Sweets, chocolate, and man-made food is NOT an example of what to eat with Gilbert syndrome.
Doing so will only make you more:
- Tired.
- Fatigued.
- Drowsy.
- Feeling lazy.
And ultimately not having the energy to do the things you need to do in your life.
I’ve had Gilbert syndrome all my life. I was so anaemic at birth that I was yellow like sweetcorn. I was put under “bill lights” to fix the bilirubin.
I wasn’t personally diagnosed until around 2012-2013, so I know from experience:
- What to eat.
- How to eat.
And better yet, I know what I’m talking about.
Mainstream health sites give bad advice for Gilbert syndrome
Sadly, some of these “professionals” have no idea what they’re talking about when giving advice on Gilbert Syndrome. I know this to be true in real life as well.
This is mainly because they have no experience, understanding, and they all sing the same BS tune like it’s tried and true.
That advice is the equivalent of this from News Medical:
“Patients are advised to eat a well balanced and healthy diet, drink plenty of clear fluids like water and fruit juice, avoid fatty or sugary foods or foods that they cannot tolerate. Some patients may also require vitamins and supplements. Alcohol should be avoided.”
This is what shows up when Googling “what to eat for Gilbert syndrome”.
As you can clearly see, it’s useless information that almost deliberately avoids being:
- Specific.
- Targeted.
- Helpful.
- Contextual.
Balance does nothing for you if the foods you’re eating as part of that “balance” are making your Gilbert Syndrome worse.
Gilbert Syndrome is about:
- High bilirubin.
- Liver problems.
And can be associated with digestive problems, malabsorption, etc, so advising to eat a balanced diet is even more foolish and generic.
You need specific foods, not a balance of foods. This is even more true on an individual level which you find out by testing what works and what doesn’t.
Now, let’s focus on what foods to eat for G.S, as well as what’s worked from personal experience.
What to eat with Gilbert Syndrome to optimize health:
1. Plenty of meat
The reason you should eat a lot of meat is simple: meat is loaded with b vitamins.
What’s so good about b vitamins? They give you energy. You could call it the energy vitamin since that’s what a lot of them do like B1 and B12 for example.
A list of meats to consider:
- Chicken.
- Liver of all kinds (lamb, beef, etc).
- Beef.
- Bacon.
- Duck.
The benefit of meat, as I’ve discovered in my case, is it’s easy to digest, absorb, and the chances of you dealing with constipation (along with Gilbert Syndrome problems unrelated) are lessened.
Plus the energy boost.
Meat is only difficult to absorb in cases where you’re been bitten by a Lone Star Tick, etc.
Vitamins and minerals in meat:
- B vitamins.
- Vitamin A (especially liver).
- Vitamin C (liver, etc).
- Potassium.
- Copper.
- Magnesium.
- Iron.
- Protein.
- Fats (omega 3, etc).
- Vitamin D (bacon, etc).
- Calcium.
- Zinc (beef).
- Vitamin K2 (chicken drumsticks, etc).
- Selenium.
And many more that make it the most complete food you can eat.
2. Seafood and fish
They’re basically the same category, but seafood and fish are also good sources for:
- B Vitamins.
- Vitamin C (prawns, mussels, etc).
- Vitamin E.
- Calcium (sardines, etc).
- Potassium (salmon, etc).
- Magnesium (Mackerel, etc).
- Protein.
- Fats (the best source).
- Vitamin D.
- Vitamin A.
- Iodine.
- Zinc.
- Selenium.
- Copper.
And fish like Mackerel or Sardines especially is loaded with multiple b vitamins. Similar to Beef in the meat category.
Specific foods to try:
- Mussels.
- Prawns (shrimp).
- Mackerel.
- Sardines.
- Sea bass.
- Tuna.
- Clams.
- Crab.
- Squid.
- Oysters.
- Herring.
A lack of b vitamins will make you more tired in general, and this is exasperated if you have Gilbert Syndrome with bouts of fatigue.
To top it off, seafood, fish, or meats stimulate COQ-10. Which is like a big massive energy battery that your whole body needs for energy production in the first place.
3. Eggs and dairy
This is one of my favourite foods to eat dealing with Gilbert Syndrome and the other problems I’m putting into remission (not including Gilbert Syndrome, it’s genetic).
Eggs and dairy are demonized somewhat depending on who you ask or where you look. But they’re some of the most complete foods to eat and easiest to digest IF you have no allergies or intolerances.
Eggs in particular are the best protein source because it has almost everything except Vitamin C.
Vitamins and minerals in dairy and eggs:
- B vitamins (like B12).
- Calcium (cheese is the best source).
- Potassium.
- Magnesium.
- Iodine.
- Protein.
- Fats.
- Iron.
- Vitamin A (Cheese is 2nd only to liver in content).
- Vitamin D.
- Vitamin E (butter, eggs).
- Vitamin K2 (cheese and eggs are the best source).
- Selenium.
- Zinc.
- Copper.
- Choline.
- Biotin (eggs).
The best dairy for Gilbert Syndrome:
- Cheddar cheese.
- Feta cheese.
- Brie.
- Gouda cheese.
- Edam Cheese.
- Goat’s cheese.
- Dutch/Swiss Cheese.
- Jarlsberg cheese.
- Camembert.
Or any fermented cheese you can tolerate. These cheeses have less lactose, almost 0. Carbs are irrelevant as well.
Jarlsberg is a special Norwegian cheese that has the highest amount of vitamin K2 along with Camembert.
Swiss, dutch, gouda and edam cheese are close.
More importantly, the mineral and vitamin profile of cheese is a good combination, specifically for energy, the heart, brain function, etc.
4. Green, orange, and white vegetables
I mention green, white, and orange vegetables on purpose: they’re low in sugar. Es[ecially the green veg.
A list of green, orange, and white vegetables:
- Broccoli.
- Brussel Sprouts.
- Cabbage.
- Celery.
- Onions.
- Lettuce.
- Salads.
- Bok Choy.
- Chinese Cabbage.
- Parsley.
- Spinach.
- Asparagus.
- Spring Onions.
- Cauliflower.
- Mushrooms.
- Garlic.
- Basil.
- Leeks.
- Carrots.
- Butternut Squash (botanically a fruit).
- Pumpkin.
- Chives.
- Collard Greens (Rainbow Chard).
Depending on the lifestyle you follow with food, you may or may not eat a lot of vegetables.
If your digestive health is cool, then no problem. This is good for you, and I’d advise it.
But if you have major digestive problems, even if it’s constipation, then I’d test these vegetables to see which you can tolerate.
Fibre can cause major problems.
Green, orange, and white vegetables have a lot of:
- Vitamin C.
- Small amounts of b vitamins.
- Potassium.
- Magnesium.
- Some calcium.
- Anti oxidants.
- Pre-vitamin A.
- Fibre.
- Vitamin K1.
Among other things (that aren’t as bioavailable as meat, seafood, or dairy).
Potassium and Magnesium are energy minerals, but they do more than just give you energy (or lack of) if you’re deficient.
Meat and seafood have plenty of potassium and smaller amounts of magnesium, making them more complete than veg in some cases. But you can’t go wrong, especially if you’re able to mix both.
4. Certain fruits are better than others
When it comes to fruits and Gilbert syndrome, your best bet is to avoid those that are high in sugar.
That’s a given. Sugar = blood sugar spike = feeling more tired. On top of how Gilbert Syndrome brings on Fatigue.
Fruits that work for me or should work in general:
- Kiwi.
- Avocados.
- Strawberries.
- Blueberries.
- Orange (not in excess).
- Raspberry.
- Banana (not in excess).
- Blackberries.
- Coconut (if it’s available to you).
- Passion fruit.
- Lemon or limes.
You can be safe as a general rule with these fruits, especially if you don’t eat them in excess (like Kiwi).
Bananas are the same. One should be fine.
Vitamins and minerals in fruits:
- Vitamin C.
- Small amounts of b vitamins.
- Some vitamin E (like Kiwi or Mango).
- Pre-vitamin A (not the best).
- Potassium.
- Magnesium.
- Calcium.
- Fat-burning compounds (like with Strawberries).
When you start eating fruits like Mango and things of that nature, you might run into problems not just with energy because of Gilbert Syndrome, but also since Fruits are only metabolized by the liver.
That means too much will cause problems you’d be best off avoiding.
This heavily depends on where you are in the world, and what fruit is local to you. If it’s local (like a mango) the real thing isn’t problematic the way a processed mango is in Western countries.
Local fruits are always healthiest, direct from the source rather than imported which leads to processing of some kind (pesticides, etc).
In my personal case, I only avoid Kiwi and fruits other than Avocado because I also have Hidradenitis Suppurativa, so I may reintroduce it again after fixing that problem (if that’s practical).
I don’t recommend grains, gluten, white flower for Gilbert Syndrome
Grains are the worst for a lot of reasons besides Gilbert Syndrome.
- Skin issues.
- Acne.
- Energy issues.
- Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
- Gut issues.
And more are associated with grains, white flower, and gluten. The day I cut out grains and gluten, my skin improved the next day. And by the end of the week, a significant portion of skin issues vanished.
Grains, white flower and gluten to avoid:
- Pasta.
- Spaghetti.
- Potatoes.
- Barley.
- Wheat.
- Noodles.
- Breakfast cereal.
- Oats.
- Bread.
- Crackers.
- Doughnuts.
- Waffles.
- Pancakes.
And anything connected to white flour, wheat, gluten, etc.
I left rice off the list because for some reason, even I can have rice fine (which I never eat these days) despite the carb content.
Rice is the most acceptable because it’s gluten-free, but even still – brown rice has its uses and so does white rice, so it’s best you test this out for Gilbert Syndrome.
Legumes (sweet corn) are also a problem, but Edamame might not be, so again – test this.
–
The last thing you need with Gilbert Syndrome is:
- A lot of sugar.
- A lot of carbs.
- And a lot of insulin spikes.
I used to nap during the day because I was so tired from Gilbert Syndrome. A lot of this was sparked by the foods I was eating, meaning carbohydrates and sugars.
Imagine having to live like this because of the “balanced diet” professionals foolishly recommend which is loaded with too much carbohydrates or sugar.
I mean, you can do that, but you’ll find out it doesn’t work. And then you’ll want the real solution to the problem.
One more thing
While these food groups are recommended, sometimes you have individual problems that make some of these foods ineffective or the opposite.
So, in the end, you need to test removing and adding these foods.
Do this meticulously, and you’ll eventually come to a conclusion of what foods work for you, and what foods make Gilbert Syndrome easier to live with (because they work for you).
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