakfast’ foods, most of which are deliberately geared toward fat and carb loading to support a day of physical labor.
Maybe Grilled or roasted chicken breast, spiced however you want, maybe in a low-carb wrap with roasted peppers and mushrooms?
Or Vietnamese Summer Rolls (lean protein like chicken or shrimp, carrots, cucumber, a small amount of rice noodles, fresh herbs, all dressed in an oil-free vinaigrette, wrapped in lettuce and rice paper, then spritzed with a wedge of lemon or lime and dunked in a peanut sauce).
I have good luck making a batch for lunch one day and sealing the leftovers in a Tupperware for the next day as well, so I could easily see making them the night before and having them at breakfast.
Being able to just grab them out of the fridge and eat them is a huge plus.
Or heck, maybe just a run-of the mill sandwich- lean meat, veggies, mustard, thin-sliced bread, etc.
In any case, I really hope you find something that works, and best of luck for a speedy and smooth recovery!
Vietnamese summer rolls are one of my absolute favorite things. I can’t take the spice in the sauce anymore, and I seem to have developed an allergy or intolerance to sesame oil, so I have to make my own with peanut butter, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
protein shakes (my go-to is muscle milk) 32g protein; turkey bacon; ham; smoothies with protein powder; powdered peanut butter (it has most of the fat removed but retains protein)
honestly, look at body builder meals and just eat smaller portions
As far as veggies go, l find the cucumbers and mini snacking peppers were great alternatives to the gas causing veggies. If you get low fat or non fat Greek yogurt it makes a great base for veggie dip. Pork tenderloin is low fat and very versatile. We really enjoy this recipe: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=743409
I’ve used the tenderloin in it and it works great. Putting t the spice rub on the meat the night before makes a huge difference in flavor. I’ve found its easier to deal with fatty meats if they are balanced out with lots of fiber.
Huh, I had my gallbladder out in January and I had zero restrictions for diet afterwards. The doc said I might want to avoid fatty and spicy foods for a few days… overall I haven’t found anything in particular that gives me issue post gallbladder removal.
Soup. Vegetable soup for breakfast is great.
Eggs- perhaps a vegetable omelet with mushrooms and (fat free) cheese? Yogurt is also supposed to be very digestible, and plain, Greek-style is pretty tasty without being carb heavy. If you can tolerate a small amount of fruit, it will make the yogurt feel like a treat. Protein shakes are a last ditch alternative. Also consider ditching ‘breakfast’ norms, if those are clashing with your dietary restrictions. Have some soup and a salad- I certainly won’t judge you.
Low carb tortillas with low fat cheese, ground beef (well drained) and salsa are good. If you can have dairy chocolate milk and low carb bagels with low fat cream cheese, sliced tomato, and thin sliced turkey is a personal favorite.
Ack – no onion so no salsa. Diced tomatoes and lettuce is also good.
Can you have Jimmy Dean turkey sausage? I always have it in the freezer to add to eggs. I usually add in potatos but you could use any vegetable that’s on your nice list.
I love frittatas! Sauté up some spinach in a nonstick pan ( or maybe a squirt of Pam & wipe excess with a paper towel). Add some tomato & spices plus any other allowable veggies and then either break an egg on top or scramble. Add a bit of low/non fat cheese. Yum!
I don’t know anything about diabetes or gall bladder issues. I like quinoa. When its done cooking and still hot I add nuts, cinnamon, and chopped up dehydrated fruit and let it steam while it cools. You probably can’t have the fruit but its good warm with milk or cold with yogurt. Quinoa swells to a four times increase when cooked. Shaklee makes several flavors of protein shakes and the Life shakes contain vitamins.
I don’t know if eggs are allowed but or egg beaters, low-fat cheese and some cumin salt pepper and a little chili powder? Or rosemary and thyme?
Canadian bacon is very lean and only 60 cals per slice. Instead of oatmeal try cream of wheat or grits? Hard boiled eggs or yogurt with berries?
There is also a carb balance tortilla from mission. You might see if it’s something you can eat. I use them instead of bread and there is also a keto bread from natures own that is very good.
Oh man this is tough. How about miso soup with tofu and mushrooms? Drink it out of a coffee mug so it feels like a morning thing?
Did a search and found this page about doing the ketogenic diet where the person does not have a gallbladder. Not saying you have to do keto per se, but it *will* give you ideas on what you may or may not be able to eat without aggravating the prediabetes.
https://modernyum.com/keto-without-gallbladder/
This quinoa salad with nuts and golden raisins and a touch of cinnamon is good.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016222-rainbow-quinoa-salad?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
Or perhaps this classic:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023168-huevos-rancheros?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
Not sure if these are good for you, but you can probably determine that – my go to breakfast right now is waffles made of:
2 bananas, mashed with a fork
20 gram wheat flour or almond flour (or half /half/whatever you prefer)
20 gram oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoon butter or coconut oil, melted (mostly so it doesn’t stick too much)
Whip everything together and bake the waffles for 3½ minutes (at least in my waffle iron, depends i assume).
I eat them with fresh fruit – blueberries, strawberries, bananas, mango whatever is available, and a little bit of honey if i am in the mood. You can use whatever you have instead of bananas of course, i just like these.
In Denmark there is a dairy product, called “Skyr” which is extremely lowfat, protein-high kind of like yoghurt. Should be healthy too, but not sure it is available in US. I can’t stand it, but my kids love it.
Or fresh carrots, apples, and almonds. Had an old health-freak colleague who insisted that this was the best.
Or juice made of fruit & vegetables: carrots/celery/beetroots. Beetroots are so healthy although it’s an aquired taste (i lived on this juice for 5 weeks once, now i am a bit allergic to the smell of it).
Hope you can find something and best wishes for getting better.
Big slices of steak or heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella and tuna, dribble a bit of olive oil on top (if allowed) and add some fresh basil leaves, salt and pepper. Get the tuna in water not oil and go for the more posh types of canned tuna that have it in large chunks, not shredded. If you get “real” tomatoes and proper tuna it will taste like heaven. You can also add eggs if you want more protein. Ate this when I was in holiday in San Sebastian pretty much every day for 2 weeks and it was amazing.
You should also try eggplant dishes. Cut in half, shred the insides and add chopped tomatoes and cheese. Slice it up, grill it and add it in a salad and so on. Eggplant is a fantastic substitute for more starchy foods and it can be prepared in a million ways. When you are feeling better and can go back to eating more types of food ask Mod R about the famous Romanian “salata de vinete” 😉
greek yogurt with peanut butter
Trying to remember what all I made when a friend had her gall bladder out a few years ago — cucumbers with hummus IIRC, egg white salad (no fat mayo, no fat bread if you can do the carb). Our local grocery stores sell fat free feta, which if you can find you could combine with the egg white omelette suggestion elsewhere in the thread. There’s a spray form of “I can’t believe it’s not butter” that’s zero fat, which I used to cook. Lentils are also good — I baked a casserole with I think lentils, rice, carrot, and feta. That’s all I can remember right now — hope you find something that works for you!
I hope you keep healing and feeling better. <3
Some of my go-to items from shifting to a leaner, lower-sugar diet that I have really appreciated:
1) Jones Chicken Sausages: a much healthier alternative to pork sausages (more protein, less fat, less carbs, and less calories – what's not to love?) and are delightfully flavorful. Available in links and patties.
2) Fairlife ultra-filtered milk: higher protein, less sugar, and pre-treated with lactaid to be lactose-free. Available in all the usual milkfat percentages.
3) Using sourdough starter (ripe or unfed) in baking recipes – I frequently swap it for buttermilk and a portion of the flour in pancakes, for example, to reduce sugars and fats. It also give a nice flavorful acid source when used this way, while removing the dairy component. King Arthur Baking has a selection of great starter discard recipes, and some advice on swapping starter into recipes on your own, plus their baker hotline is great for getting help with recipe adaptations.
My diabetic aunt’s go to is
Protein powder, fresh or frozen berries, unsweetened almond milk, and greens like kale or spinach blended until smooth.
I’m bad at food ideas so can only second what Elisa said above – find what works for you and enjoy it at breakfast. just wanted to say I’m glad you are feeling better😊
It may not fit all the requirements as I’m not familiar with them but lentil soup may be a good option. I find it doesn’t spike my blood sugar unlike most carbs. I find it take like 3/4 of a cup of the resulting soup to give me enough energy for quite a few hours.
The ratios can be modified as you wish since they are not particularly important.
Sweat a classic mirepoix ( you can forgo the onion if that works better for you) for a few minutes.
Add spices (turmeric and paprika are fan favourite) and some tomato (fresh, canned, paste – doesn’t matter. It’s meant for taste).
Then when it feels ready add lentils and some potato that has been cut into roughly dice size pieces. Top with broth or water. The lentils and potatoes will be ready at the same time and you will be able to tell thanks to their texture.
It tastes lovely cold and keeps well – may be a good meal once you start having more options but still don’t want to spike your blood sugar.
It’s the family’s go to meal and we usually have a pot of it in the fridge during the summer and everyone grabs a laddle full whenever they get hungry.
I hope this works for you – I know it can be frustrating when people offer advice but it doesn’t fit with your requirements. Get well soon!
there are very limeted choices. But what I learned during my weight reduction is always combine protein with carbs. So propably cottage cheese in the fat reduced variaty is light enough for your stomach. Add some fruits or vegetables
Speedy recovery
Sorry to hear about this – hope you recover soon! I’m also on a low carb diet and my go to breakfast is chia seed pudding (warm or chilled) with berries and chopped nuts – high protein, high fibre and low carb. You can also add cinnamon or matcha to change up the flavour a bit!
All will be well soon. Keep the positive energies flowing thru you and we’ll keep chanting to heal you . ❤️❤️
I couldn’t eat for months and resorted to making my own smoothies with ‘unjury ’ a medical grade protein powder. If I wanted a snack I added fruit, ice and a little tofu and i pretended I was eating ice cream.
Hope that helps, in the meantime ,we will keep you warded with our thoughts and prayers and help shield you from the memories of and desires for dastardly foods that may hurt. Heal Well ❤️
Fellow former owner of a gall-bladder, here: It gets better!
Salmon, my favorite fish, still gives me cramps two years after surgery. *sigh*
It’s certain kind of fats that do that do me, now. Might be different for you, though.
So, onwards to breakfast: Oatmeal not good indeed. Lovely, downright perfect is cooked quinoa with nut butter, cinnamon, turmeric and fresh (or thawed) fruit like mango. The nut butter keeps the blood sugar spike down despite the high fructose.
This is my nutritionist’s recipe:
“GOLDEN QUINOA PORRIDGE” (translated from German)
– oatmeal-free –
4-6 servings, depending on appetite and person
– 1 cup of quinoa (any kind is fine, I prefer the rainbow kind)
-> boil with water and a tiny pinch of salt, treat the cooking process like you do with rice (takes a little practice, you want it to be soft but not mushy), for the last 5 mins simmer on low temperature until all leftover water is evaporated
– while you wait, wash and cut or thaw your favorite fruits; apple or mango is recommended
-> when it’s ready, take the quinoa pot off the heat and add a cup of plant-based milk (I prefer pea milk like the one from “Vly”, there’s an unsweetened variety, green package)
-> add 1 tbsp of ground tumeric, 1-2 tbsp of cinnamon, bit of vanilla extract, no sugar, no honey, if you must a bit of Xylite powder and stir well
-> then add 2-3 tbsp of almond butter, the dark, pure variety (often needs to be stirred in its container first, because it doesn’t stay soft and the oils swim up top)
The mix should now be nicely golden to brown and smell amazing.
Serve with fruit and toppings.
Other toppings:
– cocoa nibs
– shredded golden linseed / flaxseed
– cashews, almonds
Enjoy! It’s become my favorite brekkie, once I got the hang of it.
….
Get better, soon!
….
My nutritionist’s page is German, but if you still want to look at some of the breakfast choices and try your luck with a translation plug-in, here it is:
https://nobodytoldme.com/rezepte_category/fruehstueck/
Scrambled eggs or egg whites mixed with desired approved veggies. Perhaps wrapped in high protein low carb flour tortilla (not sure what they taste like) or use corn tortilla.
It isn’t a food specific suggestion, but small meals more often to avoid overwhelming your system. That is from my brother whose gall bladder was removed 20 years ago when he was 23 years old.I recently asked him for another friend. I can say that post-surgery he started consuming a large variety of vegetables in quantity and still does. My sympathies as you figure out what now works for you.
Hi Ilona
Sorry to hear about how awful the last months have been.
Here are some ideas based on what I ate with gestational diabetes. Some of this may be higher in fat but you can adjust the proportions as needed.
1. Low carb toast with avocado, fried egg (white), tomato, chilli oil and miso soup + black coffee
2. Home made chia pudding (light milk, chia seeds with a spoonful of almond butter and some berries – leave overnight. +/- oats
3. Smoothie with low fat milk: yoghurt/ almond butter/ protein powder/ frozen berries
3. Tortilla with egg white, avocado and salad
4. Tofu scramble with low carb toast and vegetables
3. Tuna salad with chickpeas and a citrus dressing (add avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, capsicum etc).
For snacks:
Oven baked chickpeas with hummous
Edamame beans with seasoning of choice
I’m a diabetic myself, and have had my gallbladder removed, so I hear you. For breakfast, try kefir smoothies – I culture my own kefir from skim milk (far easier than making yogurt, as you just use milk straight from the fridge in a Mason jar with the kefir grains on the counter) as the price of kefir from the store is ridiculous. Just blend the kefir with whatever fruit you want – I like frozen berries, add some whey and stevia, and you’ve got a very filling breakfast.
Leftovers for breakfast are a popular item in my household. But I often take a mix of long grain rice and quinoa (ends up a cup cooked) and toast it in a nonstick skillet til the quinoa starts to pop then add water and stir occasionally till the rice is cooked. I either mix in leftover dinner proteins and vegetables or I will top with an over easy egg. (If I’m really tired I make a hole in the center of the rice before it finishes cooking and put the egg in the center to cook like that). My favourite seasonings are soy sauce and ginger with a dab of sesame oil to start the rice, but I generally use whatever is leftover or to hand.
Do not try to use coffee as the water substitute. This does not work although leftover tea does, but dilute it if it steeped overnight. 🤪 and no mater how desperate making oatmeal with coffee is a bad plan. 😳
I also like homemade hummus on a tortilla or small naan especially with veggies or homemade “salsa” (salsa in our house is anything diced or shredded and soaked in vinegar and spices)
Thank you to everyone who mentioned avoiding all alliums if you can’t have onion. I can’t have garlic and never realised onions were cousins.
Thanks for all the ideas. Trying several new things!
Egg whites omelets
Cake from red beans
Yogurts with nuts and sour fruits like berries
Boiled eggs with whole grain bread
Danish ‘Knäckebrot’ with ham from the pig’s front leg
Sorry, really difficult
Not sure if anyone else has already suggested this, but you could lean Chinese and have rice congee for breakfast. (It’s what I grew up with for breakfast.) It tends to be gentle on sensitive GIs, and you can add your choice of fixings. An easy one is to poach some chicken in the congee while it’s cooking, or you could do some egg with it.
https://thewoksoflife.com/20-minute-congee-recipe/
I am type 2 diabetic and had my Gallbladder out last summer. My go to breakfast is raw fruit (I like apples) and toast (highest fiber content bread) with peanut butter. Raw fruit is better for you than juices or jams, the fiber slows the glucose from entering your blood stream. Adding protein and fats to your carbs also helps lower the glucose impact.
I personally didn’t have any dietary issues after my surgery. I didn’t even know that I was supposed to have issues with fatty foods post op until I was told by a client…*shrugs*. I started Ozempic a month after my surgery and it has had a bigger impact on my diet.
According to my doctor increased fiber is the solution to many diet related issues. So, if you can increase your fiber at every meal it should help you digest the fats and slow down the glucose absorption. As terrible as too much sugar is for us we still need some. The trick is to prevent your body from absorbing too much at once.
Tofu scramble? Mash up firm tofu, add (depending on taste and what herbs you are or are not allowed at present) turmeric, paprika, a pinch of black salt, a bit of black pepper, dried basil/oregano/thyme. Scramble in a flying pan/wok/skillet with a bare spritz of oil (probably could do without the oil if it’s a non-stick pan and you keep it moving. It’s great on toast if you’re allowed that. Mushrooms on the side if those work for you. Good luck!
I don’t know about the diet but if your surgery scar starts to be itchy vitamin e capsules, prick a hole in it & squeeze it on to the scar & rub it in.
Black bean tocos with low carb tortillas. I eat egg black beans w avocado but not sure that is allowed.
TVP. Textured vegetable protein, fixed, like taco meat. Yum.
My daughter just got her tonsils out and is on a very restricted diet as well. All she wants is scrambled egg whites and some applesauce on the side.
When it isn’t cold out, my go to breakfast is smoothies, usually a banana, frozen blueberries, milk, and yogurt blended.
But I figured I would add when my mulberry tree has fruit I add those in. I have read online they are a natural way of lowering blood sugar. Not sure how true it is. But it might help if you have access to them.
I remember eating eggs and oatmeal a lot when I had my gall bladder out years ago. Eggs in a tortilla, quiche and omelet with fake bacon. It took a little while before fatty food didn’t bother me.
I’m plant based so my suggestions have no dairy. Tofu scramble with compliant veggies . There are a lot of good recipes on the internet but the game changing ingredient is black salt which will give it the egg flavor. Super low fat.
Frozen fruit shake (banana or mango base for creaminess) . I use unsweetened plant milk. My favorite is forks over knives chunky monkey and you can reduce the fat from the PB by using PB powder. Just get the natural PB powder as some has added sugar. Hang in there and be kind to yourself!
I am thrilled to hear you are on the mend, and thank you for sharing with us. Take it easy and slow as you ease yourself back into what you can and can’t eat. You and your body were traumatized by the organ failing and the surgery, so you have to remind yourself that you are okay now and it is alright to go slow, even when we don’t want to do so. Also, remember, you will get better! As others have recommended, please speak with a dietician/nutritionist, so they can help you make certain that, in spite of the missing gallbladder, you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need.
I wish you the best of luck and continued good health.
Well, I stopped eating breakfast years ago, just tea for me, so I can’t really help you there😅 but asparagus are in season 😀
I like a yam with brussel sprouts or asparagus and hummus. Blueberries as a side. I make my own hummus without oil.
My go-to, feeling crappy breakfast is scrambled eggs with a little green onion (scallions in your neck of the woods) sauteed first in the pan and then incorporated into the scrambled eggs, with a little fruit on the side (lightly sauteed pineapple is lovely – the light cooking tames down the enzymes in the pineapple). I normally saute with a small amount of butter in a non-stick pan but, in your case, I would suggest that a small amount of healthy oil such as canola or sunflower oil would be easier on your system. Use just enough to give you a light coating of the bottom of the pan and heat the onions or pineapple.
When I had mine removed, I was thankfully able to consume milk without issue. I lived on boiled eggs and milk based drinks (i.e. I would make strawberries blended in milk, coffee flavored milk, etc.) for a while. I slowly reintroduced most foods back, but learned to chew sooo much longer before I swallowed. And I limit my liquid intake during meals to cut back on the immediate vacuation issues. It gets better with time, but I basically eat chicken and fish now. Red meat is out for me. Everyone is different. Some folks can go back to eating whatever they want. Some never can. Colostrum has helped me a bit, but diet is still a struggle.
I am diabetic and try to stick to low carb, low fat. for breakfast I usually have non fat cottage cheese and celery sticks or cucumber slices. You can also add some blueberries or strawberries in place of veggies.I also can have carb master yogurt with a small amount of cherrios, not alot, just enough to give it some crunch. Bananas in moderation. They are low glycemic index and gentle on stomach. Salads, but beware of sugar and carbs in salad dressings. Scrambled eggs are high protein too.
Shakshuka is a dish made of lubricated tomatoes with egg. It is an Arabic dish that I like for breakfast as a German diabetic. It saturates at least half a day and comes very close to my need for a proper meal. Take a look at Chef John, he has an easy-to-following recipe on YouTube
Sardines eggs and sauerkraut together may not sound tasty but is surprisingly good. If you can have sweet potatoes with it, that makes a dynamite meal.
I would recommend different varieties of cooking eggs. They are good
and recommended for after having gall bladder surgery. You should
try different types of fish.
Instead of salmon our go to fish is steelhead trout from Costco. We also love cod. For breakfast, think smoked fish. Also we like eggs baked in a sweet potato or avocado halve.
Second steelhead. It’s basically a less fatty salmon.
If you are having trouble finding food to work with your new reality, try to make an appointment with a nutritionist (thru your local hospital/referral from your endocrinologist). With your combination of pre-diabetes and post-op gallbladder, your insurance should pay for it (and im sure you have met your deductible after surgery). They can help you get from where you are to where you need to be, and are great for navigating a radical diet change. Good luck!
In the Pat Conroy cookbook (which is excellent reading) he cooks asparagus spears and tops them with soft boiled eggs and bacon….I use frozen asparagus tips, over easy eggs and a piece of prosciutto to make a quick meal…so no prosciutto for you but maybe you can find something else to top it?
Not a breakfast suggestion but lately I’ve been making a simple beans and greens…basically cannelini beans, chicken broth, spinach and some pulled chicken breast. There are lots of recipe variations with kale, swiss chard etc. That is another quick meal.
Hope those help. Wishing you comfy naps, good yarn and friends and family to take care of you!
Fruit smoothies. Use low fat yogurt, mixed frozen or fresh fruit. Fast, cheap and yummy. If you need to sweeten things, artificial sweeteners like Sugarlike are safe for your gallbladder free situation.
Mayo breakfast frittata and zucchini fritters. I can email you the recipes, if desired.
Egg whites scrambled have no fats. Non-fat yoghurt and cottage cheese with or w/o berries or other fruit. Lean chicken(no skin) prepared however you like it, sautéed ( in the merest spritz of olive oil) fresh green beans with a squeeze of lemon but only after you take the pan off the burner. Sweet potatoes are much lower in carbs than white potatoes because they have so much fiber—you can subtract the number of grams of fiber from the number of cars; that will give you the true, much lower carb number. And don’t forget pasta made from lentils andor red kidney beans. Very low in carbs and quite high in protein. Good luck on this new “adventure” in eating. After the first month you can return to eating fats, “good fats/‘ like olive oil and avocado oil, without unpleasant consequences, or so my doctor has told me. Blessings as you teturn to robust good health.
Smoothies can be fun- if you’re looking for a healthier treat that tastes naughty, get 3-4 slightly overripe bananas (makes them sweeter), and break them into one inch chunks. Throw them in a baggie and freeze overnight.
When you’re ready, chuck the bananas in your blender, and pull out some peanut butter powder (pbp is genius! No saturated fats when it’s powdered! It’s like the looks for less show, but with taste;), vanilla Greek yogurt (or vanilla frozen yogurt if you’re living dangerously), milk/almond milk, and some Dutch processed cocoa powder.
Put a heaping spoonful of pbp over the bananas, and top with a tablespoon of Dutch cocoa (these guys are to taste, so you may have to play around with proportions…actually, this whole recipe is to taste- it’s something I came up with after my son decided chunky monkey smoothies were awesome, and I decided I could make a healthier version that was easier on the pocket book…).
Throw a couple of scoops of vanilla yogurt (or vanilla frozen yogurt if you’re living dangerously)on top. Pour enough milk/almond milk in to mostly cover your bananas, pop the top on and blend that puppy up (no real puppies were harmed in the making of this smoothie). Taste and see if you need to adjust anything. It’s like a peanut butter cup and a banana had a baby that grew up to be a healthy milkshake. I do confess to using a little bit of Hershey’s syrup upon occasion;)
This recipe makes multiple servings since I have a teenage boy who brings friends over, so you will need to reduce ingredients if it’s only for one or two people;) Hope this helps! Best wishes. I quite enjoy the fun of the BDH. Thanks for fostering it. Feel better!
So sorry to hear you’ve been unwell. My go to breakfast is one cup of wild rice cooked with 3 cups of water and a little salt for 45 mins then add 4 to 6 medjol dates diced with 350 (i do one tin which is more) mls of coconut cream/milk and cook a further 20 mins. I have as a snack food too sometimes. Delicious hot or cold. A digestive aid is imperative with no gall bladder to help digest the foods you eat. Al the best. I adore your books.
I had my gall bladder removed several years back. It can be difficult to figure out what foods agree and what foods don’t. have you tried protein shakes? Some are pretty tasty. Wishing you a fast and safe recovery!
As a post gallbladder gal myself, I eat mucili (yogurt and applesauce used to soften, Greek yogurt/unsweetened) for breakfast. Eat meats limited:2 oz max. And lean heavy into low gas /low fat food the mucili provides protein, fiber, and some nat sugars to get going in the am.
Try hard boiled eggs. Minimum starch and fats. If you can tolerate the taste, raw asparagus and raw okra work well for veggies.yes, I actually like those. NO mayonnaise of any kind! The blueberries in your breakfast, as well as strawberries are great, and contain about all the non-complex sugars you need.
!!!!
“Breakfasts don’t have fat, sugar, or complex carbs”
Do you maybe mean… “simple carbs?”
I come from a diabetic family- complex carbs are a diabetic ‘s friend.
It is the simple carbs are our sworn enemies!
a Diabetic’s friend would include: quinoa, barley, brown rice, (whole grains in general in moderation are fabulous)
Sweet potatoes too!
as for salmon with LESS fat:
coho salmon and pink salmon.
White fish can be great too if you are avoiding particle kinds of fats.
Veggie friends that aren’t on the FODMAP list (the group of veggies/gas that cause gas)
onions produce a lot of gas, that might be why they are off the list.
Breakfast ideas:
hard boiled eggs (that aren’t fried)
Lean fish
MANY (as different variety as you can) with exception to the FODMAP.
-Scrambled eggs sauteed with red bell peppers placed in between 1-2 corn tortillas (complex) and topped with ⅛ sliced avocado.
– egg and banana pancakes 🙂 with cinnamon and vanilla
Stir fried sweet peppers, add scrambled egg for piperade, wilted spinach with a poached egg on top, wilted spinach with toasted pine nuts, soup is super for breakfast, there are more grains than oats, poached mushrooms, kedgeree and my particular favourite is leftover whatever you had the night before.
Baked egg white and potato cups with roast red peppers like they serve at Starbucks. I blend up mostly egg whites, a scoop of cottage cheese with spices and pour over some diced pre cooked , spinach and roast bell peppers in a silicone muffin pan. Bake on 375 for around 15 minutes. Sometimes I add a pinch of cheese. I keep them in the fridge and warm them in my toaster oven for a few minutes.
I hope you continue to heal and your energy levels return to normal. I think the fatigue after surgery is awful. I have no recipes to offer because all of the ones I would list like frittatas, omelettes, greek yogurt are already listed above. But I do want to say thank you for all the wonderful ideas and recipes listed here. I intend to try some of them even though I still have my gallbladder.
Have a wonderful day.
It’s early in California and I haven’t had my coffee. Pre-cooked diced potatoes also go in the cup, and I said mostly egg-whites because I will add a whole egg or two depending on the size of the batch I am making.
Do you like bland Indian food? Try idlis – rice+blackgram lentils ground, fermented and steamed into these fluffy white oval shapes. Delicious, zero fat, healthy, protein-filled. You can eat them with a coconut chutney.
So sorry for all the dietary challenges! I understand! I’m both Gluten Intolerant and need to follow a FODMAP diet. From your listed items, it sound like you have joined some of us in FODMAP land.
There are several sites out there for good recipies. Here’s one from the BBC. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/low-fodmap-recipes
I make variations of egg bakes with allowed veggies and small portions of meats. Good spices make all the difference and variable combinations are vast. I’ve found pre-made egg white wraps, substituting that for quesadillas, as wrapping for sandwiches etc.
I’ve also been leaning in on a scoop of collegen in my coffee and whey shakes with frozen fruit as protein can be challenging some days with many beans and lentils on the no-go list too.
If you try a Mediterranean type of standard eating style, I think you might be able to eat most they recommend.
Most important advice:
Buy a couple interesting different really best extra virgin olive oils, and a couple of good mild vinegars that you like;
get a lot of fresh garlic and oil poach the garlic till soft and fragrant and mash it. Just these three, with salt and maybe white pepper or white miso paste will be an incredible base of flavours to build on.
Fresh herbs like mint and basil and coriander/cilantro are all health and digestive supportive.
Fish and Meats:
White large-ish fish, seafoods like calamari/octopus, and small fish like sardine, all these are great tastes as well as unfatty.
(Soft poached eggs, fish on the side with toated wholemeal bagels, are a favourite too.)
An Air Fryer is also a item that is good for reduced fat yumminess. Cook anything from grilled asparagus to thick juice steak. Get a good recipe book though, as the times often differ than you might expect.
Oven – Easiest recipe – parchment packages:
Slice vegetables like zucchini, cabbage, eggplant, broccoli, carrots etcetera, or just everything you like, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil, the sliced meat, or whole fillet of fish of your choice, then just gather and tie all together in a parchment paper bag, and back on a sheet pay for maybe 20-30 minues in a medium oven (170C).
Let sit for a couple of minutes, if you can wait, so you don’t get steam burns when you cut the paper open.
Seriously yummo.
when i find myself craving french toast, i scramble eggs with a little milk, a little vanilla extract, and a little cinnamon. it gets me the flavor i want without the bread…
I always cook up the extra egg mixture from making French toast…. my son loved it! I now make French toast with a hearty whole wheat bread. carbs, yes but at least they’re complex carbs and it’s more filling so you eat less.
I had my gall bladder out ( now like 17 years ago) and your body will adjust. I don’t eat a lot of fried foods but if I have French fries or fried clams one in a while, I am fine, same with meat.
onions are alliums, they may be worried bc it is a blood thinner.
For breakfast, an omelette , maybe with veggies,should be fine. Try whole eggs, you can use whites, but honestly the amount of fat you are talking about is minimal. Turkey bacon is another possibility, again it isn’t loaded with fat.
Everyone is different, but I found that I could eat modest amounts of fat and was fine not long after. what I did was try something in a small amount , if I didnt have a problem added that to my diet.
with fish, fish like cod are low fat but have protein, same with clams and oysters. boiled shrimp might be okay.
beans are really gonna be a try it and see thing.
again I am not an MD or a dietician, just talking what I experienced w my gall bladder. Food is not fuel and I think you can have things you enjoy in moderation to keep it from being boring. if I have had a meal that has fats, like fried foods, or meat, I will eat lightly the next meal, have a salad or whatnot.
if you like cheese, part skim cheeses worked for me.
again how this helps.
Green smoothies are always a hit with my family, made with frozen fruit and spinach, banana, and water. You could add in greek yogurt or kefir for the protein. I’m also a huge fan of almond flour cake if you’re looking for the feeling of a starch, without the grain. I can’t find the exact recipe I’ve used, but it’s very similar to this one- https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/almond-flour-cake/
and very customizable.
fat free or low fat yogurt with fresh fruit. It’s actually my go to lunch.
I hate to add to your food complications, but be careful of cottage cheese, it’s high in sodium. For what it’s worth, I typically start my day with an ounce of almonds and an apple, along with some skyr if possible.
If you like Indian food I suggest checking out the youtube videos Headbanger’s Kitchen. He has a lot of quick, easy keto inspired recipes. And you can get a laugh even if it turns out that these will not work for you.
https://www.youtube.com/@HeadbangersKitchen
Those are very tough food restrictions: I am so sorry. Fingers crossed that you are able to tolerate more foods asap. I have no new suggestions, but would like to add to some earlier suggestions, if I may.
As noted in several posts above, quinoa can be used to make a porridge and it is higher in protein and certain other nutrients than most grains (I know that technically it isn’t a grain, it is a pseudocereal, but most people refer to it as a grain). Naturally, quinoa contains saponins which are bitter-tasting. Here in the UK the varieties grown are selected for being low-saponin and how quinoa is processed for consumption removes most saponins: I assume that this is the same in the US. However, I am very sensitive to bitter flavours (and saponins are a gastro irritant for some people) so I do soak quinoa before cooking, which might be a helpful practice in your case at present, if you want to try quinoa porridge.
I think that there were also a couple of references from BDH members above about chilling carbohydrate foods to reduce their effect on blood sugar, i.e. developing resistant starch which is processed in the gut differently and is very good for gut bacteria. I also have pre-diabetes and had previously done a deep dive on the available literature on resistant starch. As a result, I do limit the starches I eat. I do eat potatoes, grains, rice, or pasta once a week and I slightly undercook them, chill them (usually with some homemade flavouring/dressing with olive oil, just because that is the oil I tend to use) in the fridge for 12-24 hours and eat cold/reheated/cooked as part of a different dish.
In addition, I also slice, freeze and then toast one bread-based breakfast a week (I make sourdough at home, because everyone else in our house eats bread at every meal and they are fussy and want home baked bread). Having two starch meals a week like this seems to be the right fit for me.
But…. resistant starch does not entirely remove blood sugar spikes (it can reduce them, but it is appears to be very personal as to the extent that this works). Also, gut bacteria loves resistant starch. So… given that you are already having problems with gas, it is possible that resistant starch might make this worse in the short term. We are all individuals and YMMV but it might be better to wait a little longer before adding-in (or re-introducing) resistant starch to your diet.
I’m also struggling with multiple food restrictions due to current ulcer, two minor gall bladder attacks last year, and sugar sensitivity (blood glucose flirted with pre-diabetes one time only, but sugar intensifies my other inflammatory issues). Also have to avoid red meat, possibly due to tick bite. Plus I’m allergic to tree nuts, so a lot of suggestions are right out for me.
Listen to all suggestions, smile sweetly, and then work out what works for your individual metabolism. For instance, several posts mention glycemic index, but GI for any individual depends upon how efficiently your individual gut flora process different foods. So the only experimentally established GI for your own gut flora will be the one that you experimentally establish for yourself, if you have the means to test before and after.
And on the carbs: balance, balance, balance. Fiber and protein.
The only oils I can tolerate, in small quantities or balanced with a ton of fiber, are olive, peanut, cacao, butter, and fish. Anything else runs straight through. I miss avocado and sesame immensely; coconut was always out due to allergy. So all oils are not alike for all individuals, another experiment for another day. Poaching or steaming are the methods least likely to cause problems with fish or poultry.
My own daily breakfast is a heaping (volume) ounce of old-fashioned oats with a level ounce of ground flax, a heaping ounce of dried fruit, and a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter. Cover with a cup of water and nuke for two minutes. That balance works for my system and schedule. You could vary with substitutes like quinoa for the oats, fresh fruit, chopped peanuts or whatever legume your system will tolerate, and/or milk or plant-based milk.
Point being, all the suggestions in the comments are good, and will work for some people. Unfortunately there’s no way to tell in advance which will work for you. I agree with the suggestion to consult a nutritionist if you get stuck. We’re all obviously in good company.
Side note: I can cheat once in a while. Like, holiday dinner. But I have learned the hard way to refuse leftovers unless I can freeze them, because if I cheat again the next day, even in a small way, I’m doomed.
Also, due to ulcer, I can’t have any allium or citrus unless it’s massively diluted. Ginger, same. Casein, lactose, and gluten are also out (casein for many years, lactose and gluten since covid).*sigh*
Some folks have told me however that the red meat allergy from tick bite sometimes goes away after 6-8 years. I live in hope.
If you have tick-induced allergy to red meat, you can now buy pork fromOne company at high cost that has been modified to be tolerated. Special occasion pricing. Either this American life or radiolab has a fascinating webcast on this. I think it was radiolab. Anyway, it has the company. Also the science behind the allergy which I had never heard of. It is fascinating stuff, although also terrifying. But if you miss meat, there is one viable option. It is genetically modified though, if that bothers you.
Can you have yogurt, like Oikos Triple Zero? I love the vanilla and a dietician I saw said it’s one of the best you can eat. I would buy the large containers and mix in fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries, whatever I could find fresh. I also added granola, but you may not be able to have that.
I too am about to have to rethink my diet as my cholesterol is still high even on medication (seems to be genetic as hubby eats the same stuff and his is fine). Tell a southerner that they have to restrict their diet and watch them panic.
I ended up having my gall bladder removed similarly to you, except I was exactly one month post caesarian section to bring my daughter into the world. My favorite breakfast food consisted of egg whites with a small amount of grated carrot, spinach, and onion powder with a slice of toasted whole grain sour dough bread (low sugar) with very light butter. One company makes an egg white “muffin” (no bread) with veggies in the frozen healthy food section of the grocery store that is microwaveable. Hope this helps.
What about 0% or 1% cottage cheese? My dad eats it before anything else in the morning to offset the sugars.
have you tried/are you taking ox bile bile acid salts? my gi was talking about the possibility of taking my gallbladder and we discussed this. he’s been gallbladder free for 30 years with very little adjustments to his diet with daily use of the bile acid salts. he uses double wood supplements ox bile 1000 mg once a day, just ordered off of Amazon. you should give it a try and see if it helps. still be careful, maybe add foods back in in small quantities to see how you do. 🥰🤷♀️
Ref my Mediterranean cooking recommendation, my food choices tend to be savoury.
Hence why most of what I suggested might come across as unusual for breakfast.
Another breakfast favorite for me is to boil a pot of chicken or fish stock, add in a few slivers of chicken or fish, some greens like spinach, pak choy or sliced broccoli, maybe some sweet potato or bean noodles, crack a whole egg or whipped egg, with some fresh herbs, no more than a couple of minutes all up, then pour into a huge bowl. Healthy, delicious, filling, and satisfying.
I make the Sourdough Granola from King Arthur Flour, and modify the recipe to include my favorites (extra pecans, flax, pumpkin seeds, etc). Using sourdough discard reduces the sugar requirement. If you don’t have sourdough starter, they do sell it.
I second the thoughts on branching out beyond typical ‘breakfast foods’. Though eggs are always a pleasure, and never boring because of the different ways to cook them. Frittatas can be done any different style.
I was prediabetic (genetics, apparently, as I was only 150lbs at the time) and anemic and the thing that helped me kick all that within just a few months was going low carb and high protein. We eat a lot of meat (beef and lamb specifically) and vegetables and it has made the world of difference. At the beginning when I was healing my gut issues that were a partial cause, I had lots of egg drop soups and broth-heavy foods. Light in fat, easy on your digestion, but absolutely packed with vitamins and nutrients to help you heal with ease. But also you feel comfortably full. Adding an egg, greens, chicken, whatever suits you, is an easy customization. Makes a very nice breakfast imo. I graduated to steaks and burgers + eggs for breakfast eventually and they make me feel super powered for the day! I hope you feel better!
I mix AG1 and protein powder for breakfast every morning because it’s one of the only things I can tolerate for breakfast with chemo.
Problem with gallbladder diets are that they are very bland.
I would try a protein shake. I use Premier, available at Costco.
Soft boiled eggs, Canadian bacon, yogurt are lots of protein and less fat.
you can have pancakes made with oat flour, or chickpea flour: they are actually very good..with a bit or ricotta, cottage cheese, jam. or with prosciutto or avocado and an egg… also mais tortillas and beans. you ‘ll be a true citizen of the world ☺️
I would take it easy and bland for a few weeks, but I very much doubt your system is as delicate as most articles make it sound. Bile is still being produced by your liver and my understanding is that over time your common bile duct will start to act like a mini-gallbladder. Try small amounts of whatever you like. Everything in moderation. Your life is not over. In fact, you can use this opportunity to try out and find some wonderfully new recipes! (Within a few months of having my gallbladder out, I was eating most everything I had been).
I find it so odd that different doctors/areas recommend so many different things post procedures. When I had my gallbladder removed several years ago a few months after having my daughter, I didn’t get any such restrictions.
Trial and error taught me that it took a few months before my body could handle anything fatty and now, it doesn’t bother me much most of the time.
Do you feel like it has to be breakfast food at breakfast? If you aren’t bound by your own ideas of what breakfast should be, I’d go with some shaved turkey, a sliver or two of cheese and maybe some fruit. Or eggs. Can’t go wrong with eggs. Especially with a slice of sourdough toast and some everything bagel seasoning.
I had to have my gal bladder removed when I was six weeks pregnant and I developed diabetes while pregnant. Here is the combined diet for break fast my doctor recommended.
While grain toast with peanut or for me a peanut allergic person- soy butter the brand WOW butter, and a diabetic protein bar that tasted surprisingly like a lemon bar dessert- they offer multiple flavors. Drinks first thing tended to be water or light on sugar tea.
My biggest recommendation is I would buy a testing kit and make a journal. Test an hour before you eat in the morning then about two to three hours after, repeat for all meals, then once before bed. It will show you your natural highs- mine was early in the morning which seemed bizarre as it was BEFORE I ate anything and I learned white flour tortillas were the biggest spike for me- even more then southern sweet tea or a soda which has sugar obvi.
Since most starches are sugars a diabetic meal plan can help and stick to lean, skinless meats for the gallbladder. White fish is safe but salmon does sadly have to be limited. Beans are a good thing though they can make gas early on for some folks. Avoid fried foods if you can and lean in on safe oils ike extra virgin olive oil and use as little as possible if you can. Fajitas were a go to for my family. Walmart sells leans breast fajita seasoned meat cooked without oil ready made from their rotisserie chicken breast and if you add just a tiny bit of oil to cook the bell peppers and onion powder instead of straight onion *** ( onion is on the list as it’s harder to digest without a gal bladder and in general is problematic- BUT the more reduced the acid or juices the safer it is so onion powder can still give you the taste even if you can’t enjoy the delicious onion.) Then add the chicken cook till heated and you have fajitas. You can have VERY controlled amounts of whole grain brown rice and corn or whole grain shells. We ate it a lot as I was recouping. Most diabetic diets are safe and salad is a good go to veggie. Just be careful with your dressing.
Plain Yogurt? There’s a peanut powder that you can mix with water (very low oil) then put on celery?
I’m so sorry. <3
Cloud bread with various toppings is my go-to breakfast. I can make a big batch and store them in the freezer, then toss them in my toaster in the morning. There are recipes all over the internet for them, but they are basically whipped egg whites, then you fold in a mixture of the yolks beaten together with a bit of cream cheese and whatever herbs/spices you like. Then bake. If you don’t want to make them yourself, there is a brand called Cloudies you can find is the freezer section of most mega-mart type stores. Depending on what herbs I put in the latest batch (or grated cheese, I’m a sucker for cheese), I will even eat them plain out of the toaster. I also make savory meringues leaving out most of the sugar and using cream of tartar to help them hold together and eat them with pretty much any fruit. I used to make those for my mom when she had a diverticulitis attack and was desperate for food with texture.
I had a similar experience recently- my kidney doc showed me a list of dietary ‘recommendations’, and I smart-assed a quip “what’s left, cardboard?” She didn’t miss a beat, and said “but you can have all the cardboard you want!”. I still miss salt, I really do.
Dashi soup makes a nice breakfast, you can add an egg to it or have one alongside it. I liked it with pickled veggies, or white Kimchee. (It’s not spicy, but it is still delicious)
Any kind of soup is nice for breakfast. Chicken with celery, parsley, and thyme; Dashi can be combined with poached white fish. I even made a sweet potato hash that turned out well. It pairs great with almost any protein.
Can you eat tofu? I can’t, but that might be an optional addition to soup or stir fry.
Rice noodles are not super carby. I’ve been using them in ramen a long time. Glass noodles that are made from yam are also good for soups.
There are noodles made of konjac root that are no carb, but those are an acquired taste. (Hubby doesn’t care for them, so we use the other kinds.)
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head that hasn’t been mentioned yet.
Happy to hear you’re on the mend. As a woman with health issues too, I understand the frustration of dietary restrictions, especially since I love food. I’ve also been on Atkins and Weight Watchers so I’m used to looking at nutrition labels.
Since regular hydration drinks are a mouthful of yuck. I”ve been drinking low-sodium V-8, for it’s hydration. It’s especially low carb/low sugar for juice, and 8 oz is a serving of vegetables.
Low fat cottage cheese with fruit is good for breakfast, lunch or snack.
What about Canadian bacon, turkey bacon or Morning Star Farms breakfast links (not sure if they contain onion) as lean protein options?
Protein drinks are great for breakfast, too. My preferences are Atkins or Premier Protein. Costco has the best price for the Premier Protein if you like it enough to buy it in an 18 pack.
La Tortilla Factory low-carb flour tortillas are great for a wrap or a burrito.
Fairlife 2% Milk is the best dairy milk ever! 8oz = 120 cal/4.5g fat/ 6g carbs/6g sugars (no added sugars) and 13 g protein.
I hope this helps, and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
what about turkey or chicken sausage or turkey bacon? Low fat high protein. With a slice of Ezekiel bread and some berries.
I’ve dealt with tons of dietary restrictions and one thing that has helped was to redefine my idea of breakfast foods. Now I eat more things that look like lunch or dinner. lol
1. Hummus and veggies
2. Salads with hard boiled eggs, chickpeas (I can’t do other beans, but there’s lots of options for others for protein), and whatever else I wanted.
3. Roasted root vegetables. A favorite of mine is butternut squash, kale, and apples. I also added ground chicken or turkey, which I cook separately.
You can use turnips or rutabaga in place of potatoes in things like hashes or hash browns for a lower glycemic index.
5. Veggies and brown rice. I eat a lot of fried rice for breakfast, but soy sauce would be super high in sodium. Can you use coconut aminos? It’s a soy sauce substitute with less sodium.
6. Breakfast sausage made with ground turkey or chick
7. Literally dinner leftovers because I’m lazy.
I am delighted to hear that you are feeling better and bummed for you that you now have to entirely rethink your diet. Hang in there! I am amazed at the wonderful suggestions! I think we have a cookbook in the making here :-). I haven’t seen cooked millet or cooked amaranth suggested for breakfast yet, I believe both are appropriate for diabetes. Both have a pleasantly sweet and nutty taste.I will also eat cooked quinoa for breakfast. Bob’s Red Mill is a brand that is usually easy to find but you can can more exotic types of these grains if you search. I add seeds, fruit, spices, and sometimes a milk (I like pea protein milk-Ripple- and Flax Milk). I can eat butter but sometimes I will add some mild olive oil instead for healthy fat. Seeds are my go to to crunch up the cooked grains (pumpkin, sunflower) but you might have fun exploring other seeds (Sacha Incha is one I like). Go Raw Spouted Apple Cinnamon Granola might be ok for the pre-diabetes, sweetened with dates and apples, and has sprouted seeds.
Can you see a dietitian? They would be able to help.
Hi Illona! A good breakfast idea could be grated apple with cinnamon, a few walnuts and seeds, and some topping like lime juice. If your body does okay with carrot, grate that in there too. It is surprisingly delicious. Basically, you can move all of your normal oatmeal toppings to it that you can still have. I’d also recommend some honey. Cinnamon is good for blood sugar control so I’d use as much as you can enjoy the taste of.
I would also strongly suggest looking at this wonderful herbal blend: https://www.vitalityherbsandclay.com/products/bloodsugar-balance
Their products are life savers. The owner and formulator is a true gem with inexpensive consults if you are interested.
I am diabetic and I control it by diet alone. Eggs are your best bet and I sometimes side it with Canadian bacon and small serving of fruit. Omelets are my go to because of all the flavor you can add like spinach/goat cheese/jalapeno.
I do a kale, cucumber, parsley avocado, lemon juice, cayenne smoothie everyday for breakfast and lunch. It is 24 ounces so it takes me till 2 pm to finish it. You can of course add protein powder or flax seeds or whatever. I have been trying to watch my blood sugar so it’s been working. I do add a teaspoon of honey but that’s not a must. So glad you are feeling better 🙏
A recent family gave for us is Thai basil chicken egg burritos! We make the chicken from this recipe: https://damndelicious.net/2019/01/22/thai-basil-chicken-bowls/
Add some scrambled eggs and stuff it into a low-carb tortilla. Don’t skimp on the basil!!
Also, have you tried Wasa crackers? They are a low carb fav for me. Great with cheese, or egg salad, or pretty much anything. I like spreading laughing cow cheese on them!
Amaranth instead of oatmeal (I didn’t see it mentioned)
I like the taste better – a bit nuttier and an interesting texture – and it also has more protein so it lasts longer for me as a breakfast. Oatmeal doesn’t tend to hold me long.
I’ll usually add a bunch of cinnamon, maybe a bit of cardomom, allspice etc. Then either unsweetened cranberries afterwards or cook it with frozen cranberries in the water, and chopped pecans or other nuts. Basically any variation you’d use on oatmeal works fine.
I make a big pot of it and then freeze breakfast portions for something easy and fast.
Haven’t made this version specifically but it gives you the ratios: https://mariamarlowe.com/recipe/my-breakfast-obsession-amaranth-porridge/
How about avacado toast? Sourdough bread sliced thin with a good olive oil, then a layer of avacados, cottage cheese with salad supreme sprinkled on top. i had salmalilla over Christmas 2022 and ever since can not eat onions or eggs. Wonder if it is the sulfer? So glad that you are feeling better everyday. Looking forward to your next book!
Tofu scramble! Add veggies of choice. Seitan (wheat gluten) and TVP are also high protein and almost no fat.
Chia pudding! soak 4 tbsp of Chia seeds overnight in just over a cup of any sort of dairy type thing. I use a can of coconut milk with a little water, but that might have too much fat. Almond milk, soy milk and regular milk will all work. Then dress with whatever you usually put on your oatmeal. Also, thank you everyone for all the ideas- I am going to borrow lots of these.
I have an easy breakfast option that worked well for me on Weight Watchers.
Combine one egg, well beaten, with one medium mashed banana, one packet Truvia, one tablespoon cocoa powder. Pour the mixture into a ramekin that has been coated with non-stick spray. Microwave for 90 seconds or so, depending on the power of the machine. Turn out onto a saucer. I spread a little no-sugar jam on top. I don’t know if the banana has too much sugar or starch, but this is pretty satisfying.
I buy Catalina Crunch cereal from Costco. Made by a diabetic, gluten free and no sugar, paired with your milk of choice. Not cheap, but nice when you just want a bowl of cereal.
Godspeed for quick healing!
I know it’s almost oatmeal, but what about granola with nuts and seeds? Yogurt bowls or smoothies with greens to balance out the fruits?
Sorry you’re having to deal with this. I’ve been on an extremely restricted diet for about a year (there are about 80 ingredients on my ok list, which is not a lot—that includes, like, salt) and I feel like 50% of my mental energy just goes into figuring out what to eat now…
Hello Ilona, as a long time chef(before I became a therapist 🙂 and someone with no gall bladder and is also pre-diabetic- gotta love getting older- I recommend a really good quality Italian sour dough bread. It’s lower in sugar as the sour dough starter eats the sugar to reproduce, so you could have a bit of French toast in the morning with fruit. I also like breakfast rice- which is basically rice made with chicken stock, chicken meat, carrots and leeks( the green parts don’t have as much sugar in them as onions which are very high). I make a big pot and then freeze some portions and eat the rest as needed. I hope you feel better soon!
I am so confused about all these comments about sourdough. You can make bread with no sugar at all. It’s actually traditional. The problem with bread isn’t sugar, it is flour. And the carbs from flour are the same whether it is a yeast or sour dough starter. You can make bread with less refined flour or alternatives (like rye) and that will give you more complex carbs and maybe even fewer but sourdough? I think this is an urban myth.
Ilona, on the sugar front: The amount of carbs in refined sugar is VASTLY different depending on the USDA website vs sugar packages for the same number of grams. White cane sugar. Half the websites cite the usda number. Half cite the sugar package number. I actually called 2 sugar companies and the usda trying to find out which is true. I even asked a number of dieticians – half cited one number and half the other. I got nowhere. I only bring it up because if you make things from scratch and are trying to figure out carbs, you should know the discrepancy exists. It is extremely mysterious. The USDA number is lower. It kind of makes me wonder how they are calculating the carbs on packaged food.
Quinoa (cook in bone broth, then you can fry it up if you want in ghee or butter), Greek yogurt, steel cut whole oats with flax and chia with So-Delicious unsweetened coconut milk (0 sugars), diced sweet potatoes lightly browned in ghee with dill and rosemary.
My wife and sister both had gall bladder removed. Wife uses Turmeric w/Bromelain along with cider vinegar just before eating and NOW Super Digestive Enzymes just after a meal. After the recovery period of a few months, both eat pretty much normally simply trimming excess fat, with the exception of super fatty or greasy foods like pork ribs, fried chicken, etc.
Had my gall bladder removed three years ago. The limited menu hurts. What works for me is very small quantities of the foods I like and far too many salads.
First thing is portion control. Go smaller and have some snacks. (Ahem) You will be very regular. Used to be people talked about answering a call of nature. Now, for you, Nature is holding a stop watch and it is a timed event. Pay attention and get the timing down.
Second, avoid red meat, pork, fatty chicken, full-on dairy and anything overly refined/processed. Soda is a death trap. Try a Soy or vegan butter for cooking. Canola oil or a spray instead of Olive oil or butter. Fresh vegetables, home made bread with no salt/sugar ( which is surprisingly good) . Pasta still works for me. Simple sugars from fruit – in reasonable quantities. Yogurt and non-fat cottage cheese. Start small with your favorites. I can still have 1 slice of cheese or 3 strips of bacon on a sandwich. A full-on toasted cheese or a pizza has unpleasant consequences. Sometimes I do it anyway. If you end up camping the bathroom too often go to even smaller portions and more snacking. Daily aerobic exercise seems to make a big difference too.
Be wary of the vegan products, especially the meat. Morning Star farms does pretty well for me. Beyond Sausage does not. Many of the vegan products are very heavy on fats and oils that will cause you problems.
I’ve found some good stuff at hearthealthymarket.com
Good luck.
I actually really like Miso soup for breakfast. I know it’s not traditional but it is warm and satisfying. I also use smoothies as a go to when I’m struggling to think of what to eat. It’s quick , easy and there are a lot of vegetables that also taste good in smoothies. I hope all goes well with the recovery.
Love Grown Power O’s (Original) is a crunchy cereal made with just 5 ingredients: beans (navy, lentils, garbanzo), brown rice flour, and salt. Beans are complex carbs as is whole-grain brown rice flour, but the Power O’s ingredient list just says “brown rice flour.” The cereal has 5 grams of fiber and a 5% daily value for sodium. The Original flavor has no added sugar. It’s pretty tasty for a clean breakfast cereal, and sometimes I just snack on a half-cup. I should note I’m vegetarian.
Eggs are low in fat and no carbs (scramble, omelette, hard- or soft-boiled) — add some hummus and/or tahini?
Wishing you a smooth event-free recovery 🙂
Breakfast muffins made with egg whites and low fat cottage cheese and any veggies that are safe for you to eat. They’re really good!
Maybe try some chicken sausage if you can find some with a low enough fat content?
The FODMAP food suggestions (avoids gas producing food for IBS patients) might help. Suggestions include: Grains like rice, quinoa and oats;
Vegetables like eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini;
Fruits such as grapes, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and pineapple.
Sending healing energy!
May I suggest Japanese New Year soup, ozoni? It’s a broth soup with vegetables.
There are many recipes online (the NY Times even has a variation) and if you don’t have time to make the broth (called dashi) from scratch, you can buy it from most Asian markets (it might be called tsuyu if bottled, and may have instructions for dilution).
It’s one of those soups you add to or not, to taste. So you can add the kamaboko (a fishcake which some find rubbery) or chicken or tofu or miso, or not. Use spinach or mizuna or water cress… skip the mochi…
Glad to hear you’re feeling better, if not fully recovered.
Egg white omelete
I’m not sure, but Paleo?
Hi, when I had my surgery here in Canada, they surgeon recommended to me that I follow the Canadian Heart and Stroke foundation diet like it is my new religion.
For breakfast, I usually do a non-dairy yogurt (Soy,oat or almond, coconut milk yogurt is awful) with homemade granola or I do a protein shake -again, non-dairy. I found that once my gall bladder was removed, dairy became a problem. Once a week, I have a bagel because why not.
Lunch is a salad of some sort with baked or air fryer chicken breast – well seasoned. It is also occasionally tuna or salmon but I am so not a fish person so that is rare. I make my own dressing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or I use Skinny Girl dressing. I have also been known to use breaded chicken breast or strips (wild, I know). My salads are not just greens. They have corn or veg of some sort. Sometimes I cut up dried dates into them or granny smith apples. Spinach salad always has strawberry and almond with it.
Dinner is whatever I happen to have handy. I am more of a big lunch small dinner person.
I hope this helped even a tiny bit.
Greek yogurt and I add a scoop of various flavors of whey protein powder, fruits and veggies, eggs, cottage cheese pancakes are some of my go tos. I lean heavily on flavor blends: cavendish, TJ green goddess and everything but the bagel.
I had my gallbladder out more than 15 years ago. Please follow the restrictions your doc gave you until you heal. After that, experiment to see what does and does not work for you. I’ve been reminded recently that tomatoes don’t like me right now. It’s cyclical, so maybe next month they’ll be OK.
Dr Douglas Graham “The 80/10/10 Diet.” Eating fresh raw fruit saved my life. Highly recommend. Yes, it’s the ideal diabetic diet. 😀
Here are a few suggestions:
Catalina Crunch Cereal (Chocolate, Honey, Cinnamon, Fruit flavors) features 11 grams of plant-based protein, 9 grams fiber, zero added sugars, and 5 grams net carbs.
Egg white veggie omelet
Protein shake blended with fruit
Highland Medley Hot Cereal: A blend of steel cut oats, barley and brown rice
My go to meal for quite a while was egg scrambled with either spinach or broccoli in it- just need to use vegetable spray for the pan. My mom prefers peppers in hers. For regular meals veggie stir fry was always good. I could tolerate the vegetable oil even when I couldn’t eat bread. Bean-o helped me with the fat for the first couple of months. It didn’t necessarily keep all the gas away but made it possible to digest cheese and bread. It got gradually better over a period of 6 months to a year until I could eat almost everything
I have the same problem-no gallbladder and diabetic. I eat canned tuna for breakfast (sometimes with pickles and mayo). Strange, but when I had to go with 40 carbs per day to lose some weight it worked for me. You can also get no sugar added sweet pickles for a snack.
I like to make garden veggie omelets or a veggie hash with radishes instead of potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper fried with salt. I use a ceramic crepe pan that works well without oil. Top the hash with an over-easy egg and its delicious. There’s also lentil flatbread. Soak red lentils for the hours, puree them with water – enough water for a very thin batter, pour a quarter cup in a crepe pan or griddle and fry. I add some salt, garlic salt or something for a little additional flavor. It takes some time to make them but they’re good for breakfast tostadas, air fried for a pita chip replacement, breakfast burritos, or a sandwich wrap and they freeze well. I’ve seen a recipe mixing the lentil puree with Greek yogurt and baking it into little loaves but I haven’t tried it yet. I have tried a similar recipe that worked but it called for almond flour, so I’m not recommending that, but Greek yogurt is a fabulous ingredient for flour less baking.
Good luck!
Consider taking bile salts! It can offset some of the compromises you might need to make to have food that tastes good and is relaxing. Fats can be nutritious and I think it unlocks fat soluble vitamins to eat them together, ie. oil in salad dressing. The gall bladder concentrates bile, so you are still making it, just not secreting enough. Worth a little rabbit hole research at least. That list is brutal. Good luck!
conge workes well for savory breakfast
I typically have a turbo coffee ☕ which is protein powder, coffee and a little milk with some coconut oil. and if still hungry some eggs 🥚
wow the bdh has come through with a tone of suggestions. I won’t suggest anything for wise as I’m really bad at knowing what’s what I’m the restrictions side. I just wanted to say that I’m glad that you’re able to site without wincing and that I how you continue to recover.
My go to breakfast is reheating whatever I had for dinner the night before. If I loved it for dinner, I still love it for breakfast. If you don’t limit yourself to traditional breakfast foods you have a lot more choices. For example, I can quickly make a shrimp stirfry and wrap it in a tortilla and have it for breakfast along with fruit. I keep two bags of frozen shrimp on hand-cooked and uncooked. The first is great on top of salads or for adding to something already cooked. The latter can be quickly thawed for cooking using a bowl of warm water. My husband usually eats oatmeal.
Another thing that is very tasty is a wrap with sliced turkey (whatever kind you like). Add any toppings that are tasty and on your okay list. I like mine with hummus, shitake mushrooms, and a bit of lemon juice. I don’t know if beans are out for you, but shitake mushrooms add a lot of flavor when you can’t have other things. I always have them in my kitchen now.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cholecystectomy/expert-answers/gallbladder-removal-diet/faq-20057813
Generally speaking- the gas producing foods avoidance will be short-term. Hopefully.
Breakfast- perhaps steak and egg whites? Or egg white omelet with chicken/lean meat and veg?
Good luck and swift recovery!
I actually do have some assistance for you. After getting a gallstone caught in the pancreatic duct and developing pancreatitis, necessitating gallstone removal and subsequently developing gastroparesis, the attempt to maintain a healthy diet has become a lifestyle. Focus on small meals, and stop as soon as you start to feel nauseous. Eat more when you feel hungry again. Brown rice (a little overcooked at first), eggs, chicken, congee (it’s like a rice porridge), and yogurt work for me. Carb conscious breads and cereals often work as long as they aren’t too high in fiber. Peanut butter and carb conscious tortillas also work. If you want specific recipes that have worked, email me. I’ve been doing this since the 90’s. It will get better.
My cousin recently had her gallbladder removed. She is still mourning the loss of avocado and Brie in her sandwiches.
For breakfast she usually has low fat Greek yogurt with all-bran and fruit. Adding Ceylon (true) cinnamon is yummy. A sprinkling of cocoa power wouldn’t add any discernible amount of fat.
If you have an instapot try making your own yogurt. I found this guide really helpful https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-yogurt/
To make it into Greek yogurt strain overnight in something like this https://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine-GY50-Greek-Yogurt/dp/B0091XNL0I/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=MZBVJ8OEPNW2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.plV_Pt4wiQvvH–r3YUn4QR9EG_vyJVX0d-T-UlGsYcfdt_jKKqKRQzqoCn2MIw9b0gxj2N3sNhRojIjsakmIGyAOtnXvZBn5BH3uP31WKsyTjhbc14__3RCo5OKOZ5CCksWHpFFA7eSKj-tw1x7b6yP–Kj08NPugat_Zoyy_sDvIKzVz90dMTq8qqwxZ–tFnBm48MT6AXXPtcCmcP5Q.-H8Gez2SXg55k7qYLjLL5665c8y6A53IkSngghFjty0&dib_tag=se&keywords=yogurt+strainer&qid=1713293405&sprefix=yogurt+str%2Caps%2C447&sr=8-3
I had my gallbladder out 30+ years ago. My experience has been different than many people in above comments. Spices, any types of onions, garlic, peppers including bell peppers, cucumbers, pickles, vinegar, & any vegetables that cause gas. Fatty food has not been as much of a problem for me. I am Type 2 diabetic so I know eating to control both can be difficult. For me it has been a lot of trial & error. Also, weirdly enough, sometimes something that bothered me previously became an OK food to eat. Hopefully you will be one of the people who just have to adjust for a short while & then won’t have any further problems. Good Luck!
Recovery after my gall bladder surgery was a snap except for the effects of sneezing, coughing, and laughing. Didn’t realize I had to avoid anything and so ate my usual ordinary diet (heavy on meat and cheese) with no ill effects. Now that I am pre-diabetic, we mostly eat broth-based soups/stews that combine lots of vegetables with chicken, beef, or pork. We rarely eat traditional breakfast food. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
After my gallbladder surgery I ate SO MUCH grilled chicken breast. With various little dipping sauces to change it up. BBQ, mustard, etc.
Pro Tip: Tyson frozen grilled chicken breasts can be microwaved for a quick meal, and surprisingly don’t suck.
Also, I ate Quaker rice cakes in various flavors for some crunch/snacking. It got me through!
Sometimes I just need protein and even though I love sausage and cheese I know it’s not good for me.
Lately I’ve been going with hard boiled eggs, but I marinade them in the fridge with soy sauce. A medium boiled egg would be about the same, I just am picky and can have “egg ick” sometimes. The soy sauce changes things for me and it’s not as “icky”. (Egg-ick is explained in the short video).
I have been meaning to try Mayak hard boiled eggs, but haven’t managed it yet…
https://youtube.com/shorts/LG6OoduYluI?si=71WSb_XHAQ9K6ZsP
Low-fat yogurt (if skim possible, then that), add collagen powder to it and whey powder as well. Yogurt mixes with both very nicely. Try adding a blackberry or blueberry or two as your blood sugar tolerates or just stick to the yogurt with extra protein for now. You can also put collagen powder in your tea or coffee since the micronized version dissolves well. Whey doesn’t dissolve well in my experience so I just add it to yogurt. Since you can’t have much fat and carbs are difficult right now, always start with low-fat protein. Once you have the protein in your system, you can add some complex carbs with high fiber without shooting your blood sugar up too much. Can you take a bile acid supplement to be able to take some healthy fats? Without a functioning gallbladder, one can only take a little fat at a time without some sort of supplement. An avocado, though high in fat, may be a place to start testing how you tolerate different fats. Maybe vegetable fat in complex with all else that’s in the vegetable might be better tolerated? I’d try a slice here or there to see how it goes, then increase as tolerated. Best of luck!
For oats and glycemic load, it’s all in the details.
TL;DR: soaked oats & chia seeds with spices; fruit; nuts & seeds.
I make batches of soaked oats, usually enough for 3 days per batch.
I mix a slurry of coconut kefir with nut butter, vanilla, spices (such as allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg), salt; stir in chia seeds then oats. Sometimes I include protein powder, vitamin C powder. Add more liquids for thinner; a splash of fruit juice for sweeter. Add more oats or protein powder for thicker, but it will thicken more with soaking. Cover and keep in the fridge. Use over the next ~5 days.
My oats are sprouted and old-fashioned cut, ~ 1/2 cup per serving; chia seeds, ~ 1 Tablespoon per serving.
The fruit is often from frozen and combining 2-3, e.g. cranberry (and mango) from freezer with fresh apple; defrosted in summer and heated in winter. Sometimes a bit more salt to bring out the natural sweetness, or extra spice for particular fruits, e.g. nutmeg for blueberries.
I get raw nuts and seeds and dry roast or toast. Usually include: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, brazil nuts, hemp hearts; often some of: almond, hazelnut, cacao nibs; sometimes: pecan, macadamia. More seeds than nuts by volume.
Assembled servings are ~ equal parts of fruit, oats, and nuts&seeds. I call it Oatcetera.
P.S. I sprinkle hemp hearts and/or toasted pumpkin seeds on almost anything
Hi Ilona! One option could be avocado with eggs (I like them soft boiled but you can have them sunny side up or hard boiled) and tomatoes. You may add a whole grain toast. Coffee -though I prefer mate🧉.
Fruits like berries, apples, pears… papaya is great and also mango.
Get well soon! Lots of healing vibes for you!
Have any of your doctors spoken to you about taking digestive enzymes before meals to help with the breakdown of fats and proteins? I’ve been in the wellness industry for almost 25 years, and despite the surgery and your other health challenges, now is not the time to skimp on quality supplements, including fish oil, once your doctor gives you the ok.
As for yogurt, consider trying a low-fat or non-fat goat milk yogurt (for example, Red Hill) or sheep milk (Bellweather) yogurt since they tend to be more easily digested. I also eat oatmeal, and will add in a whey-based protein powder as well as yogurt to boost protein content.
Instead of the sausage or bacon, have you ever tried plant-based veggie burgers? Especially Dr. Praeger’s? There are several tasty variations, but the one I love is the gluten-free Black Bean Quinoa-7 g. total fat (0.5g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 290 mg sodium, 7g dietary fiber, total sugars 1.0 g, protein 5 g.
BTW, you and Gordon are just…awesome! Your books have helped keep me sane for years! So hang in there!
My husband had his gallbladder out about 20 years ago, so I don’t remember what he was eating right after, but have hope. At this point, he no longer really thinks about it and his body doesn’t usually complain too much if he eats too much fat.
Yogurt, bananas, hard boiled eggs (or scrambled without butter 😔). Have more traditionally lunch food like a piece of chicken and whatever veggies work.
– Various egg and egg derivatives – poached, scrambled, omelettes.
– Yogurt with chia seeds, honey and cinnamon
– Apples – I like to grind them and top them with granola.
– Whole grain mini waffles are favorite of mine
– Bagel with tuna salad
– Hash browns occasionally, since they can be fatty (due to frying) and starchy (due to the potato)
This will sound extremely puritan and un-breakfast-y, but my naturopath recommended this and I find it gives me good energy and up-ness:
1 cucumber
2 tablespoons protein powder (collagen or hemp)
1⁄2 lemon
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Ice cubes
Water – as much or little as you want
If it’s a cucumber with edible skin I use the whole thing. If it has inedible skin I peel it. If I feel like a citrus peel tang I chuck the entire half lemon in the blender. If not, I squeeze the juice and use only that. It’s less bitter with only the juice, so that’s a good place to start if you’re not used to bitter at breakfast.
Best wishes for your recovery.
I have found egg whites cooked with spinach and a bit of cooked potato topped with bits of tomato and one slice of sour dough or marble rye are very satisfying. Take out the potato next day, add avocado, easy on the digestion, good for your blood sugar. Almost my entire large family has diabetes except for me. Once you are fully recovered walking helps everything! Good luck. Selfishly, we want you well so we can enjoy many more of your books! Get well soon.
As a type 2 diabetec i start my day with eggs a meat (bacon, sausage, or ham) and a small amount of potatoes either fries or hash brown. No toast because that sets me off much more than the potatoes. It does set me up well for the rest of the day and i have far fewer cravings for carbs.
I have been wearing a CGM for over a year now and i can’t tell you how useful they are. Not everyone responds to the same foods the same way.
My body will turn any kind of wheat into massive amounts of glucose. But its a lot more forgiving on potatoes or rice. I put it down to my ancestors coming from places where wheat was the main starch.
I also use a set portion size. I predivide a bag of frozen hash browns into about 15 gram carb portions and freeze them that way. the fries the same.
good luck. The more i do the more i realize that the medical advice is of the shotgun variety. we think all these things may work so do them all. The truth is that if you can determine what works better or worse for YOUR body you can get a lot more lenient.
I found that eating carbs before bed raised my blood sugar all night. But the same thing in the afternoon didn’t do much. You can match your intake to your exercise routine. You can do a lot of things but you need the knowledge to see what is actually going on in your body. I highly recommend trying the CGM for a while just to be able to track everything you do and what affects you and what doesn’t. I literally went from an 8.2 A1C to 5.7. It is doable with life and diet changes but they don’t have to be anywhere near as drastic as the literature suggests.
I’m so glad things are becoming more comfy for you! I hear you as I’m recovering from breast cancer surgery, and have a list of food ‘dos and don’ts’ which are a bit annoying- especially not being allowed Turmeric, because it interferes with the drug I’ll be on for the next 5-7years. Dammit! Curry is my comfort food, so I’m not feeling particularly comforted right now!
Right- Pinterest has a really variety of yummy recipes for gall-bladder-free-gourmands if you search for ‘Good After Gallbladder Surgery’
Happy noshing Ilona.
I cannot eat onion or it’s family members so I get how bland that makes food. I use green/spring onions (green part only)(NOT shallots) but remember they’re much stronger than onions so only use one or two shoots. I also sub garlic chives for garlic so if you find that produces gas (very common) try that. Look at IBS recipes for ideas about food that does not produce gas. Look at helathy plant based or vegan recipes for ideas for low sugar, low carb, low gas foods. BUT if you are not used to eating beans or very high fibre diet this is not the time to experiment as the unusual foods will change your gut biome and produce – you knew it – more gas. In Australia in your position we would automatically get a referral to a dietitian. I’ve used one for my situation and found them great. Saves a lot of mucking around and provides a lot of confidence so you can actually enjoy what you can eat without worrying. Can you get professional advice?
Smoothie made with almond butter, unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, and honey. Honey is low glycemic and cinnamon also helps with blood sugar. I had this for breakfast every day when I had gestational diabetes with my twins. I usually decreased the fat in the almond butter by letting it separate and pouring off most of the oil. Bone broth might be a good snack. It has lots of protein but is easy to digest. I add rosemary and lemon juice (and salt if it’s unsalted).
Oops! Just realized I forgot the frozen banana in the smoothie.
Surgeon here, took 3 gallbags (as we affectionately call them) out today.
Every patient asks me about post operative diet. I very specifically DO NOT put any dietary restrictions on my patients.
Only 25% of people will have diarrhea after a cholecystectomy no matter what you eat. This usually resolves with 3-7 days as the liver learns how much bile to make since the fancy gallbag purse is no longer there to hold the extra. For these patients, I tell them to avoid the super fatty and fried foods for a week or two and then slowly add them back in.
Less than 1% of patients have more longer lasting diarrhea, however it is nearly always associated with very specific foods. For example, one of my patients knows if he wants to eat brisket, he should be within 15 minutes of a toilet. He makes those decisions knowingly.
If you are not experiencing diarrhea, there is no reason to avoid certain food groups (other than those to avoid for diabetic reasons). Just go slowly with adding them back and if they bother you, wait a week or too and try again.
There is a medication that can help with chronic diarrhea. If this is something you’re experiencing more than a month out from surgery, please talk to your surgeon about it.
You can take over the counter stool softeners and fiber to prevent constipation/bloating if you’re going the other direction.
Hope that helps!! (And that you see this comment so late in the day!)
Oat bran instead of oatmeal can work as a lower glycemic, higher fiber option.
Plain Greek yogurt turns nicely vanilla flavored just by mixing in some vanilla extract.
I have breakfast “stir fry” a lot. The protein is usually chicken cut into large bite-size pieces that was marinated in yogurt and salt so it has some flavor and a better texture and then baked. I combine that with whatever vegetables I have sauteed recently. It’s surprisingly good if I heat up the stir fry and then stir in a spoonful of cold vanilla yogurt. This may be a weird just me thing though, I have a very limited palette of foods I can eat.
I think this one is okay, but double-check against your list: rolled oats in greek yogurt with banana, coconut flakes, and blueberries mixed in. I think the recipe says to puree it but I just smoosh it all up. Let sit overnight in the fridge and then sweeten with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
What I eat most mornings that may also work: black beans with cumin, an egg, salsa, and greek yogurt.
And another that I used to do is a quick frittata with an egg stirred up and then add whatever cheese, veg, meat you can have. I used to do spinach and cheese (and ham but I assume that’s out) but have also done sundried tomatoes and goat cheese etc.
The MIND diet book has two of the recipes above. May be worth checking out.
Hugs regarding your surgery. I hope you continue to heal. My husband and I enjoy quinoa hot and cold. Lentil based soups and hard boiled eggs with salsa as a breakfast item. i love the Costco Kirkland brand fat free Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of cinnamon and either Envy apples or blueberries. Sometimes I go nuts and add Trader Joes Extra dark chocolate chips to the yogurt. It hasn’t spiked blood sugar to date 🙂
I am on low sugar diet and my favourite go-to breakfast is 100g Cottage cheese (full fat) + 100g berries of choice. Add a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes and some crumbled pecan nuts and a splash of sugar-free maple flavoured syrup for extra texture and taste. For the rest of my meals – it is a bit of lean meat and a side of veg. Works really well.
what rob mark says. Bodies are weird and every body is different.
I’m prediabetic and gallbladder-free. None of the online dire warnings about eating fats post gallbladder removal happened. The only thing I lost after the surgery was the pain. I had to recover from the laparoscopic but it was After decades of feeling like I’d eaten broken glass it took a minute to try the ‘dangerous foods’ again.
The CGM has completely changed my food game because I can see in real-time what my body does with the carbs I eat and adjust accordingly. Brown rice was no biggie but oatmeal shot it through the roof.
Plus the CGM app is like a game – every time I check it and my glucose level is between the green lines I get this little dopamine surge. It’s a game of strategy.
Stonyfield yogurt with Polaner’s all fruit or blueberries and a few drops of vanilla is my fast breakfast. Monin sugar-free syrups make sparkling water delicious. Triple Sec and Pomegranate flavors: 10/10 can recommend. Butternut squash chunks roasted in coconut or olive oil with chili and cinnamon is on repeat.
Smoothie with frozen wild blueberries, frozen cherries, spinach/lettuce, and protein powder.
The best thing you can do for breakfast is get out of the mindset of typical American breakfast food, which is either fatty (eggs and bacon!) or sugary (pancakes, cereal, bagels, donuts- basically everything else!). Just think of it as meal #1 and approach it as you would your other meals. I have had veggie bowls, salads, anything and everything for breakfast! Leftovers are great too!
hi as someone with diabetes I eat steal cut oatmeal (a more complex carb) with added hemp hearts and chia seeds (added fibre and protein) and top with plain Greek yogurt. Actually really yummy.
They make a peanut butter powder, is that Ok? It’s PB without fat. Trader Joe’s makes a chocolate almond butter, I add that nut butter to Greek Yogurt with frozen strawberries or cherries, you could do a riff on that with cocoa, honey and the frozen berries in Greek Yogurt. I also add chia seed for fiber. I TBSP per serving. I’ve been adding coconut milk to make it more smoothy like. Been having teeth problems. Or you could do an omelet with feta, mushroom and spinach. that stuff is delish. use a goat feta, less fat. I hate getting old, but it beats the alternative.
When my husband was on the keto diet (and my numbers were trending toward prediabetic), we would have “fake oatmeal”. A one bowl serving is 1/4 cup ground flax meal (we like Bob’s Red Mill golden flax), 1 TBSP chia seeds, 1 TBSP fake brown sugar (we like Sukrin brand) though my nutritionist has been championing allulose.
I also would poach chicken breast and that’s low fat, high protein.
Plain greek yogurt and cottage cheese are fridge staples too.
I guess if you could have eggs, you would’ve been eating them by now 🤔
Can you have tuna? We buy Wild Planet brand tuna that’s canned in its own juices (rather than in water/oil).
Forgot to mention, add hot water into the fake oatmeal, mix & let it thicken (about 5-10 mins). Then consume. I opt for a hint of sugar, but feel free to omit and add your choice of fruit instead, like berries or chopped apples.
Person with type 2 diabetes here who primarily manages blood sugar via diet. Eggs and I do not get along. Whole grains such as oatmeal spike my blood glucose. I started making chia pudding for breakfast. 3 tablespoons of chia, 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1/4 cup of raw almonds, 4-5 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture set for a few minutes to thicken.I have no idea if this would work after gallbladder removal.
It gets better! When i had mine out, along with orher gastric surgeries, my go to was zero sugar canned peaches with low fat cottage cheese, fruit smoothies with oatmilk, or max protein ensure. These are all easy to digest which reduces stomach acid and gas. Also, if you aren’t on metamucil, when you are allowed do that. It will make a difference.
Quinoa porridge – you can do whatever liquid you like then add whatever fruits/flavor things you like. I do it with plain vanilla almond milk and goji berries. Is is very good.
Melt peanut butter and honey. Add cheerios and mix. Toss globs on a plate and let it cool/set.
My husband is a type 1 diabetic. Even with the pump we had trouble controlling highs after breakfast. We now sautee any mix of tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, squash, asparagus or cauliflower without oil in a nonstick skillet. Then we scramble in 2 eggs for each of us. This makes a delicious, filling and low carb breakfast. Change up the vegetables each day to keep it interesting. I add Tony Chachere’s and sometimes a very light sprinkling of cheese to change it up. Diabetes is a contrary beast and needs continuous adjustment. Hopefully you will find this helpful and tasty.
Type 1 diabetic for years who because health issues in my family have had to adapt to cooking gluten free, low salt and (for a thankfully brief time) NO fat. I used to love cooking and the dietary restrictions have made it so much more stressful!
Like others have said, you will need to figure out what works for you over time. Rice and oatmeal make my blood sugars spike less than potatoes which are still way better for me than bread.
For me, whole fruit like apples, oranges, and berries are generally OK. Bananas, mangos, watermelon fine in moderation. Fruit juices are bad.
Because you already feel bad, I am focusing on breakfast items that are really easy or that I can either prep ahead.
The oatmeal zucchini muffin recipe below has been a lifesaver – easy and good with ingredients I have at home. I make a batch over the weekend and grab one or two during the week. I haven’t tried it, but you may be able to substitute applesauce for the 1/4 cup oil to make it lower fat.
https://www.acouplecooks.com/apple-zucchini-muffins/
I cheat and buy frozen bags of mixed fruit for ‘super Smoothies’ from at Costo. Add a container of low sugar yogurt and enough of your favorite milk to let the blender work.
A handful of regular cheerios make a great snack when looking for something crunchy to replace chips.
Rice cakes with nut butter may be too high fat for now but work well to keep my blood sugar steady and keep me full for a while..
my go to breakfast is as follows:
plain nonfat Greek yogurt (2-3 servings)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp seven Sundays muesli for flavor (I like the wild and free blueberry best but the chocolate is also good
1 kiwi cut up into small pieces
1-2 oz of fresh or frozen berries.
super filling, high protein, high fiber, very low carb and low on sugar (cut the fruit down a bit if needed).
Dear Ilona,
I have had my gallbladder removed and I eat lots of salmon and have no problems with it. In fact I have it almost every night for dinner.
I limit carbs because of diabetes.
I take pepcid daily.
I find scrambled eggs to be perfect for breakfast.
Lunch is a couple all beef hot dogs (no bun) or chicken salad.
Dinner is usually fish, mostly salmon but Also catfish, and some other whitefish. Meatloaf or rotisserie chicken is also very good.
I have also discover a low carb ice cream bar that is quite tasty and doesn’t bother my blood sugar levels.
Please feel free to message me privately if you wish.
Not sure if Turkey bacon is off the table, but try that wrapped around a piece of celery or a spear of asparagus. If the turkey bacon is a no go, maybe some Canadian bacon or a thin sliced, low sodium ham.
I’m now 5 weeks post op. The first few weeks I did use a lot of oatmeal, but garnished it with a variety of fruits to keep it from becoming boring. But to be honest, my meals are still not varied by time of day… for example, I eat a lot of healthy choice vegetable soup, sometimes with a slice of bread.
The key to post cholesestectomy eating is zero meats, zero dairy, zero nuts, zero peanut butter… keep fat to near zero. And careful with gas producer veggies.
I use small amounts of almond milk.
Check out the gallbladder subreddit- lots of people sharing food ideas.
Good luck!!
Breakfast is the worse for figuring out what to have on a low carb diet. I’m insulin resistant and headed towards pre-diabetes also so have to watch carbs. Too many carbs and I get gassy. Aging also makes some foods more problematic. And I’m tired of eggs most days. *sigh*
I take ginger tincture to help digestion and also helps lessen gas. If you can’t find the tincture thru a health food outlet or co-op, you can make it very easily: 2 parts alcohol to 1 part plant, store in a dark spot (cupboard), shake twice a day for two weeks, strain and use. Use vodka to reduce any flavor from the alcohol, though it must be 100 proof. Mix a couple of full sm droppers in 1/3-1/2c water. I finally chop the ginger before measuring and adding to the vodka. Hope you continue to feel better!
Feel for you, had my gallbladder out in the end of 2021, it’s still problematic. But I don’t have the Diabetic dietary constraints you have (*knocks on wood*). Your diet sounds much better than mine. I avoid fat except for the necessary when having protein with meals and go for low fat proteins. So egg whites, chicken, etc. In the first year or so I ate A LOT of rice cakes. They’re much better than they were back in the 90s. But then I suspected they were slowing my digestive system, so I don’t eat them much anymore. Yasso makes a great chocolate pop that is fat free and I don’t think it’s high in sugar. Chloe Pops – if you have them are great and fat free too, love the chocolate. I love oatmeal too and opt for the high protein version. For snacking – oyster crackers. But my biggest trick, that might be helpful to you is…Baby Food. It’s embarrassing, but they don’t make anything similar for adults. Fat free, low sugar. I like the Gerber Puffs Vanilla and the Gerber Yogurt Melts. Hope you feel better soon!
it’s the low FODMAP diet. it’s like 10g of onion and garlic a day, cause more will cause gas. it’s a ridiculous diet, which allows unripe banana, but not ripe. and forget apples and pears. but essentially, some sugars break down into gas REALLY easily, so the less you have of those, the better. Plus, without the gallbladder, spicy(including chocolate) and fat are harder to digest and may go right through you. (yeah, I don’t have my gallbladder either)
Some people find if they only do the diet every other day or so, it has the desired result.
I am also gluten-and-dairy-free. I make a breakfast sandwich with gluten free bread, eggs, and fake cheese when I’m not eating oatmeal.
Maybe you can also add Skir – Icelandic cultured dairy product. It is like yogurt, but minimum fat and lots of protein. Same goes to Handkasse, germen type of cheese full of protein and with minimum fat.
And as all other said – eggs, they are versatile and can be prepared to many “eggcelent” meals : scramble, omelet, pouched, steamed, stir-fried with vegies, chaffled, baked, egg bites, fermented,….
Cooked quinoa flakes with blueberries. (Similar to oatmeal, but packed with protein). Also, peanut butter toast or sunflower butter if allergic to nuts.
gallbladder-less here too with added dr stuff except diabetes. all my drs pointed me at the mediterran diet stuff. i looked into it more & expanded to indian, middle eastern, & asian (NOT chinese takeout).
until they let you start experimenting tho, eggs are pretty safe for breakfast. just keep any omelets really simple for now.
I’ve seen a lot of mentions of hard boiled eggs, but none about hard cooked eggs in the oven. I found it easier than boiling a big pot of water.
Put the eggs in a lined muffin pan (so they don’t scorch). Put the pan in a pre-heated ~325° oven for ~25-30 minutes. Dump into a bowl of ice water and peel. Store in a sealed plastic (or silicone) bag in the fridge for about 3 days.
Chicken breasts, poached in broth with sage vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans, spinach).
Wild caught Alaskan salmon is much lower in fat than Atlantic salmon. If local stores don’t carry it, there are companies that ship it. You need to cook it with some liquid and for a much shorter time, or it will dry out.
*safe vegetables
chia turned to powder makes amazing puddings and is full of protein and fibers. put it in any milk, dairy or otherwise, if it’s ok, you could had a bit of vanilla or caco power to give some taste.
i make smoothies bowl often myself, with flax seed, chia, nice nuts and frozen veggies fruits, and then I had fresh fruits on top. be carefull of how much fruit for the suggar counting, but it taste great. you could also mix that with grain cereals. some cqn be really tasty in the “natural” alley of your grocerie store. mixt with yogourt and or cottage cheese it’s great.
I used to make myself whoffles with whole grain, and no suggars. with fruit and yogourt still taste great. again, can add some cacao powder an nuts for the taste, or even bluberries or other fruits inside.
I also fount this website with many interesting recepies. don’t know if it’s accurate though.
https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/recipes/remedies/Liver-Gallbladder/time/Breakfast
smoothie mixes for breakfast that balance fruit /greens. blanch the greens or fruit with skin first
hi fiber means slow gut transit which makes your gut happy and slows delivery of sugar to your blood stream: banana pancakes, biscuits made with half flour, half ground oatmeal, omelette with vegetables, homemade egg foo young. (egg whites or whole egg depending on your LDL)
GREEN onions are ok. garlic yea. balance with other vegetables. water (your BFF) with your meal. YOU CAN DO THIS
hi fiber means slow gut transit which makes your gut happy and slows delivery of sugar to your blood stream: banana pancakes, biscuits made with half flour, half ground oatmeal, omelette with vegetables, homemade egg foo young. (egg whites or whole egg depending on your LDL)
GREEN onions are ok. garlic yea. balance with other vegetables. water (your BFF) with your meal. YOU CAN DO THIS
I would like to suggest Shrimp and Grits.
It can be prepared with as much or a little vegetable components as you want or need. Shrimp are not No Fat, but are Low Fat. The spice level is also adjustable. Leaving the sausage out is not a terminal detriment. The use of file’ (powdered sassafras) as a thickener vs corn starch or rice flour for that purpose helps to hold down the carbohydrate content and offers a bit of flavor boost. Using dehydrated or green onion will reduce the creation of intestinal gas. And it tastes really good!
I began with the America’s Test Kitchen recipe and played with it until I found a format that the diabetic spouse enjoyed too.
Hummus & whole wheat bread.
Anything you would eat for lunch or dinner – because who ever said you only had to eat breakfast food at breakfast.
Your Diet
I speak from experience – my gallbladder was so large that after attempting laparoscopy, I had to have it removed with full surgery. (Another story, Another time.)
Keeping in mind your diabetic diet, which you clearly do, eat anything you like in very small portions. If they don’t bother you – gradually increase the amount.
I never had trouble with any kind of vegetables. But even now a couple of decades later fatty food and very rich sauces continue to bother me. I am always asking servers to bring me extra napkins. I smash my bacon, sausage, etc. in them. Sometimes after an initial small bit, that even is not enough and it goes to my husband’s plate. Also I have been know to cover the top of my pizza with napkins!
I am a little less careful at home, the bathroom is much closer.
Also I do much better if I have a good breakfast, the effects are multiplied if I have an empty stomach.
Wishes for an uncomplicated recovery and good health
I see lots of recommendations for Greek yogurt and fruit. That’s also my go to cold breakfast, but I like to add a couple tablespoons of grain free granola or sliced almonds for crunch.
Hot breakfast is a breakfast burrito…low carb tortilla, filled with a couple of scrambled eggs, spinach (raw or cooked) a tablespoon of cheese and salsa.
Best to you on finding the right meal for your diet. Dietary restrictions suck! But I feel great when I follow.
Breakfast – eggs with a salad on the side. And apple butter for bread. It’s really good. I was introduced to it at a restaurant called the Flying Biscuit in Atlanta. If you do a bread do sourdough as it won’t spike your blood sugar like other bread. (I found a really good recipe for crackers made with sourdough discard – super easy to make. It’s on the King Arthur Flour website – really good with humus – which I’m not normally a fan of)You can make the eggs various ways – and season with herbs instead of onions and the other offenders. Husband had your surgery 3 years ago. He’s also diabetic. I feel you on the search for meal ideas.
I would try clear soups, with ground or shredded chicken or turkey and small pieces of-well cooked vegetables.
Ground chicken or ground turkey and rice is also an option.
Your system will adjust, it just takes its time learning to function without a gall bladder.
How about egg whites scrambled with veggies that your system accepts? Red bell peppers, green bell peppers, mushrooms, are some of my favorites, but the options are almost unlimited.
Also, ricotta and cottage cheese are both high in protein. I’m lactose intolerant so I have started making my own cream cheese and ricotta, and it is both easy and healthier. But it still has fat.
Fairlife ultra filtered non-fat milk is lactose free, and fat free. In an 8 oz serving, there is only 6g sugar & 13g protein. I have cocoa using this milk and baking cocoa. Also, chocolate pudding has been a mainstay for me on chemo. Milk, cocoa, a little sugar, vanilla, and optional butter. I like it fine without butter, so practically no fat, great protein, and it is an entirely different dish from anything you can buy in the store. I can post recipe if anyone is interested…as soon as I can find it, lol. I just realized I am in the middle of moving and I can’t find much of anything. From memory, mix 2 Tablespoons (might be 1/4 cup) cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (plain, no sugar), and 1/4 cup sugar. Slowly add 2 3/4 cups milk. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Once thickened and boiling, boil for 1 minute. Turn off heat and add… 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1-2 Tablespoons butter (optional in our household). That’s all. Super easy, nutritious, and yummy. The sugar dilutes down in that volume of milk. Once I find recipe I will try to come back and edit this post. I realized when trying to find food supplements I could handle that they ones the sell are nearly always milk based, which I can’t handle due to lactose intolerance. Nutrition wise, they weren’t any better than my pudding or cocoa and a multivitamin. Anyway, enjoy.
There is no law saying you have to eat only traditional breakfast foods. Research Japanese breakfasts , often Miso soup and a salad or fish.
Tofu – compress it, bake it with a little soy sauce and have it as is, or in a sandwich
Make home made chicken or veggie soup with all the goodies you CAN eat. Have it with some toast.
I sometimes grab a vegetable Sushi wrap for breakfast.
Double check , but, maybe poached eggs on a lightly toasted whole wheat English muffin. Yolks have non-saturated fats which should be OK.
Highly recommend meeting with a Registered Dietitian (RD). They specialize in Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). You are trying to manage multiple comorbidities with dietary factors that are likely to change overtime as your health status evolves. Meeting with an RD can spare you a lot of frustration and confusion. Assuming you have a current prediabetes or diabetes diagnosis it should be covered by insurance, may or may not require a referral from a doctor depending on the insurance company.
The onions are likely restricted because they are a good source for naturally occurring prebiotics, great most of the time but not so great when you are trying to limit gas production in your gut. The Glucerna protein shakes would fit your criteria for restricted fat, sugar, and simple carbs.
Hope that was helpful. Good luck!
As others have said, the diet restrictions after gallbladder surgery is temporary. I had mine out almost 32 years ago. It no longer affects me. The prediabetes potentially can be also. After dropping weight, I am off of my medication. Check out skinnytaste.com. Lots of healthy recipes.
Yeah.. diet changes can be challenging for sure. My carb addiction is still a battle.
I rely heavily on non-salt spices like smoked paprika, garlic powder, southwestern seasoning (love Mesa Rosa from urban accents-has some salt), Penzy’s has a great variety too.
Egg whites with allowed veggies, zucchini and non-salt spices are usually safe. Garlic helps a lot if it’s allowed. I also eat a lot of wilted salads for breakfast. You can add berries for antioxidants. I also like to add berries, cacao and cinnamon to my non-sugared oatmeal. Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of protein and other nutrients. Great on salads or in oatmeal (Bob’s Red Mill has a high protein one).
Try searching vitacost.com for items. When you use the sales codes under the menu there can be good sales.
For a treat I blend frozen chunks of zucchini with a little plant based milk and berries. It’s definitely not ice cream, but it feels like I’m eating dessert. Good luck! You’ll find your way!
I ended up taking digestive enzymes (not pro or pre-biotics) to help breakdown food.
Many wonderful suggestions! But if your body wants to punish you for the insult of subjecting it to surgery, regardless of how necessary, solid food may be a problem for a month or two. Some of us are weird that way!
As a Type 2 diabetic who had to undergo abdominal surgery last year, I know a lot of these great-sounding suggestions just may not be possible right away. If so, broths, consommes,(yes, sodium?) and protein waters [Protein20 available at Walmart], supplemented with SMALL portions of banana, kiwis, sourdough toast, oatmeal, and other low glycemic index foods may be your friends until your body is less vengeful. The Protein20 has a couple of pretty decent flavors and respectable protein–20 grams– with only 6 grams of carbs per half liter.
Glad the surgery was successful, and hope the recovery goes as swiftly as the BDH devouring your books.
Have you tried poached eggs on toast(of your choice)? Also we make Tomatoes on Toast. Canned diced tomatoes or fresh diced tomatoes or a combination of the two with a 1/4 t. of Worscestershire Sauce-heated and served over toast. You can add more of the sauce to your taste although the flavor is concentrated.
Very late to comment, I like to have a platter of fruit and veg (carrots sticks, radishes, tomatoes sugar snaps etc. and some kind of berry like blueberries or raspberries or some fruit and supplement that with some kind of cured meat, maybe cheese and perhaps an egg if I can be bothered to cook it. And some kind of nut or almonds.
It is interesting that you got dietary guidelines though. I am in a completely different country and when I had my gallbladder out some years ago I asked the surgeon in the pre operation meeting about the dietary restrictions or recommendations. I expected restrictions after talking to other people who after gall bladder removal got into some trouble with different kinds of foods. And sort of expected to get a folder with the “rules” for what not to eat after.
And the response was: “we’ve stopped issuing guidelines and restrictions for this because peoples reactions are so different and individual. You will just have to try things and see what works for you.”
I am fascinated that the guidelines are so different. Perhaps the medical knowledge has changed since my operation.
Low carb cereal, Catalina Crunch cinnamon is my fav, Non-fat, higher protein yogurts are a life saver. Egg omelets with added egg whites (purchase liquid egg whites )-this adds protein which helps you feel full -then go wild with favorite veggies. Had my gall bladder removed over 10 years ago and the improvement in my life was tremendous. The discomfort & uncertainty regarding diet of the post surgery phase will pass. You’ve got this!
Make your own sourdough or ciabatta rolls as they are low glycemic index. (My starter came from my nephews prospective father in law.) I halve them and then toast and eat with a tiny touch of butter and some diabetic jam. Sometimes breakfast is fruit (usually apple and rhubarb because I have an unhealthy attachment to rhubarb) stewed with Splenda on oatmeal. Scrambled eggs with cheese and herbs are delicious with sourdough toast for when you are better. I try to eat protein of some sort with every meal as this makes blood sugar much more manageable. Apple juice that you juice yourself is full of fibre and if you pour it over a high protein muesli instead of milk, diabetic friendly and delicious. My sister makes her own muesli and takes it when she travels so she has an always has good breakfast. My diabetic educator told me not to worry if I eat something naughty every few weeks when I am out with friends as long as I hold to the diet otherwise. Remember that you have to look after you. Allow yourself a tiny treat very occasionally as long as it’s eaten after protein and vegetables. The psychological effect of tasting normal food cannot be underestimated it made life worth living for me.
I would recommend using an app like FIG (food is good) where you can check your dietary restrictions off a list, make a profile, and search for foods that match your fig. No need for subscription if you are manually searching or do less than five scans a month.
Is rice allowed? I have celiac and love cream of rice or perhaps grits? I realize these are carb heavy but not really more so than oats. As someone who is trying to adjust my eating I have been having a berry smoothie with pineapple (great for gas issues) and coconut milk. I can make it sweet or tart and add ground flaxseed and kale powder for nutrition. Psyllium husk is a great added fiber option, and the only fiber supplement I can tolerate without inflating like a balloon, but beware whatever you add it to will turn to jelly if left for longer than a few minutes because it soaks up all the liquid. (It is used extensively in GF baking for this reason.)
Not so much on “post gallbladder”as prediabetic idea. Smoothie with green beans, nopales, apple juice, ginger, cinnamon, cucumber, and an orange (remove the peel). Nopales are the cactus pads used in Mexican cooking, and I’d bet HEB has frozen ones with the stickers removed. You can switch out the applejuice for plain Greek yogurt if you want, you can use zucchini instead of cucumber, but the nopales are important–they cut blood sugar.
Half a can of beans can be an alternative protein source, and quick and easy for a meal.
Most of the surgeons I know say just stay away from anything really greasy, and if you are eating chocolate, beware it can trigger diarrhea. If you do eat chocolate, eat it after a protein rich meal.
I just bought a mini waffle maker. Found a great recipe on Weight Watchers by Chef Millie Peartree.
1 cup of uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk
1 egg
1 small banana
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
Put it all in a blender until smooth, then let it sit for 5 minutes.
Then cook in a waffle maker. Makes about 5 mini waffles
1 pt per mini waffle. I’ve experimented by adding blueberries, changing up the oatmeal for multigrains or steel cut oatmeal. All have been great.
FWIW I had zero problems going back to my usual diet after cholecystectomy, though I’ve known one person who have the permanent ‘runs’ because of their bile flow. (No one told me no onions after surgery, either, so I’m at a loss at what that’s about.)
Turkey bacon is remarkably lean, and might help you out in the mornings. Soup for breakfast might be good, or something with beans?
I had my gallbladder out in 2002. Still to this day, I can only consume the smallest of amounts of olive oil, butter, avocado, etc. So fats are always going to be an issue for you. I just love it when well-meaning people tell me, “but it’s a good fat” and I have to tell them, “not if it goes through me like a rocket ship it isn’t”. Some folks just don’t get it. I guess the purpose I’m sharing this is that even as the years go on you’re going to find things will challenge you. It’s going to be hit and miss with you until you can kind of figure stuff out. What works for one will not work for another, but the general guidelines is to stay away from fats. For the time being I would stay on a bland diet, at least until you are physically healed from the surgery. Homemade chicken soup, scrambled eggs and the like are what you should probably try to consume. I know it’s boring to have oatmeal, but have you thought of trying other grains in its place? Although you can’t have something because it’s very fibrous and bulky perhaps if it’s made into a smoothie it’s more easily digestible?
oof, wish I could offer advice but I eat yogurt and granola in the morning. Although, it’s low fat, and the granola is baked so….
good luck!
Baked Japanese sweet potato diced and still warm from oven, add fresh diced apple(Macintosh is yummy) and sprinkle on some cinnamon. One of my favorite post gall bladder surgery vegan breakfasts!
One possible-since you have the concierge situation or even within your regular insurance might be to see if you can contact your surgical hospital’s dietitian and/or ask for referrals for other dieticians if they can’t help you. A *licensed* & *registered* dietitian should have some ideas of how to help you, especially if they have been practicing for 20 years or so and were around when diabetes meds were not and gallbladders were getting removed, which is kind of your situation. Source: my sister is an RD LD hospital staff dietitian. Do your due diligence though because not all dietitians are good at multiple issue considerations according to her comments about junior staff that she oversees since you don’t have a lot of room for error right now
I sympathize. I am 55 and last year was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as well as discovered some new food allergies – gluten, hazelnuts and carrots. (I know, *carrots*… WTF?).
All that is to say that I have found it very helpful to search for recipes on eatingwell.com. All of the recipes are generally healthy and it is possible to search for particulars, though I don’t recall a gallbladder filter.
Still, all recipes have nutrition info and maybe something like MIND diet or Mediterranean would be helpful.
Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery.
If not mentioned yet. You might like to try Quinoa or Buckwheat as a porridge alternative. Both have higher protein and complex carbs. My parents used to make both warm with different toppings. Seeds, fruits, yogurt whatever fits with your diet. What is important do not use a lot of water. Both grains will get soggy fast. Best think of instant bulgur when making it.
There is something called bile acid diarrhea that can occur on its own but is much more common after gall bladder surgery.
Ask about it next time you see your doctor since it can be very easy to treat but sometimes it is overlooked.
Do not eat paper cellulose is one of carbs!!!
soup, whatever kinds you like, makes an excellent breakfast. if you’re going with a clear soup, like chicken or cabbage, you can poach an egg or two with it, right in the soup pot.
soba noodles that are high in buckwheat flour have a low glycemic load, and cook in 3 minutes.
speaking of buckwheat, kasha is also a delicious breakfast food.
and if you’re not leftover adverse, try eating dinner for breakfast.
shrimp is very low in fat, you could sub that in for salmon for the next 30 days. it’s also delicious. and there is excellent chemical-free frozen shrimp readily available these days.
Oof- not good. I’m hoping you’re on the mend. And it’d be Spring in Texas so here’s some themes for that.
Omelette or scrambled *real* eggs (more egg white than egg, try 50grams whites : one whole egg around 50grams) with shards of salmon (smoked or tinned), halved small grape-sized tomatoes, maybe some ricotta/cottage cheese, baby spinach on top (wilt in residual pan heat). Mods? Capsicum (ah, peppers that aren’t spicy) in any colour, bok choy/choy sum, rocket, fresh basil, or even small amounts of fresh spices like French tarragon. Garlic chives or regular chives if you’re craving oniony style flavours but can’t tolerate them.
In Australia fresh egg whites are in (milk-bottle style) cartons near the fresh eggs on our supermarket shelves. Herbs are home grown if your supermarkets or even local produce markets don’t have them.
If lazy a fresh buffalo mozzarella, (heirloom) tomato and (heirloom) basil salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar takes minutes to assemble and zero cooking.
Making your own pho (beef or even chicken) could be useful if you can find konjac noodles- marketed as “zero calorie” or low carb in some supermarkets- where you are. Konjac in any form (noodles) does need to be consumed with soup or adequate fluids.
Green papaya/pawpaw salad with prawns or even rare roast beef could also help as the enzymes in green papaya are great for digestion.
Chia pudding is my go to. low carb and can be flavored.
I believe the issue with onions is they can be an irritant. Just like spicy food, caffeine and a number of other things. After GB surgery, they make it more likely that you will experience diarrhea and other digestive symptoms. Try eating a small amount (cooked) and see if you have trouble if you are missing them. My husband was limited to 5 gm of lipids per day and very low fiber (eg no fresh fruit at all) after his Whipple, but he could always tolerate cooked onions in soup. I could always tolerate them in Chipotle’s corn salsa after my GB was removed. I have a friend who has never been able to tolerate onions. I was too afraid to try things for too long after my GB surgery. It could be you have to be really careful. It could be you don’t need to be. Start slow.
For a little while they want you to limit gas-producing food for your comfort but also because they don’t want too much pressure where they have just stitched you back together. As I understand it, onions are more of a comfort issue, not a safety issue.
This goes back to Sweep of the Heart. I am wondering if since Magnolia Green is now a cutting, will it affect Deena’s parents?
You have to read the next book to find out. 🙂
I am a little late to the party but my advice- predicated on 25 years as a nanny of special needs 2E kids who all had some kind of food issues and a person who has had multiple friends and family member with gall bladder issues . Start small and see what works for you. Everyone responds differently- yes Fat and certain foods like broccoli and onions – often cucumbers- set people off. You are clearly worried about the carbs keep in mind fiber helps offset carbs, cooking, chilling and then reheating complex carbs makes the starch resistant and improves the glycemic load. Eating whole fruits adds probiotic fiber and nutrients. You still need fat. Your body needs a variety of foods to meet your nutritional needs. Focus on whole real food small portions spaced out . As you asked for recipes here are a few loosely called recipes that are adaptable
Make a simple soup with the best broth you have-homemade is obviously best but low sodium box broth supplemented with some box bone broth or even plain gelatin works cook celery and carrots in broth until tender, add some roasted chicken- roast your own or commercial- to a bowl with some baked or steamed potatoes you cooked refrigerated and will now reheat, top with hot broth and vegetables. If that doesn’t bug you next time add another veg- maybe zucchini noodles, the try swapping ing parsnips or barley for the potatoes. Maybe then try a bit of parsley and sage…you get the idea start simple add what like slowly to stuff that you know works. You may do better with your veg cooked rather than raw. Quinoa pilaf with lots of diced veg of your choice, a little bit of dried fruit- high in fiber but high in sugar- chopped or whole nuts and diced or ground lean meat of choice one example : brown 1/2 pound ground chicken with a good fat pinch of saffron you bloomed in hot water— add the water later with the broth I tsp grated ginger, 1cup each diced celery and carrots, salt and pepper to taste, add 1/2 cup diced dried apricots, 1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds or pistachio add 1 and 1/2 cup quinoa and 3 cups broth follow quinoa cooking directions you can then add bell peppers or eggplant, zucchini or okra again add stuff you like if it didn’t bother you.
In the summer I love a chilled beet soup- roast 3 pounds of whole beets with a little avacado or olive oil until very tender and csrmelized season to taste. Refrigerate overnight the next day purée with some enriched chicken broth and a cup of buttermilk season with some dill if it doesn’t bother you. Warm the soup to meld the flavors, make the starch resistant and eat warm or chill- also tasty at room temperature. Later some shallots roasted with the beats take it up a notch. Nice with poached or grilled fish you can also add other veg or garnish with diced leftover meat if most types or very tasty with hard boiled eggs. I hope some of this helps! Mine or everyone else’s is a starting point but I am afraid you will probably have to figure out for yourself what your body will deal with and what it won’t. It is a pain but track your meals when and what you eat how you feel during after and later in the day. Fingers crossed ! Prayers said.
I make breakfast sandwiches with English muffin, scrambled egge whites, 1 slice Canadian bacon, sometimes I add a ultra-thin slice of cheese.
Take digestive enzymes with ox bile(I take Super Enzymes by NOW brand) and you’ll be able to eat most of the things you want in moderation. Gallbladder removal is pretty much a diagnosable digestive enzyme bile supplement for life because bile doesn’t only digest fats, it also plays a crucial role in toxin removal, cholesterol levels and the removal of hemoglobin. You’ll want to take it as a supplement to keep the burden off the liver too. The gallbladder doesn’t make bile, it only stores it so your liver will have to keep churning it out. Also the pancreas releases digestive enzymes and since you’ve got prediabetes, your pancreas is also taxed producing digestive enzymes. Supplements really help in this area.
Low fat cottage cheese can be made into high protein low fat alternatives, even breakfast items, dips, and sauces. Mix 1/2 cup it in a blender with a tablespoon(to taste and thickness) of any flavor sugar free jello pudding mix with just enough milk or milk sub to blend and you’ll have a great pudding you can turn into a multitude of desserts, but add some low glycemic berries and a sprinkle of protein granola and it’s a nice breakfast. If you have a Ninja creamy you can make ice creams too. You can even make a alternative cheesecake if you put it in a crust to set up. Add it to scrambled eggs to bulk them up. I make an incredible lunch with cottage cheese too, cottage cheese, cucumbers, flavor bomb tomatoes, a few olives and half avocado, sprinkled generously with everything but the bagel seasonings. High protein, lots of fresh fruits/veggies and it’s very filling!
Consider Brown or Forbidden/Black Rice Porridge instead of Oatmeal.