The removal procedure is a complex operation with a long recovery of all internal systems of life. An important role is given to the new diet. Only strict adherence will help the liver and stomach cope with the normalization of the amount of bile secreted.
Proper nutrition is one of the most important factors in the recovery of the body after surgery. You can remove the gallbladder only in the most extreme cases, when there is no other way to solve the disease. Therefore, you should know everything about the features of postoperative nutrition in order to avoid possible complications and diseases that can develop from them.
Why a diet after cholecystectomy is necessary
Thinking about why it is necessary to change the diet, you need to find out why the gall bladder is removed. Most often, the reason for this is the formation of stones in it. It can also be neoplasms in it, polyps, as well as cholesterol deposits. In the body of a healthy person, the gallbladder takes in all the bile synthesized by the liver. The process of its concentration is already beginning in it. When a person eats, it is the gall bladder that secrete the necessary amount of bile for normal digestion. After cholecystectomy, this debugged process suffers serious changes.
Thinking about why the gall bladder is removed, it is very important to remember that they do this only in extreme cases, since this organ is very important for the digestive tract. Without a bubble, bile immediately enters the duodenum through the extrahepatic bile ducts. From this, its composition changes, which entails a failure in digestion. Such bile has a very fluid structure. Because of this, she does not have the ability to properly protect the intestines from various microorganisms. This, in turn, leads to a risk of dysbiosis.
A strict diet immediately after surgery helps to regulate the process of bile excretion and subsequent digestion of food. Immediately after the gall bladder has been removed, the diet should be very strict. Within a week, you can weaken it and gradually introduce new products into the diet. In any case, it is extremely important to be guided by the doctor’s instructions and not to violate the dietary regimen prescribed by him.
Features of the operation
Most often, the operation is done by the laparoscopic method. It involves a minimal level of surgical intervention and a short stay in a hospital. At the same time, the patient is left in the hospital for a maximum of three days, depending on his condition after the operation. Removing the gallbladder is not so difficult. Especially with laparoscopy. It provides an opportunity to quickly recover and re-start a familiar lifestyle. The only exceptions to it are dietary restrictions and a certain regimen in meals.
Not everyone can be shown a lightweight option to remove the gallbladder. In the presence of the individual anatomical structure of the organ, as well as its ducts, an open operation called laparotomy cholecystectomy can be prescribed. After such an intervention, the period of stay in the hospital room may be delayed up to 10 days. Moreover, dietary restrictions during rehabilitation will be more significant.
Diet in the hospital
Changes in the usual mode should begin immediately after the gall bladder has been removed. The diet in the first three days of hospitalization is quite strict, but it is necessary for the restoration of the body. Eating is allowed the next day. Food should be liquid, for example, it can be kefir, oatmeal or vegetable broth. The following products are also allowed:
- Natural yogurt, yogurt, soft cottage cheese.
- Oatmeal cooked on water, buckwheat.
- Mashed potatoes.
- Grated boiled beef.
- Mashed chicken breast.
- Souffle from carrots or beets.
- Banana smoothie.
- Baked apples.
All days in the hospital you need to eat liquid food. It is very important to return to solid foods gradually and drink enough water. This is very important for diluting bile.
What you can not eat the first week
Information on future nutritional needs to be studied in advance before removing the gallbladder. The consequences will bring a lot of complications, if you do not treat the future diet with all responsibility. Immediately after surgery and for the next seven days, the following foods and drinks are prohibited:
- Tea and coffee.
- Sweet sparkling water.
- Of alcohol.
- All sweet and starchy.
- Fried.
- Greasy food.
- Smoked.
- Spicy dishes, salted, pickled and canned.
When the gall bladder has been removed, after the operation, you will have to immediately limit yourself and abandon many familiar dishes. The first week is usually the most difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly follow dietary nutrition and do not eat prohibited foods. This is the only way to ensure fast recovery and good digestion after removal of such an important internal organ.
First week diet
Most often, after cholecystectomy, they are discharged on the third day of their stay in the hospital. Therefore, the most important thing to do upon arrival home is to establish and organize high-quality nutrition, taking into account all the recommendations of a doctor. You need to eat in small portions, but often. After the gall bladder has been removed, the nutrition should consist of six to seven meals. It is also necessary to divide each reception at the same intervals. Thanks to this, you can significantly reduce the burden on the intestines. The last meal should be no later than two hours before bedtime.
To normalize digestion, you need to drink enough water. At least 1.5 liters of fluid should be consumed per day. Of the drinks, you should choose pure still water, sweet homemade juices with pulp, rosehip broth, compotes, as well as mineral healing water approved by the doctor.
When the gall bladder has been removed, the menu should be based on a special diet, which doctors call Table No. 1. If it is observed, it is necessary to exclude the consumption of fresh vegetables, berries, as well as bakery products. Such food has the ability to increase bile production, which adversely affects the state of the intestine and the well-being of the operated person. The preferred food in the diet is ground meat, fish and vegetable dishes, steamed. Before eating, food should be brought to room temperature. Do not eat too hot or cold.
The basis of the diet can be the following examples of dishes:
- Steamed chicken fillet roll.
- Milk soup.
- Lean meat souffle.
- Cheese casserole.
- Omelette.
- Homemade yogurt without sugar, fermented baked milk, kefir or yogurt.
- Buckwheat or oatmeal, cooked in water.
- Adyghe cheese.
It is the first postoperative week that is the hardest. If you follow the diet after five to seven days, your health will improve significantly, despite the fact that the gall bladder has been removed. At the same time, something hurts or not - this is very important. No unpleasant sensations in a week should already be. Therefore, from the indicated period of time, you can begin a smooth transition to other dishes, gradually expanding the list of acceptable foods. This must be done strictly under the supervision of a specialist.
Diet of the first month after surgery
During the first month after the gall bladder has been removed, diets should be adhered to based on the recommendations of a gastroenterologist. Only he can prescribe a special diet, as well as control its duration. Often, one month of a strict diet is enough. This time is crucial for the restoration of the digestive system. After a month, the rigid diet can be expanded with new permitted products. But while it lasts, you need to exclude the following food from the menu:
- Roast.
- Greasy.
- Spicy, spicy.
- Smoked.
- Alcoholic drinks.
Also, within a month after cholecystectomy, you should not smoke if such a habit took place before the operation. Nicotine, which settles in the lungs, greatly slows down the process of digestion recovery. All foods eaten should be of medium temperature. Do not eat too hot or cold food. It is very important to eat several times a day. Four to six meals are considered acceptable. It is advisable to do this at the same time interval.
A week after the gall bladder was removed, the diet must be changed to another, called "Table No. 5a." It is a type of diet number 5, which implies a reduced chemical and mechanical effects on digestion. This is what makes it so suitable for recovery after cholecystectomy.
This diet includes the use of boiled foods, as well as baked steamed. You can eat lean meat dishes, fish, vegetable soups, steam puddings and omelets, cottage cheese casseroles, mashed potatoes, fruit jelly, porridge, as well as stewed vegetables and stews from them. The volume of permitted products is large enough, so you will not have to experience difficulties when following a diet.
With poor digestion and a negative reaction to a product, you need to visit a gastroenterologist who specializes in restoring the body after the gall bladder has been removed. Whether the stomach hurts when dieting, it is very important. Therefore, you need to constantly listen to your own feelings. If there is discomfort, the doctor must prescribe another diet, which will be even more gentle. Most often in such cases, a diet number 5sh is prescribed.
The principles of nutrition of the first month after surgery
To prevent possible difficulties after the gall bladder has been removed, recipes should be prepared taking into account permitted and prohibited foods. You also need to adhere to the basic principles of dietary nutrition:
- Observe the regimen. After removal of the gallbladder, the body will have difficulty digestion if you continue to eat three times a day. Therefore, it is very important to get used to more frequent meals. Doctors recommend eating five to seven times a day. In this case, bile will penetrate the intestine more often, which will prevent the appearance of its stagnation.
- Change the usual way of cooking. In the first month after the operation, only boiled food is allowed, as well as steamed. You can also stew foods. This principle must be observed due to the fact that when frying in dishes certain substances are stored, which, after entering the intestines, provoke increased production of gastric juice. In the absence of the gallbladder, this process will greatly harm the entire activity of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Make changes to the familiar menu. When the gall bladder has been removed, everyone should know what to eat. After cholecystectomy, you need to eat light and lean foods. Such dishes as vegetable soups and broth with cereal will be very useful. It is also very important to eat marine fish more often. It helps fats from other foods to be absorbed faster. Of meat dishes, chicken, turkey or beef should be preferred. Breakfast and dinner with dairy products, as well as various dishes from them.
Favorably affect digestion cottage cheese casseroles, airy fruit puddings and protein omelettes with the addition of stewed vegetables. As for fats in the diet, they must be obtained from plant and dairy foods. They will contribute to a good waste of bile. Animal fats will be digested very slowly, because they do not have the necessary enzymes in their composition.
The menu of the first month of recovery after surgery should always include cereals, vegetables and sweet fruits. Acidic products are banned. You need to lay on pumpkin, carrots, and if the season allows, then on melon and watermelons. If you want sweets, it is allowed to use honey, marshmallows or marmalade, but only in small quantities.
Also, do not forget about serious dietary restrictions. Fatty, meat and fish broths, mushrooms, various spices, pickled products, onions, garlic, legumes, cakes, pastries, chocolate and sweets are prohibited. You can’t eat cold: okroshka, jellied meat, ice cream, etc. Foods with fiber in the composition, as well as carbonated and sugary drinks are completely excluded.
Doctors Recommended Annual Diet
Those who have undergone cholecystectomy must adhere to a diet called Table No. 5 for 1-1.5 years. Then the doctor looks at the tests, on the basis of which he can prescribe a transition to diet No. 15. Products such as sweets, animal fats, eggs and milk can do the most harm. Therefore, they should be used with extreme caution and as little as possible.
If during the year after the operation there are failures in the digestive tract, a change in diet is necessary. In this case, the doctor can return the patient to a strict diet No. 5, 5a, or 5sh. With frequent relapses, the gastroenterologist usually prescribes not only dietary restrictions, but also medication. When the gall bladder has been removed, medications should be selected only after consulting a doctor. He may prescribe enzyme preparations such as Mezim-Forte or Festal.
Important rules for survivors of cholecystectomy
Everyone who has undergone gallbladder removal must adhere to the following nutritional rules for the rest of their lives:
- Eat four to six times a day and not be hungry for a long time. To do this, you have to accustom yourself to the regime and carry out each meal every hour.
- Servings should not be large. Do not overload the digestive system.
- Exclude animal fats of a refractory form, for example, mutton from the diet. Pork and beef fat should also not be consumed in pure form. When cooking dishes from this meat, fat must be carefully removed.
- Products with the removed gall bladder should be steamed, boiled or stewed.
- Drink at least two liters of fluid daily. Most of it should consist of clean still water.
- To prevent dysbacteriosis in the duodenum, which often occurs against the background of a distant gallbladder, probiotics should be taken regularly.
- Try to exclude the consumption of sweets as much as possible, as it also provokes dysbiosis.
- If diarrhea symptoms appear, exclude coffee, tea, and other drinks that contain caffeine.
Following the above recommendations will help prevent complications after cholecystectomy. After all, when the gall bladder is removed, not everyone knows what to do. Do not always come across conscientious doctors who will give valuable recommendations. Therefore, you need to independently study all the information about the long recovery process.
Individual nutrition features
Diet number 5 involves a fairly diverse diet. But we must not forget about the characteristics of the body of each individual person. Someone may experience stomach discomfort or heartburn from an eaten apple baked in the oven, although this dish is allowed in the diet. This nuance must be taken into account when choosing a daily menu. If at least the slightest discomfort appears, you need to abandon the product that causes unpleasant symptoms.
Some may feel bad from freshly grated cucumbers, while lightly salted ones will be digested without any problems. Each organism is individual, therefore it is impossible to put too strict restrictions and eat only those products that are prescribed in the diet "Table No. 5". Not all dishes can come up and bring only benefits.
For example, with lactose intolerance, it is necessary to completely abandon dairy products that contain it. Instead, you should give preference to nuts, oatmeal, etc. Walnut and oat milk are no less tasty than cow's. Moreover, it is almost always perfectly digested.
The consequences of non-diet
In the absence of the gallbladder, the amount of secreted bile is reduced. Therefore, each meal should contain less volume than before the operation. The usual servings should be significantly reduced and begin to eat up to six times a day. Overeating can lead to negative consequences for the body.
With the gall bladder removed, the treatment is to follow a diet. If you do not adhere to it, serious disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract can develop: malfunctioning of the intestines, esophagus, pancreas and stomach. All these complications can provoke diseases such as colitis, cholangitis, esophagitis, duodenitis, etc. Special care must be taken in nutrition for those who have undergone surgery to remove the gallbladder due to calculous cholecystitis.
Improper nutrition and abuse of foods that are not allowed on the diet can lead to the appearance of stones already in the ducts of the duodenum. Most of all, fear fried foods, as well as those that contain animal fats.