General Chat

my husband has been told he has gall stones ,and needs to go on a low fat diet .I know I must not give him fried stuff, nor cheese, but can he eat red meat (trimed of fat), the hospital did not give him a diet chart, we have a good diet anyway as I am diabetic,can any one help with ideas , thank you ,iris

Hubby had gallstones but he wasn't aware of it because we did have a low fat diet so they hadn't given him any problems

We mostly had chicken or fish but occasionally we did had a steak

We also had skimmed milk and low fat spread .
He liked plain yoghurt and again had the low fat type

I didn't fry . I steamed veg so didn't use salt

The occasional chips were cooked in the hot air fryer i used oven chips that didn't need any additional fat

I make dumplings and roly-poly without suet and you can't tell the difference.

It is just flour, baking powder and water.

No, I didn't believe it was possible either.

I think very occasionally red meat trimmed of all visible fat, but he should mainly have chicken, turkey or fish and the rest as Shirley says, skimmed milk low fat spead and low fat cheese but when buyimg low fat things check for the amount of sugar as often that is increased to make up for the low fat. So compare different makes.

My doc recommended fillet steak.

Be careful with some low fat foods, they are often boosted by carbs - sugary substances.

Lamb has a lot of fat (even if you can't see it) I reckon that is why it tastes so good.

Don't eat the skin of chicken, (I soon got used to it). Less tempting perhaps if you buy it already skinless.

When buying tins, jars or packs of food check the list of ingredients to find out which have the lowest fat content.

A little "tweaking" and cutting down slightly on portions of food containing fat will help.

Ask the G>P> for a low fat diet advice sheet. I had one (can't put my hands on it at the moment, it must be hiding in the wrong file). I remember that there were one or two surprises, I think that one of the items to avoid or to eat in moderation, was Brazil Nuts!!! So well worth having the advice sheet.

T

There are some tips at the bottom of this page:-

https://patient.info/health/gallstones-and-bile/features/gallstones-diet-sheet

Before I had my gall bladder removed I cut down on cream and butter and processed meats and other foods and tried to eat more fruit and veg (although not citrus fruits which I was told to avoid). I still had steaks but with the fat cut off. Mainly I was told to eat smaller meals more often rather than the large meals I was used to.

I've had no more problems since the gall bladder was removed and I can eat most things (although I've stayed away from cream which I seem to have gone off altogether). Now I have to be careful because of type 2 diabetes. You sort out one thing and something else crops up!!

Kath. x

If you prepare foods from scratch, you can be sure what is in them. For example you could reduce the meat in Bolognaise sauce and bulk it out with vegetables and mushrooms.

Here are some notes, copied from online, regarding reduced fat products..........

Reduced-fat, light and low-fat are not the same thing. If a product is low-fat, this means that the product contains 3 g or fewer of fat per 100 g and is actually low in fat. A reduced-fat product does not mean that the product is necessarily low in fat. It means that the product contains 25% less fat than the original product, which is usually a very high-fat product, such as mayonnaise or Cheddar cheese. This is similar for 'light' products, which contain about a third fewer calories than the original product, or 50% less fat. Therefore, keep these to a minimum when choosing reduced-fat or lighter products.

thank you all for that info , a great help. kathleen thank you for that web site ,well written and very clear ,I've just printed it off, iris :-)

I have bitten the bullet and joined slimming world. I have lost 2.5 stones in three months. It is essentially a low fat diet.

Use fry light spray instead of oil. If you are frying onions to add to a dish, put a couple of tablespoons of water in and that stops them from burning.

You are allowed as much meat as you want as long as the fat is cut off. Cook chicken with the skin on, but remove the skin before eating. I buy bacon medallions rather than rashers. If you want sausages, buy the Heck ones from Tesco’s. I think Marks have a range of skinny sausages as well

Use zero fat yogurt and cottage cheese, skimmed milk. Full fat cheese is only allowed in tiny amounts. Butter and spreads are out.

If you google slimming world recipes you will find lots of lovely stuff, all low fat

My daughter has joined slimming world too and it works

Her system has been upset by chemo and steroids when she was going though treatment for Hodkins lymphoma

She has battled with her weight since she got the all clear and was trying to live weight watchers style but it was a losing battle

To date she has lost 3 stones 3 lbs and finds it easy to follow .she does casseroles and uses weight watchers sauces with them
Iceland do a good selection of weight watchers and slimming world dishes

The thing is too it's become the way to eat and she enjoys it

My friend lost weight with Slimming World BUT I'd put weight on as I have to be on a low carb diet and I lost 25 kgs, it is for medical reasons. I store carbs because I don't break them down as I should.

I went from size 18 to 10 in 6 months.

No bread, potatoes, pasta or rice. Caulirice is great with curries and Chinese food.

Pat, that sounds very much like the "blood sugar diet" my son went on 18 months ago.

For the first 8 weeks you eat no carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, rice or pasta) and eat only about 800 calories a day and after 8 weeks you can up the calories but he stayed off the carbohydrates for 6 months. He lost 7 stone in under 6 months and although he has put some weight back on now he is still about 6 stone lighter than he was. He went from a size 44 waist to a 34 and he looks like a different person.

He uses the caulirice and has it with chicken in sauce instead of rice or with bolognese instead of spaghetti.

Kath. x

I've heard of that diet Kath - well done him. I don't count calories though. Mine is just because my body no longer breaks down carbs correctly and stores all carbs instead of releasing it so it can be used/disposed of. I would end up as a diabetic because of all the stored sugar. I have to be on a low carb diet forever according to my doctor.

That courgetti and butternut squash spaghetti is a good substitute for ordinary spaghetti too and helps fill you up without adding many calories.

I hadn't thought about using weightwatchers sauces so I must try that.

Just avoid any kind of processed or remanufactured food inc fast food and ready meals. That includes fried foods and the good 'ol full English. Same for sugary foods.

It is eating this junk that gives people gall stones in the first place.

Many years ago I was told by a hospital sister told me that fair, fat and forty was the prime candidate for gallstones. She also said to avoid eggs.

Many people jog along quite nicely with gallstones and never know they have them. It's when one gets stuck, grows or becomes infected that trouble occurs.

The quote is female, fair, fat and forty.

I have gallstones as shown in a general scan of organs. I was told we all have gallstones and as long as they don't play up they are left alone.

I have never suffered from any gallstone problems but a friend has and he had to wait quite a while for the op. He would have difficulty surviving an operation because of the results of his blood test. He stubbornly refused to eat foods (fady eater) with and or take potassium tablets as his potassium levels were very low. He couldn't understand what the problem was and didn't ask - men! I looked it up for him - should have seen his face when I told him he was in danger of a heart attack. He now has a banana milkshake everyday and has normal levels, no gallbladder and no pain. :-D

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/12/its-not-just-in-the-genes-the-foods-that-can-help-and-harm-your-brain

Iris, as you said in the OP you eat a good diet already due to your diabetes, so I would assume a few small changes like less red meat if possible can't harm, can it? As others have said ask your doctors for a diet sheet just to be sure.