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Well after about a month of pain the doctors have finally decided I have gallstones and will need to have my gall bladder removed. While I wait I've been given a list of foods I can't have. This includes lettuce, celery, avocado, cucumber - all the things that I would normally make a salad out of. Does anyone have any really ggod salad recipes that are low in fat that would be good for me?

What about baby spinach leaves, blanched and chopped, with grated carrot and grated cheese. Dress with a light mixture of thousand island and mayo.

Cutting out lettuce must be the hardest thing.

LJ, as both a nurse and someone who's suffered from gallstones, I have never heard of this advice before. I certainly never found that salad veges made a difference to my pain and I suffered all over one summer. It's usually fat that causes the extreme pain of gallstones. But what about coleslaw with carrot, cabbage and red pepper. You can spice it up with pear, cheese, nuts or anything else that springs to mind.

I too never heard of this before, I suffered with gallstones until they were finally removed. Mainly as AJ has said, it's fatty spicy food that sets it off, I think cheese may not be wise because of the fat content unless you can find low fat such as cottage cheese and maybe add some fruit to your salad, mandarin slices or pineapple cubes or apple slices, I love fruit with my salad and usually add that to it.

Gosh that is very limiting LJ, and I am another who never had such a restriction placed on me when my gall bladder was playing up either. Is this a new idea, or what? For me the pain was usually as a result of eating fatty food - bacon was one thing that used to trigger it, and a roast dinner would, also dairy food. I was OK eating any vegetables as long as I did not put butter or cream or other rich sauces on them. I do recall being in agony one night after eating cauliflower with a rich cheese sauce on it. Not content with eating my own normal sized helping, I could not resist eating another good helping that was left over. Teach me for being a glutton!
I make a salad with young silverbeet leaves. Shred them up finely, slice a red onion, peel and slice an orange into thin segments. Toss all together and dress with a dressing made from light olive oil and the juice and very finely grated rind of an orange, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Once you have got rid of that pesky gall bladder you might like to try this with some cooked and chopped bacon bits, mixed through it as well. You can also do this with watercress leaves as well, if you have access to them. Just pick them over well and remove the thick stalky bits.
I hope you don't have to wait too long for your opp.

Chicken bacon is a good substitute for bacon and is much lower in fat than most pork bacon.

Thanks for all the advice - the recipes sound delicious. I have no idea why I'm not allowed lettuce etc as I thought it was fatty food that sets the pain off. A dietian has suggested that it is the stringiness in celery that makes it a no no. Hopefully I will be able to have surgery in January. I'm trying to book in privately as otherwise I will be on a waiting list for up to a year in wellington.
It is quite challenging at this time to not eat rich foods etc but in no way do I want to do anything to encourage the pain.