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
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That sounds just awful ???? Have you heard of Dr. Berg? He has over 2000 YouTube videos. Very informative on health and the body. I’ve learned so much. My gallbladder was removed 13 years ago and I believe that is why I now have osteoporosis at 54 years of age. I’m on my own research path to health and restoration esp of my bones. #drberg Dr. Berg’s info has been amazingly helpful to me and many others (Facebook group). Best wishes to you.
They talked me out of mine, took them two years, sadly it wasn’t the problem with this skinny somewhat over active O- bloodtype. My life has been a nightmare ever since, anything I eat turns into blobs of gas in my gut, my stools fizz like soda, I can still barely sleep through the night and can no longer eat fruit, bread, anything sulfur, anything sugar, brassica family, starches, carbs, be careful with the medical system, when you tell them it hurts to eat they are looking for something to cut out, they don’t care if it’s a healthy body part or not. I even did the GB/liver flushes for a year, still got groupthinked by these idiots. So .. now I just go to the ER room – allot, 30 times this year, still nothing, it’s a teaching hospital, they just keep sending me kids, they sent me a letter saying we have nothing to offer you, do this, the case manager says do the opposite, they have no quality control, it’s more like they are out of control. Something is wrong and I’m in allot of pain because of this.
Hi I got my gallbladder removed 4 weerks ago still watching what I do lifting etc but I have been able to eat the same as before my operation and no bother just taking smaller amounts and eating regularly no bowel or digestive problems i will take bitters is needed as does help liver to produce more bile after fatty meals as advised . This site has good info glad i found it
I have removed gall bladder in 2016 March ,in April I started to have problems of food allergies things that I have never had before; I would like to know what are the possible solution for that,the doctor who made me this surgery didn’t tell me what to eat after the surgery and I had a small baby at that time my life was so stressful because I gave birth to my child in January 2016 March 2016 I went for a surgery ,help me please I am so frustrated with this situation I am in
Interesting article. You said the liver still produces bile. But doesn’t it go to the small intestines? I thought fat was metabolized in the stomach. Can you explain further? Talk about bile acid diarrhea. What about bile acid binders to take it out?
I am having gallbladder removal surgery tomorrow. The more I research how to eat, the more confused I get. The first report I found said that coconut oil was bad and that whole grains are essential (they help stop diarrhea). I guess that will be a trial and error process. I am wondering if there is a maximum amount of fat grams my foods should contain or remain below? I was looking at the prepacked P-3 snacks in the store as a possible small meal during the day. They ranged in fat from 10-15 grams and 150-190 calories. That seemed reasonable, but I just don’t know. Any specific foods to avoid would also be helpful.
My husband is going through gallbladder surgery soon, so I was looking online to learn more about fat digestion after this medical procedure. It’s interesting how you explained that cholesterol has a benefit of easily producing bile in the body. I’ll share this information with my husband so that he continues to maintain good cholesterol levels.
I am 27 and had my gallbladder out last year due to being on the pill. I wish I never went on it, and certainly wont be letting my children go on it in years to come.
thanks for this, I am having my gallbladder out soon as it has cause a whole heap of health issues and after scans and cameras seems its the gallbladder full of stones which is the only cause. Its genetic in our family and the stones are way too big for a flush, which i personally dont believe actually works and are gallstones coming out, i also know of others who have had emergency surgery due to this ‘flush’ I have tried everything else though, even chanca piedra and currently take digestive enzymes and ox bile with every meals trying to help and they do to a degree. This will be helpful knowledge afterwards, so thanks 🙂
Thank you thank you!