6 Foods to Help Fight Gallstones

Both for fighting gallstones as well as for preventing their formation, it is essential that we include foods rich in fiber in our diet.

Reviewed and approved by Doctor Carlos Fabián Avila.

Written by Okairy Zuñiga

Last update: 26 May, 2022

Has your doctor told you that you suffer from gallstones and that you need to change your diet? Did you know that you can fight gallstones with certain foods?

Before anything else, stay calm, because this medical problem isn’t a serious illness. 

Usually, your doctor will give you a diet or suggest that you visit a nutritionist so that they can explain any nutritional needs you may have.

If this is not the case, or if the information that you got was incomplete, we will tell you some foods that will help to fight gallstones. Include them in your diet regularly and remember to reduce your fat consumption.

What are gallstones?

Gallstones are small formations that start from the excessive accumulation of the bile in the vesicle. 
Bile helps to synthesize the fats that we eat. To do that, if your diet is rich in unhealthy fats, it’s possible that you may develop this problem at any moment.

1. Whole wheat grains

A diet rich in fiber helps to eliminate fats and decrease gallstones.

It’s necessary to consume at least one portion of whole grains a day. When they pass through the intestine, the fiber captures the excess bile juices that are released and eliminates them.

This way, they’re not reabsorbed and the bile vesicle is released.

Among the foods that you should consume are:

• Wheat bran
• Brown rice
• Oats

2. Buckwheat

In addition, eating buckwheat also helps to decrease the appearance of gallstones. Plus, it keeps your body fat levels low, since it’s rich in insoluble fiber.

Buckwheat provides us with vitamins B and E and is an excellent source of minerals. If you’re one of those people that really loves bread, a great option is to switch regular bread for bread made from buckwheat.

3. Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits have properties that stimulate bile expulsion and fight gallstones. This is why they should be included in your daily diet.

Also, citrus fruit juices contain pectin. This is another substance that is necessary for eliminating gallstones.

However, when choosing how to include these fruits, it’s important that you avoid juices, especially commercial ones.

• The best option is to eat the whole fruit. This way, you can get all of the fiber and nutrients that are in the peel and pulp.
• Also, when you drink the juice by itself, you run the risk of having glucose spikes that can alter other areas of your health.

4. Foods rich in lecithins

There are components in bile like lecithin or phospholipids that are in charge of keeping gallstones from forming. When this component is not found in the correct quantities, gallstones appear.

By consuming foods that contain this component, you will help reduce the size and risk of the formation of these stones.

Among the foods that contain lecithins are:

• Nuts
• Soy
• Lentils
• Garbanzo beans
• Peas

We recommend that you include these foods in your daily diet. Just remember to watch your portions, since they’re rich in carbohydrates and can make you gain unwanted weight.

5. Artichokes

Artichokes are another one of the foods that fight gallstones. After all, it improves liver health and bile vesicle health thanks to its rich content of cinarina.

We understand that, for some people, it isn’t common to include artichokes in their diet. If you’re one of these people, it might be a good time to learn some new recipes.

In the case that you prefer something more simple, opt for drinking the following artichoke water:

Ingredients

• 1 small artichoke
• 4 cups of water (1 liter)

Preparation

• Wash and disinfect the artichoke well.
• To continue, put cold water and the chopped up artichoke in a container.
• Let it sit over night.
• The next day, strain the water and consume throughout the day.

6. Grapes and blueberries

Grapes and blueberries are rich in resveratrol, a component with a high antioxidant index that fights the damage that the vesicle could have suffered because of gallstones.

In the case that you are already following a treatment to deal with this problem, the resveratrol will help with your recuperation. 

• The ideal thing to do is eat a half cup of grapes or one of fresh blueberries.
• If you don’t have any of these fruits handy, you can opt for a half cup of blueberry juice or a cup of red wine.

How to prevent gallstone accumulation?

If you already have gallstones, your doctor will surely give you some instructions for how to fight the problem and quickly leave them behind.

In the case that the doctor has told you that the gallstones have recently formed, it is important that you:

• Don’t skip any meals.
• Avoid gaining weight.
• Reduce your consumption of foods rich in unhealthy fats.

Also, remember to follow the instructions that your doctor gave you.