Diet - Gall Bladder disease with Diabetes

[gindie]

My 76 year-old diabetic mother has been recently diagnosed with significant gall bladder disease. Although it seems to be asymptomatic at the moment, family doc (and surgeon who saw her in the hospital recently) say she isn't a good surgical risk, due to her weight. As expected, they suggested the normal low-fat diet for the gall bladder.

Problem is, she should also be on a "low carb" (or at least low glycemic) diet for her diabetes. Those diets are not traditionally "low fat".

So, theoretically assuming her diabetes is under control (which it is not), what in the world can she eat besides vegetables?

 

[Rambler]

Legumes. Lentils, beans, peas. Chicken/turkey breast without the skin. Get rid of any junk food because it is typically hi-carb, hi-glycemic index, and hi-fat with little or no protein. Have her eat lots of multi-color salads with a tiny bit of olive oil plus as much vinegar or lemon juice as she wants. For dessert, eat strawberries or other berries either fresh or frozen without sugar. Add a little splenda if she likes to sweeten it. You can make the frozen berries into smoothies with a little Crystal Light and a touch of lemon juice and it is really yummie. If she prefers milkshakes to smoothies, just use a little skim milk instead. This means no more of grandma's cookies etc for the grandchildren (if there are any...if she cooks these things for others, she will eat along with them).

I'm not a doc, but I think the above will go a long way to helping the weight, the diabetes, and the gall bladder issues. Portion control is key, and exercise will also be important (even though legumes are low-glycemic index they can be high glycemic load if you eat too much of them). My 72 year old mother just started a walking program earlier this year, and has lost a good 25 pounds since June, with just the walking and being a little more careful with food.

Hope this helps.

R

 

[W2R]

Legumes. Lentils, beans, peas. Chicken/turkey breast without the skin. Get rid of any junk food because it is typically hi-carb, hi-glycemic index, and hi-fat with little or no protein. Have her eat lots of multi-color salads with a tiny bit of olive oil plus as much vinegar or lemon juice as she wants. For dessert, eat strawberries or other berries either fresh or frozen without sugar. Add a little splenda if she likes to sweeten it. You can make the frozen berries into smoothies with a little Crystal Light and a touch of lemon juice and it is really yummie. If she prefers milkshakes to smoothies, just use a little skim milk instead. This means no more of grandma's cookies etc for the grandchildren (if there are any...if she cooks these things for others, she will eat along with them).

I'm not a doc, but I think the above will go a long way to helping the weight, the diabetes, and the gall bladder issues. Portion control is key, and exercise will also be important (even though legumes are low-glycemic index they can be high glycemic load if you eat too much of them). My 72 year old mother just started a walking program earlier this year, and has lost a good 25 pounds since June, with just the walking and being a little more careful with food.

Hope this helps.

R

Those sound like some great ideas! I'll bet my dinner tonight would fit into that regimen. Grilled fish, green beans, and for dessert, blueberries with Splenda.

 

[Martha]

I have a sister in a similar position. In the past year she has lost 55 pounds on her gall bladder diet! She eats a lot of fish and other seafood, often steamed, and skinless chicken. Tons of veggies. She eats the legumes. No mike but she does drink soy milk and eat some non-fat yogurt with fruit. Rambler pretty much described it. A favorite of her's is is black beans with fresh salsa, corn and cilantro.

She said it was boring and convenient but is now used to eating that way and is enjoying her health.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I imagine the doctors can refer her to a dietician/nutritionist to help her figure out a diet that can help address both issues.