Many patients with chronic cholecystitis ask, “What should I eat? The answer is basically a simple “eat a light diet”. What should a patient with chronic cholecystitis eat?
How does cholecystitis come about?
The gallbladder is a sac-like structure whose main function is to store bile, and the main function of bile is to digest fat. When stimulated by food, especially greasy food, the gallbladder will contract and discharge bile to digest food.
Repeated attacks of acute cholecystitis or the long-term presence of gallbladder stones can lead to abnormal gallbladder function and cause chronic cholecystitis. Chronic cholecystitis is divided into two types: chronic calculous cholecystitis and chronic non-calculous cholecystitis, of which chronic calculous cholecystitis is more common.
1, chronic calculous cholecystitis
If the gallbladder contraction function is abnormal, it will easily lead to the formation of stones due to poor bile discharge. The presence of gallbladder stones will aggravate the poor bile discharge. The more bile accumulates in the gallbladder, the greater the pressure on the gallbladder, and with the repeated friction of stones on the gallbladder wall, inflammation of the gallbladder wall will occur.
2.Chronic non-stone gallbladder inflammation
There is no bacteria in normal bile, but when the gallbladder is obstructed and bile is not discharged smoothly, bacteria from the intestine may enter the gallbladder and cause inflammation of the gallbladder. If the pressure in the gallbladder increases dramatically or bacteria multiply, it can cause an attack of acute cholecystitis.
In addition, gallbladder ischemia (systemic diseases, use of vasoconstrictive drugs), improper diet (large intake of fatty foods, overeating, excessive dieting) can also cause abnormal gallbladder function and trigger cholecystitis.
Is it feasible to not eat fat?
After understanding the causes of cholecystitis, some patients understand that “eating fat = draining bile = triggering cholecystitis attacks”, so they eat a fat-free diet such as “cabbage cooked in water”.
This is actually not true!
Although a high-fat diet can significantly stimulate gallbladder contraction and aggravate abdominal pain, eating fat in moderation will not trigger or worsen cholecystitis. On the contrary, moderate fat intake will stimulate the normal contraction of the gallbladder, so that the bile in the gallbladder is emptied in a timely manner, reducing bile stasis, avoiding the formation of gallstones and aggravating cholecystitis.
In addition, fat is also one of the essential nutrients for the human body. Lack of fat intake will gradually lead to weakness, memory loss, decreased immunity, abnormal blood clotting function, etc.
If a patient with chronic cholecystitis has an acute attack of cholecystitis induced by improper diet, exertion, bacterial infection, etc., and symptoms such as significant abdominal pain, fever or even yellowing of the skin appear, he or she should promptly visit a hospital for treatment.
How should chronic cholecystitis patients eat?
1, the amount of protein should be no more and no less
The right amount of protein can promote the contraction of the gallbladder, which is conducive to the discharge of bile and the recovery of the disease. The requirements of patients with chronic cholecystitis for protein are comparable to or slightly higher than those of the normal population, with a daily recommended protein intake of 80 to 100 g.
2, the intake of fat and cholesterol should be less
The more fat and cholesterol, the easier it is to stimulate the contraction of the gallbladder and aggravate abdominal pain; moreover, fat and cholesterol will make the bile sticky and make it easier to form stones. The daily fat intake should be controlled at 40-50 g, and the cholesterol intake should be less than 300 mg per day.
3, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, supplement dietary fiber
Vegetables and fruits rich in dietary fiber can not only supplement vitamins, but also reduce the formation of gallstones, reduce cholesterol absorption and alleviate the symptoms of cholecystitis.
4.Increase the amount of water you drink
Drinking more water can dilute bile, promote bile discharge and reduce the chance of gallstones formation.
5.Rational cooking
Boiling, steaming, stewing, braising and other methods should be used to reduce frying, deep-frying, baking and other cooking methods. Use vegetable oils, such as peanut oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, etc.
6.Other
Eat less and more meals, regular ration, avoid overeating, quit smoking and alcohol.
How should chronic cholecystitis patients eat?
1.What foods should be eaten less?
High fat and high cholesterol food, such as fatty meat, egg yolk, crab yolk, animal offal, etc.
Spicy or irritating foods and seasonings, such as chili, pepper, mustard, curry, etc.
Deep-fried, puffed food.
Wine, strong tea and coffee.
2.Can I still eat eggs, milk and lean meat?
The protein in an egg is about 7 g, the protein in a 250 mL carton of milk is about 7.5 g, and the protein in one pair of lean meat is about 5 g. Therefore, according to the requirement of 80-100 g of protein per day for chronic cholecystitis, patients with chronic cholecystitis can actually consume as much protein as or even more than normal people.
However, it should be reminded here that ordinary foods such as rice and flour also contain protein, so patients with cholecystitis should not desperately try to supplement protein and increase the burden on their liver and kidneys.
However, there is another problem with eggs: cholesterol.
An egg contains about 200 mg of cholesterol, and the cholesterol intake for patients with chronic cholecystitis is limited to less than 300 mg, so one egg per day is not a problem.
3.Can I put oil in my stir-fry?
The vegetable oil we normally use is lighter than water, so 1 mL of vegetable oil contains 0.9 to 1 g of fat, and the daily fat intake of patients with chronic cholecystitis is limited to 40 to 50 g. Therefore, it is obviously wrong not to eat oil for cholecystitis!
You can put oil in your stir-fry, just be careful to put less, and pay attention to evenly distributing it to three meals to avoid excessive fat intake at a single time, which can trigger an acute attack of cholecystitis.