What to Eat After Gallbladder Surgery: Foods to Eat and Avoid - GoodRx (2024)

If you had surgery to remove your gallbladder (cholecystectomy), you may wonder about what to eat and drink afterward. The good news is that most people heal quickly from gallbladder surgery and don’t need to make any long-term dietary changes.

Here’s some advice that will help you know what to eat and drink after gallbladder surgery.

Why do you have to eat certain foods after gallbladder surgery?

Your gallbladder is part of your digestive system. So when it’s removed, your digestive system works slightly differently. The most common change people need to make is to reduce their fat intake. But this change is usually temporary.

The gallbladder is a small sac that’s connected to the liver. It stores bile, a waxy substance made in the liver. Bile helps the body digest and absorb fats and cholesterol. Bile also helps eliminate waste and excess cholesterol from the body.

While the gallbladder is a useful storage sac for bile, it’s not a necessary body part. If you have your gallbladder removed, bile moves directly from the liver to the small intestine. So, fat can still be digested and absorbed.

After surgery, your body may need some time to learn how to function without a gallbladder. During this adjustment period, you may experience indigestion and diarrhea. For most people, this is temporary and lasts a few weeks while your body readjusts.

So, your diet will depend on the symptoms you have while you’re healing.

What can you eat immediately after gallbladder surgery?

After surgery, your care team will offer fluids before food. Fluids such as water, ice chips, or juice help keep you hydrated. Drinking fluids will also help your kidneys run smoothly and make you urinate. This helps flush the anesthetic medications out of your body, which makes you feel more alert.

You don’t need to avoid food for long periods after surgery. In fact, nutrition guidelines recommend that people eat as early as possible after surgery. Nutrients from food help with wound healing and enhance immunity.

You can start eating as soon as your healthcare team says it’s safe. You’ll likely be able to eat the same day or the day after your surgery.

As you start eating solid food, it helps to know that anesthetic medications slow your bowels down during surgery. Chewing and swallowing helps your bowels to start moving again. Start with a small meal first — like half a sandwich or a banana — because your bowels will just be starting to move. Eat a little bit more at each subsequent meal.

If you had laparoscopic surgery, you might experience gas and bloating for a few days after surgery. This is normal. It may make you feel full, so don’t worry if your appetite is low for a few days. It’ll return to normal soon.

Check with your care team if you have ongoing pain and cramping, or if you don’t have a bowel movement for 3 days after surgery.

What foods should you avoid after gallbladder surgery?

In most cases, you don’t need to follow a special diet once you’ve recovered from gallbladder surgery. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says there’s no standard diet after gallbladder removal. Instead, you should eat according to your symptoms and your food preferences.

Once you feel better, you can return to a nutritious and balanced diet that includes vegetables, grains, and protein-rich foods. You should avoid any foods that cause unpleasant symptoms. For some people, fatty and high-fiber foods may cause gas and diarrhea. Eat what you can tolerate.

A nutritious diet after surgery also includes limiting alcohol, highly processed foods, and excessive amounts of sugar.

Can I eat fatty foods after gallbladder surgery?

After surgery, some people report having symptoms such as diarrhea and indigestion. In one study, 25% of participants reported having diarrhea for a week after gallbladder surgery. And 3 months after surgery, 6% still had diarrhea.

If your diet is high in fat, the liver has to make more bile to help break down the fat. Excess bile can cause diarrhea since bile has a mild laxative effect.

Some studies show that diarrhea is more likely in people who consume more fatty and oily foods. If you have diarrhea after surgery, cut back on your intake of these foods, including:

• Deep fried foods such as french fries, donuts, and onion rings

• Full-fat dairy products including butter, ice cream, and cheese

• Fatty meats like bacon, ribs, and marbled cuts of beef

How much fat you can eat depends on your tolerance level. Some people will need to reduce fatty foods for a few weeks or months. Others will adjust quickly and be able to enjoy more fats in their diet. Eat what you’re comfortable with.

If you need to reduce fat intake, remember that you can’t eliminate it entirely, as fat is essential in your diet. Instead of deep-fried oily foods or fatty cuts of meat, choose fats from these foods instead:

• Avocados

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Fatty fish

• Olive oil

Can I eat high fiber foods after surgery?

Fiber is found in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. You can include these foods in your diet if they don’t upset your stomach or cause too much gas.

If you have excess gas and bloating after surgery, avoid high-fiber foods for a few days. The following foods are difficult to digest and may cause more gas and bloating:

• Beans and lentils

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• Cruciferous vegetables (like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli)

• Bran

• Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol (found in sugar-free gum and candy)

• Carbonated drinks such as sparkling water and soda

When can you return to a normal diet after gallbladder surgery?

Returning to a normal diet depends on what type of surgery you had, and how you’re healing after surgery:

• After a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, you usually go home the same day or after 1 night at the hospital. Recovery usually takes about a week.

• After an open cholecystectomy — a more invasive surgery — you may be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days. And it usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to fully recover.

Most people don’t have digestive problems after surgery and can return to their normal diet as soon as they feel better. But again, if you have diarrhea or indigestion after surgery, you should reduce your fat intake.

If you notice the following symptoms sticking around for a month or more after surgery, reach out to the surgeon who performed your surgery:

• Abdominal pain

• Nausea

• Diarrhea

• Bloating

These may be signs of postcholecystectomy syndrome (PCS) — a condition that causes ongoing symptoms like the ones you had before your surgery. PCS may affect up to 40% of people after surgery. Your healthcare professional or a dietitian can help you plan a low-fat, balanced diet to meet your nutritional needs while reducing these symptoms.

What are the best foods to help you recover after gallbladder surgery?

A balanced eating plan that includes vegetables, whole grains, and protein-rich foods will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to recover from surgery.

Nutrients such as protein, vitamin C, and zinc play a role in wound healing and immune support:

• For protein, choose chicken, fish, and tofu.

• To get more vitamin C, enjoy vegetables and fruits such as bell peppers, strawberries, and oranges.

• Foods high in zinc include fish, poultry, and dairy products.

Once you no longer have gas or diarrhea, you can slowly add fiber-rich foods back into your diet. Vegetables, whole grains, and legumes can provide the fiber you need to help with bowel movements.

Drinking enough water also helps ensure easier bowel movements. Aim for 8 to 10 cups per day.

One study showed that people who ate more animal-based protein and fewer vegetables after gallbladder surgery were more likely to have diarrhea and indigestion. Based on this study, the suggested diet for the 3 months after your surgery should include:

• More vegetables

• Less read meats

• Fewer eggs and other cholesterol-containing foods