How to eat fat comfortably without digestive distress after gall bladder removal. This ensures adequate fat-soluble vitamins in the diet for optimal health and vitality.
How to eat fat comfortably after gallbladder surgery seems to be an increasingly common dilemma nowadays. You have to wonder if these people tried a simple, doctor-developed gall bladder cleanse before deciding to go under the knife.
Sadly, their practitioners probably never suggested this first.
Why in the world are so many people having problems with this small organ that aids in fat digestion by storing and concentrating bile produced by the liver?
Could the gallbladder laparoscopic surgery epidemic that is occurring even in young girls be related to our fat-phobic society? (1, 2)
Constantly eating rancid fats or avoiding healthy ones like butter has the potential to trigger a malfunctioning or atrophying organ from lack of proper use.
Whatever the reason, there are indeed a lot of folks walking around without a gallbladder. Many are under the incorrect impression that after removal they can no longer eat fats without digestive discomfort.
YES! You Can Eat Fat without a Gallbladder
The first thing to realize after gallbladder surgery is that you can most certainly still eat fat.
The bile necessary to digest most fat is made in the liver, not the gallbladder, and you still have a liver, right?
What you really need is a dietary strategy that compensates for the fact that your body no longer has a place to store and concentrate the bile.
The approach is similar to a person who has had her appendix removed. These people must replenish beneficial flora after intestinal illness because there is no longer a place where good bacteria remain secure during bouts of gastroenteritis.
Please note that the tips outlined below are also very helpful to those who have been eating lowfat for a long time and are just now coming around to the fact that whole, traditional fats in the diet are critical to health.
Many times, folks who start to embrace and eat a plentiful amount of fats again after many years of avoidance experience the same digestive challenges as someone after gallbladder surgery. It’s almost like their bodies have “forgotten” how to digest fats!
So whether you are adjusting to life after gallbladder surgery or simply trying to adjust to eating fats again, keep these tips in mind for making the transition that much easier.
Cholesterol Needed After Gallbladder Surgery
It is very important thing to realize after gallbladder surgery that you still need cholesterol to produce bile which assists with the digestion of regular long-chain fats and oils. Note that short or medium-chain triglycerides like coconut or palm oil do not require bile for digestion.
One of the benefits of cholesterol is the easy production of bile. The very foods that have sufficient and healthy quantities of cholesterol are those that are, you guessed it, quite fatty, like liver, egg yolks, cream, and butter. (3)
Avoiding fat after gallbladder surgery is potentially going to compound problems with digesting fat in the long run as you won’t be getting the healthy, unprocessed cholesterol you need to produce bile!
Do you see the vicious cycle that can occur if you avoid fat after gallbladder surgery?
Please note that this discussion does not include oxidized cholesterol like what is in pasteurized, homogenized dairy (UHT organic milk and skim milk included) and the vast majority of processed foods.
Oxidized cholesterol is to be avoided in the diet and is the type of cholesterol that can trigger heart disease. (4)
Bitters Stimulate Bile Production
Once you are comfortable with the fact that you can and should eat fat after gallbladder surgery and that it is wise to do so in order to provide your liver with the raw materials necessary for bile production, the next step is to “train” your liver to produce the bile. This way, you will have the digestive juices you need at the proper time to digest the fats you eat with your meals.
Eating at regular intervals that your body can adjust to can go a long way toward this goal.
If a regular routine for consuming your fats does not prove helpful after a period of time or you are temporarily off schedule for whatever reason, use of traditional bitters or quality digestive enzymes can be used in conjunction.
Herbal bitters are plant-based extracts that are rich in minerals (vetted and recommended source).
Bitters work better than digestive enzymes in my experience. They are an ancient tonic for stimulating the liver to produce bile.
Traditional Asian cultures have long valued bitters for their digestive benefit. They also use them for their cleansing properties which promote increased strength and healing.
A single teaspoon of bitters in a small amount of water in the morning and in the evening should be sufficient to stimulate your liver to produce adequate amounts of bile. A spoonful of cold-pressed, organic sunflower lecithin after a fatty meal can also be helpful.
Still Can’t Eat Fat Comfortably After Gallbladder Removal?
If despite all your best efforts, you still have digestive issues with fats after gallbladder surgery, you can use a bile salts supplement to assist you.
Supplements should be a last resort, however. It is always best to encourage the body to do its job unassisted if at all possible.
The important thing to keep in mind is that the need for healthy, unprocessed fats does not change after gallbladder surgery. You still need these fats for optimal health. Therefore, finding a way to consume them comfortably is of paramount importance.
Keep in mind the research of Dr. Weston A. Price. The most revered foods in ancestral cultures were all fatty and of animal origin. These foods contained large amounts of Vitamins A, D, and K2 which were responsible for their strong, sturdy babies and children, resistance to chronic and infectious disease, easy fertility, and vitality into advanced age.
These fat-soluble activators supercharge mineral absorption into the tissues. Thus, eating lowfat is a recipe for disaster! It will likely contribute to a mineral starved state and other deficiencies and health challenges over time.
Fat is a critical nutrient that you cannot do without and still enjoy vibrant health.
Finding a successful strategy for consuming foods with the fats you need is the best approach after gallbladder surgery…not avoiding them as recommended by conventional medicine.
References
(1) More Young Women Suffering from Gall Bladder Disease
(2) Your Gall Bladder Needs Fat!
(3) Digestion and Absorption of Food Fats
(4) Atherosclerosis. 2000 Mar;149(1):181-90
oh by the way I cannot drink milk of any kind and cannot eat cheese. I sometimes use milk as a laxative and cheese on the other hand turns to rock in my gut, it’s apparent that my bowels or what ever will not digest it, or it digests and hardens afterwards.
Tish, worth the read!
This is information that I have been looking for for years.
does anyone know what “bitters” is in spanish? im trying to buy them in my country. thank you!
There are all kinds of different recipies for “bitters”. It’s basically a boiled-down concoction of herbs and spices. The fist bitters I ever heard of was in the beverage industry – Angustura Bitters – can be used in cooking as well.
Here’s a little history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters
I had my gallbladder removed 12 years ago and ever since I’ve always had diarrhea whatever I eat sends me straight to the washroom oven always been taking Imodium to stop it but it feels like my body has gotten so used to the pills that it doesn’t work anymore .. I’m extremely tired of this feeling!! Can anyone help me
i also have removed my gall bladder and i am feeling the same what you have talk.
Hi – thanks so much for your post. Butter is a medium-chain fatty acid by the way. If you look more at the research you will find this to be the case. Thanks again!
My brother-in-law had this Gallbladder problem. This is a problem can be a minor nuisance or turn into a major medical condition if they are not treated properly. So After consulting of doctor and doing those medications now he is ok just continuing his everyday routine of Exercise at least 5 days a week, Eat a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean meats to prevent gallbladder disease, take supplements that may reduce the chances of developing gallbladder disease, avoid high-fat foods like whole mild dairy products and watch out for quick fix diets.
p.s. have you ever noticed anyone without a gallbladder having a reaction to fats that is similar to the reaction that someone with chronic candida would have to carbs? That seems to happen to me and I have treated the candida/yeast over and over and over again and modified my diet to include pretty much no carbs at all, but I still have the symptoms with carbs and very similar symptoms in response to fats. Do candida and lack of gallbladder overlap at all?
Thank you so much for this article!! I had my gallbladder removed 15 years ago at a very young age (19) and your first paragraph pretty much describes why – lack of use. I had avoided fat through my entire teenage years due to an eating disorder. When I started trying to eat healthy fats again, I think my gallbladder didn’t know what to do. I wish I had known back then everything I know now about diet, nutrition, and alternative medicine. I wish I had not had it removed because I have had multiple chronic health problems since, many of which I believe have been caused or exacerbated by not having a gall bladder, especially in the sense of how the gall bladder meridians and energy pathways are now very stagnant and blocked. BUT your article is very helpful to me. I have a very, very strict and healthy diet, but have been having a lot of trouble with fats lately. I’m going to try some of those bitters. Thank you!
I had my gall bladder removed in Nov 2011. I had my first attack in June 2011 on a business trip to China. Thought I was having a heart attack!! Came home, went to GP and was totally misdiagonosed. Suffered 9 attacks over a 5 month period and then was told GB had to be removed. In March 2012, 3 months after surgery I started feeling terrible and was suffering with terrible burning in my upper back between shoulder blades. No energy, bouts of nausea and in constant debilitating pain 24/7. I have no respite, burning when I sit, stand or sleep. I run my own clothing company and this has been a very scary year for me. I am always exhausted, I feel so disconnected from everything. There are days where I feel like somebody has poured acid inside my back. I have also just recently started suffering from the most horrible reflux. I dive out of bed at 1 in the morning and it feels like somebody has poured acid down my throat. I am not on any medication, only taking some homeopath meds. Is there anything diet wise that I can change or are there any other suggestions. My new GP told me she thinks I have Fybro Myalgia and put me on a muscle relaxant combined with an anti-depressant. I have never experienced anything so scary as that feeling of being so completely out of control. Had to come off it, felt like I was having a heart attack. I am a year down the line and nobody can tell me what is up with my body. Would appreciate some enlightenment.
Hayley Joe Weinburg
Hi, You can be experiencing what is called bile reflux. I have just had my gallbladder out a year ago and have started feeling many discomforting pains and odd things happening with my body. I have been researching quite a lot and learned that you can develop bile reflux (which corresponds with your symptoms) after gallbladder removal.