In the midst of our fast-paced, stressful, often nutritionally deficient lives, it’s no wonder that the majority of people suffer from poor digestion in some way or other. Today, we’re going to focus on one major area of digestion… and that is the liver and gallbladder.
Before you write the gallbladder off as a seldom used, hardly needed piece of our anatomy (after all, many people have it removed and they’re fine… right?), you must understand its importance. Our gallbladder, located just underneath the liver, is a storage unit for bile, which is made by the liver. Every time we eat foods that contain fat (which really should be every meal), our gallbladder pumps bile into our small intestine. This bile emulsifies the fat, thereby increasing its surface area and allowing our digestive enzymes to start breaking it down.
What if we don’t have a gallbladder, you ask? Well, this process still happens, but without the gallbladder to really move a good amount of bile into the intestine, the liver can have a hard time keeping up. Think of it more as a constant drip of bile, as opposed to a large influx. The less bile, the harder it is to break down and digest fats. This often causes pain upon eating fats (good or bad) in those without a gallbladder, or for those having issues in this area. The pain is usually around the right ribcage area, and sometimes extends to the middle of the upper abdomen, and/or to the back. It can also cause nausea and a general heavy feeling after eating those foods.
As important as our gallbladder is, of course there are cases where it is necessary to have it removed (this would, obviously, be decided by a doctor). This necessity would come about if there was risk of gallstone obstruction; that is, if a gallstone got stuck in the bile duct as it was making its way out of the gallbladder.
To prevent gallstones in the first place, I suggest ensuring you’re eating only the right kinds of fat (more on that below), while making sure your bile is flowing well. Signs of poor bile flow include that pain we talked about earlier, as well as nausea and heaviness after eating fat, gas, diarrhea, and, um… oily poo. Sorry, but it’s true. That’s an indicator that fat is not being emulsified and broken down properly. The suggestions below will help to ensure proper bile flow.
The Right Types of Fat
Think real, good quality oils that haven’t been heavily processed (or even processed at all, for that matter). These include olive, Udo’s, flax, avocado, coconut, and also butter. Foods include fish, eggs, meat, nuts, and seeds. All of the above are natural and real — two things that distinguish healthy food from junk. Our body recognizes these foods and knows how to deal with them; they can be digested, absorbed, metabolized, and used efficiently.
The Wrong Types of Fat
Think refined, over-processed, and damaged fats and oils. These include margarine as well as deep-fried oils and the foods cooked in them. We should also avoid those yellow or clear oils in plastic containers on most grocery store shelves (canola, corn, soy, cottonseed, and vegetable). The reason is threefold:
1. These oils are often genetically modified (GMO).
2. They are inflammatory oils, containing mostly omega 6 without much, or any, omega 3.
3. They have been heavily processed and stripped of any nutrients they may have once contained.
Helpful Supplements
When it comes to digestion, there are supplements we can take to both encourage the production and secretion of our own enzymes and digestive substances, and there are also things we can take to add to what we already have.
In order to encourage the production of bile as well as other digestive juices and enzymes, bitter herbs are very helpful. Two examples that I love are Swedish Bitters and Canadian Bitters; I find both to work quite well. They come in a liquid form, and you simply put 1/2 – 1 tsp in water and sip them before meals. Yes, they taste bitter, as the name implies, but it is this bitter taste that actually starts the secretion of digestive juices including bile. Get those juices flowing!
I also love Salus Artichoke Juice; it nourishes the liver and gallbladder, supports detoxification, and stimulates bile flow. It comes with a measuring cap; you can take 1/2 a capful in the morning, and 1/2 at night.
As far as adding to what we already have, there are many digestive enzymes available. Look for one that has “lipase”; this is the enzyme that digests fat. And, also look for one that has bile, as this will give us that extra fat-digesting power.
Finally (and this is especially important for those who have had their gallbladder removed), there are bile salts available in tablet form. You take one or more tablets before each meal that contains fat (which, remember, should be every meal), and it works like your own bile would. Start with one tablet, and if you still have digestive symptoms, next time take two, and so on. You can also take another tablet after a meal if you have pain or any other symptoms. One brand that carries this is Trophic; the product is called Digest-Aid Bile Salts.
If you have any symptoms that I’ve mentioned above, I highly encourage you to try one or more of the suggestions. After all, proper digestion allows nutrients to be absorbed into our bloodstream, which then carries them to all the tissues in our body. If our digestive system isn’t working efficiently, we could be losing out on many nutrients; even though we’re eating them, they just go right through us. The importance of healthy digestion cannot be overlooked; take that first step today!