Now…here is another cool thing the gallbladder does that goes beyond the digestion of fats. It helps alkalize the food bolus from the stomach by secreting bicarbonate. Food bolus is like a ball-like mixture from chewing and saliva together. That’s not a nice picture to visualize. However, take a second to appreciate what the body is doing for you within seconds upon putting something in your mouth.
This matters because pancreatic enzymes that help break down carbs, protein, and fats need an alkaline environment to do their jobs well. No gallbladder, no bicarbonate to create the right pH for this ball-like substance. And that my friend, is how the gallbladder impacts the digestion and absorption of foods, including carbs.
And if you are getting technical, yes, the pancreas also secretes bicarbonate but do you really think that our body would assign this job to another organ unnecessarily?
Let me tell you a quick story. Earlier this year, an acquaintance of mine posted on social media
“That useless organ has been evicted!!”
I read the comments and found out she had her gallbladder removed.
I wished her a healthy recovery and said it was unfortunate to hear she was so happy to have removed such an important organ. She replied saying that “After a lot of pain and discomfort for almost 2 years I wasn’t sad to see it go. It wasn’t functioning properly.”
Likely what this person was experience were the typical side effects of a liver and gallbladder that aren’t healthy. They could be fatigue, gassy, bloating, depression, headaches, and pain from gallstones which is often the reason surgery happens. How can we expect to perform well when we cannot absorb foods properly?
We must listen to the signs the body sends out and take steps to correct the situation instead of patching symptoms with pills. We must get to the root cause of the problem because of surgeries.
The removal of an organ like the gallbladder doesn’t address the problem, does it? Plus, these stones can impact other organs like the liver and pancreas.
So why did the stones build up in the first place? How can I prevent this from happening? I hope you’re listening to me. Nutrition and lifestyle are key to your daily performance, my friend. And I am here to help you clean things up and/or keep things cleaned.
If you have been eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) that is rich in high fructose, added sugars, processed carbs and fats, conversational animal protein and their byproducts high in hormones and toxins, low in vegetables and fruits…well, whether you feel it or not, there is a chance inflammation and other issues are building on for some time.
And if you stopped the garbage months ago, congratulations! You still need to heal so you achieve your weight goals, stop aches and pains, build muscles, protect your bones, and much more.
Do the work. Be patient. Your imbalances didn’t happen overnight. And of course, I am here to help you put a plan, implement, and celebrate your wins.