Sleepless Gallbladder Fun

Short post today as we are off to the Fakahatchee Strand in the Everglades.

Gallbladder & Aorta Diet.  Roasted veggies make for healthy eating!

Many nights I find myself wide awake when the moon is high, somewhere between midnight and five in the morning.  Conversely as the sun rises I am ready to fall back asleep.

So this morning early I chopped up some fresh organic vegetables, coated them with a very light spray of coconut oil and placed in the oven to roast away.

Sure does make the house mornings smell good - kind of like an olfactory alarm clock.

My entire body is thriving on healthy, roasted vegetables.  My cardiovascular system and gallbladder are as happy as ever.

A year ago I'd never have used coconut oil.  But as my gallbladder and pancreas inflammation decreased from the lower fat, lower sugar and primarily vegan diet, I have been able to bring back a little healthy fat into my diet without those below the rib painful bouts.

So next time you are lying bed wide awake - think of those fresh organic vegetables in the pantry or refrigerator and consider warming that oven!

Eating Out - Choosing Healthy Fast Foods for Heart, Aorta & Gallbladder

Quick simple tip of the day for those of us with touchy gallbladders and-or form aortas.

Healthy Eating Out - Aorta & Gallbladder Diet

When eating out try to find a restaurant serving 'steamed' foods.

I prefer steamed vegetables, sometimes with tofu but usually just alone!

For the meat eaters in the world, steam fish works very well as does broiled or grilled fish so long as no omega 6-rich inflammatory oils are brushed onto the meat.

Asian restaurants are one of my favorite eating out destinations. Here in South Florida there are a number or Asian restaurants serving high quality, fresh steamed vegetables.  You can even find organic, gluten-free and organic dishes too.

Eating out can be difficult when challenged with cardiovascular or gallbladder issues.

Steamed foods can be a simple, safe and delicious answer!

Heart and Gallbladder Healthy Roasted Chayote

Need a quick, hearty and healthy dish?

Gallbladder and aorta diet.  Roasted/Baked Chayote (Mirliton)

The Gallbladder friendly and cardiovascular health supportive roasted chayote recipe will satisfy both demands.

Chayote is a squash originally native to Central America, however the plant is grown worldwide today as an important food source.

Nutrition-wise chayote is rich in Potassium, Vitamin C, Magnesium and B-6.

Vitamin C and B-6 are vital compounds for support of gallbladder and cardiovascular health.

Chayote is popular across the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. and is also known as 'milliton' in Louisiana.

Gallbladder and aorta diet.  Roasted/Baked Chayote (Mirliton)

My easy gallbladder diet recipe is as follows.

Wash chayote thoroughly and slice into longitundinal halves.  Scoop out the seed from each half with a spoon, leaving a small depression area in the squash for the spices.

Place sliced chayote in a glass baking dish and add a small amount of unrefined coconut oil or avocado oil in each scooped out area.  Chop fresh garlic and again, add in the depressional area of the chayote halves.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350F and allow to cool.

Serve with a mild pepper sauce or tamari.

Enjoy and cheers to a life free from gallbladder pain!

Veggie Roast - Healthy for Heart & Digestion #Gallbladder #Aorta

Wednesday's healthy meal is a colorful veggie roast.

Healing Gallbladder & Aorta. Fresh veggies hand picked and washed

The farmers market provides an awesome opportunity to gather vegetables and fruits for the upcoming week.

I am always amazed with the brilliant colors mother nature chooses for food art found on the tree, vine and in the noisy marketplace.

My gallbladder and aorta both benefit from all the phytochemical abundant in fresh food.

Healing Gallbladder & Aorta. Chopped, diced and ready for the pan.

My spirit rejoices too in the pleasures of slow foods; the selecting, the washing, the preparation, the cooking and of course then the devouring.

This veggie roast is simple yet hearty, easy to make but delicious.

First, select your veggies.  Second, slice, dice or chop.  Third place the veggies on a very lightly oiled tray or in a glass baking dish (I use coconut oil but avocado and EVOO works well too!)

Healing Gallbladder & Aorta.  Veggie roast in the oven!

Finally, bake about 350F for forty five minutes or so until the veggies are just right.  I like mine a little caramelized so sometimes I may bake about 400F.

Healing Gallbladder & Aorta. Yum Yum Sizzling yum.

Your healthy veggie bake will satisfy any level of hunger, provide you with important nutrients and fiber and keep your gallbladder and cardiovascular system healthy and happy.

Adjust veggies as necessary to accommodate individual tolerances.

Heal Gallbladder with Papaya!

Fresh cut papaya is not only tasty but useful in alleviating gallbladder issues for many.

Gallbladder diet.  Fresh cut papaya makes an awesome, gallbladder friendly snack!

I've found the best way to prepare papaya is to peel then cut up into bite sized chunks.  Once the papaya is prepared then store in a glass container overnight in the refrigerator.

The enzyme in papaya, papain, assists in digestion by assisting the breaking down of food proteins into easily adsorbable amino acids.

Ask your doctor about adding papaya to your diet, especially if you are pregnant.

Papaya seeds too provide some interesting and powerful health benefits, including potential liver health support.

As you know the liver and gallbladder are closely integrated with each other in function.

Check out this information packed article about the health benefits of papaya. 

And then look through this note about papaya seeds' properties.

Consider adding papaya to your refrigerator for a gallbladder healthy snack!

Cabbage and Bean Soup - Hey Don't Knock Soups!

Today I've a big pot of soup simmering on the stovetop.

Gallbladder diet.  Black bean, cabbage, and vegetable soup!

Delicious aroma fills our condominium from the kitchen up the stairs into the bedrooms!

And I'm enjoying a bowl just now.

Though we make soups often todays is cabbage and black bean, with garlic, banana peppers, onions, poblano peppers, rosemary, thyme and more - like one of my favorite seasonings - smoked paprika!!

Gallbladder diet.  Add your favorite spices to soups!

Certainly some people cannot tolerate beans with a touchy gallbladder.  Over time though as inflammation subsides beans may be slipped into the diet occasionally.

Today I eat beans on a regular basis, mostly in soups.

The beauty of soups is that us gallbladder challenged folk can easily and quickly adjust ingredients to match our finicky gallbladder.  Can't tolerate beans?  Then try mushrooms or carrots or greens - you get the picture.

Soups are so healthy and not only for our gallbladders but for our cardiovascular system and entire body!

Soups are an excellent way to provide protein, minerals, vitamins and beneficial phytochemical to our families.

And they smell wonderful!

So consider a gallbladder friendly soup soon!

Its been over a year & Gallbladder Diet is Working

My last and worst gallbladder attack occurred October 2015.

Over a year has passed and I've witnessed some amazing changes on the Gallbladder Diet.

First my gallbladder pain is gone.  No more out-of-breathness, no dizziness, no stabbing pain, no fatigue, no upset digestion.

Best of all I do not go hungry.

And I have weaned myself off Ursodiol.

On top of all those great happenings, I've lost over one hundred pounds. (Yes I know rapid weight loss is bad for gallstones).

But I eat all I want.  Just good food of course.

My weight has stabled and my muscle is building.

I feel great.

Without surgery.  You see one of the reasons I needed to avoid surgery was that I have an artificial heart valve and already have endured a really bad case of endocarditis.  So no surgery means reduced risk of heart infection.

I'll be writing much more about the Gallbladder Diet over the coming weeks.

Stay tuned!  You can heal your gallbladder too!

My ultrasounds show marked improvement!

Kevin