Need very low fat, high calorie/protein meal ideas. Bonus points if chicken is not included

[Clartzilla]

I'm on a very low fat diet due to a dicky gallbladder, but I don't have any weight to lose so what I do eat needs to pack in some calories.

I'm currently existing on a diet of chicken salads and bread and I'm soooo tired of 50 ways to use a chicken breast.

My gallbladder will not tolerate:

Oil of any kind over around a teaspoon a day
Butter
Most full fat dairy products (cries) - can tolerate a sprinkling of parmesan
All chocolate
Red meat or pork with any fat (cries again)
Oily fish
Olives

I have to try and keep under 3g of fat per 100g of food eaten.

I can eat:

0% Greek yoghurt
Chicken
White fish
Prawns
All the fruit veg and salad (apart from avocado)
Pulses
Potatoes with no butter/oil
All herbs and spices
Bread
Cous cous
Pasta
Rice

The jury is out on eggs - I think I can tolerate them in moderation on a day where I've had no other 'fat'

Not a fan of:

Soup (only like them with really buttery bread - but can't do butter)
Veg curries
Baked beans
Low fat cottage cheese - even Longley farm low fat CC is shite.

I'm a competent cook but I've run out of inspiration.

It sounds grim, sorry OP.

Which list are you on? I’d also present to be seen / call an ambulance when you need to, i’d imagine one of the criteria for being on the priority list is frequency/severity of attacks?

On the diet front, i’d up your carbs if you can- bigger portions of them all- and put protein powder into coffee, shakes etc.

That looks delicious. Eating something like that is what set off an attack 10 days ago though - I wonder if i just had a really tiny amount of pork I could try again

Just working my way through them this morning?

Apologies for the offence I appeared to have caused?

That's actually hilarious that you think anyone can insist they are prioritised under NHS. Calling an ambulance will achieve nothing other than some pain killers and being sent on her way. People in some health boards are waiting years for gallbladder surgery despite having frequent attacks.

you need to go to A&E if you’re getting attacks this severe - it is the only way to get yourself moved up the surgery list.

Quark, just remembered Quark, its a soft cheese with no fat.

That's a shame.

OK, I'm trying to think of other things that can recreate some of the 'feel' of higher fat foods.

Dips, sauces and soups - blended cottage cheese, beans (haricot, butter and white kidney come to mind first) and cooked potatoes can do that;

We never have any dairy in things like leek and potato or beetroot soup, for example, as a cooked spud blended up creates the same texture and creaminess. With a decent non stick pan and a good pinch of salt & a splash of water to steam, leeks will soften down nicely and go bright green, ready for blending with potato and either stock or well seasoned/herby water used to cook the potatoes in. You can add some cooked chunks after blending as well to make it seem more substantial.

Cornflour or potato starch slaked with some water and then stirred into a broth or casserole right at the end of cooking before the last herbs gives a silkier, richer flavour than plain liquid and saves the fat that could be used to make a roux.

Blended beans can be stirred in to give a thicker texture and savoury taste.

And you can use cottage cheese as is or blended up in place of yoghurt - and will taste different. It's also good with bananas and an egg to make a pancake.

Instead of pizza, a flatbread from flour, seasonings and yoghurt/quark/cottage cheese can be all hot and toasty, then have tomato paste/fresh tomatoes and assorted roasted veg on top.

Garlic and onion powder make it easier to not burn the fresh versions without oil - or blend them into a smooth pulp before adding to a pan. You could also add either type to a flatbread mix as part of the liquid ingredients to give the flavour without the 'I miss olive oil and garlic butter'.

Fil is currently staying with us after being discharged from hospital with pancreatitis & suspected gall bladder issues. He does have weight to lose but he’s resisting the diet.

I would imagine it was the spices in the linguine that caused the reaction rather than any fat.

tomato based pasta sauces seem pretty low. You don’t like cottage cheese but what about low fat Philadelphia.

tuna sweetcorn pasta or sandwiches etc.

lean roast beef.

tofu stir fry.

If you are not sure about eggs then try scrambled egg white. The protein is in the white. & the fat in the yolk.

I’m a huge fan of tinned mackeral in brine flaked over a salad made of mixed beans from a tin (well rinsed), green leaves, a big bunch fresh coriander and/or fresh parsley/chives, a little chopped spring onion and a squeeze of lemon and black pepper.

I would never have eaten tinned mackeral except my mum gave me a tin one time and I LOVE it.

I also really like home made couscous salad made with a big heap of oven roasted veg - onions, small tomatoes, sliced carrot, courgette, sweet potato, red pepper, garlic. Make the couscous with some vegetable or chicken stock and add some extra fresh herbs.

I don't have many meal ideas but when I was struggling pre gallbladder surgery, I found that food combinations was a huge issue. So, for example, I COULD eat steak (lean, obviously), but if I ate steak, I could ONLY eat it a relatively small portion and it had to be served with a side salad of the sort of very basic kind - lettuce, cucumber, tomato (maybe), maybe some peppers. No carbs, no additional fats etc.

Another weird one I discovered was that I could eat sheep and goatsmilk cheeses, in small amounts. Which gave me a bit of a cheesy option now and again which I loved.

Have you considered a risotto? Obviously, made with little or no fat - cook the onion in water rather than oil to start or just add a tiny bit of oil for flavour and while I couldn't tolerate much alcohol, a bit of alcohol in cooking burnt off didn't seem to give me any problems - then make it with something like mushrooms or peas. And sadly, no cheese (unless you can tolerate a bit of sheep/goat as above). I'd have been able to eat that and could also tolerate a small amount of parmesan or cheddar in a situation like this - if it was a vegetarian meal otherwise, but would have had to have small portions so would have eaten some then a bit more an hour later.

I still have issues with eggs sometimes (gall bladder long gone) but while I have nothing scientific to base this on, I'm convinced it's the whites that make me sick. I'v enever understood it but I often feel like if I eat the white I'll be ill.

DD also has egg issues but she's clearly intolerant to fat and while I've never said anything to her, she instinctively knows it's the yellow that's the problem and prefers to eat the whites.

When my gallbladder was that sick, I found that wild salmon was ok but farmed salmon was definitely not.

I know it's not healthy but alcohol has no fat and lots of calories.

I was on a zero fat diet for 3 months waiting for gallbladder surgery. I ate loads of stir fry and thai food. Check out recipe tin eats. I used prawn and chicken and turkey only and just didn't add oil.
I also ate loads of haribo and meringues when i needed something sweet, and marshmallows

It's not wise to drink when gallbladder is playing up. The pancreas can be effected by gallstones and adding alcohol could be a disaster. I got pancreatitis during a gallbladder procedure and you really really don't want to mess with that. It makes gallbladder pain feel like a minor niggle in comparison

Just sending you my sympathies op. I had acute appendicitis, sounds like you do too? Acute vs those like my friend who just very rarely get a flare up. In the end I went private as the weight loss, fear of attacks and depression about the whole situation plus the impact on my ability to work was just too awful. One eating habit that I kept from that time was the Fage 0% fat yogurt. This is good and filling. There was also some kind of turkey "bacon" that had a good flavour that was vlf. I lived on these two things. Good luck to you, that pain was the worst I've ever experienced.