Re: what foods will prevent.. stop gallstone formation, flush length

Hi

I am little worried about the suggestion that is necessary to eat a high meat diet to obtain the right balance of oils to prevent gallbladder problems as this could cause concern to vegetarian and vegan readers who may be worried about their diet as a result.

I understand that there is some concern in the US (I am from the UK) about vegans suffering from a high rate of gallbladder problems. This is not the case in the UK with BUPA (a large health organization) finding that very few UK vegans suffer from these problems and those that do (like myself) have eaten a high dairy diet as vegetarians prior to becoming vegan.

I think that the difference is in the approach to a vegan diet on each side of the Atlantic. I have noticed that many US vegan websites advocate a low fat diet and since a vegan diet is naturally low in fat, reducing it further is likely to cause problems. In the UK vegans are encouraged to eat a wide range of oily foods such as nuts and seeds and to supplement their diets with extra virgin olive oil and cold pressed oils such as flax and this probably accounts for the difference.

I believe that everyone should do what is right for him or her and diet is a matter of personal choice. It is true though that a balanced meat-free diet can support the liver and gallbladder extremely well as well as allowing people to enjoy a generally healthy lifestyle and practice their ethical beliefs.

I don’t mean to criticize, just to let those who don’t eat animal products know that they can improve their health by eating the right balance of nuts (obviously not if you're allergic) seeds and fresh oils (Udo’s is great).

Walk in the sunshine and happy cleansing

Jasmine