I’ve had several clients recently who’ve all had their gallbladders removed due to gallstones. So, I thought I’d spend a bit of time digging into this a bit since not one of these clients were given any information following surgery and are now coming to me with a variety of issues.

First off, what does our gallbladder do?

Our gallbladder is a pear shaped organ that is part of our biliary system.  Think of it like the liver’s little brother. The gallbladder’s primary job is to store and concentrate bile that has been made by the liver. Bile consists mainly of bile salts, cholesterol, lecithin, water and electrolytes.

Why is Bile the MVP?

To understand the possible complications you can experience after gallbladder removal, we first have to understand the role bile plays in our digestive system. Most of you probably know that bile helps us to digest fat and fat soluble vitamins. What you may not know is that bile also helps to:

• Lubricate the intestines to keep bowels healthy
• Assists in the breakdown of cholesterol
• Aids in detox of estrogen
• Has antimicrobial properties that can protect against bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel
• Helps support blood sugar balance

When our gallbladder is removed, the liver continues to make bile; however, there is no longer a large pool of bile ready to be secreted because the liver secretes bile at a slow trickle in response to a meal. So why does this matter? Having less bile available can lead to impairments in fat and fat soluble vitamin absorption leading to issues with metabolism (think blood sugar issues, weight gain, fatty liver and other metabolic syndromes) and impaired hormone production due to lack of fat and key nutrients, impaired detoxification causing toxins to build up due to constipation, increased risk of SIBO due to bacterial overgrowth and overall poor gut health due to lack of lubrication, to name a few.

Does this mean I’m always going to have issues?

Implementing a few of these key diet and lifestyle tips can help to support your liver and bile production, and minimize many of these complications. And no, I’m not talking about a life without fat!

Here are a few key tips to help get you started!

1. Focus on whole foods as often as you can, limiting processed foods.
2. Instead of low fat, transition to consuming healthy fats, spread out throughout the day.
3. Focus on your gut health, specifically emphasizing fibre rich foods. Check out this post for more info on fibre https://www.instagram.com/p/DB_gSSwuMyy/
4. Move your body, especially after eating and incorporate weight resistance.
5. Focus on blood sugar balancing meals.

For example:

• Choose a variety of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables
• Choose high fibre, whole grains
• Substitute olive oil, avocado and nuts and seeds in place of more refined oils and fats
• Add more bitter foods and herbs such as ginger, turmeric, peppermint arugula, Radicchio, citrus
• Consumes balanced meals, including protein, fat and carbohydrates
• Take a 10 minute walk after meals

These are general tips, and depending on your unique circumstance you may require additional supplement support or adjustments to your diet. If you are looking for more customized support, reach out, I would love to help! Check out https://greenpearnutrition.com/

This is not a substitute for medical advice. Speak with your medical provider prior to making any diet or lifestyle changes.