paleo/primal folk who don't have gallbladders.

catpunk

are you out there? how's it going for you?

i ask because while i'm not new to paleo/primal, i'm coming back to it after a year of going back to grain/bean/soy-filled vegetarian (during which i gained back 20 pounds after originally losing 35 on primal, yeeouch) the main issue i have with the diet is sometimes too much animal fat makes me sick, which is why i went back to vegetarianism. of course, while vegetarian i was/am exhausted all the time, my workouts suffered, and my anxiety/depression became worse.

i've read Stacy's article over at PaleoParents.com and an "Ask Mark" article over on MarksDailyApple.com but i was wondering how "real world" folks were getting by without their gallbladder and eating paleo/primal. do you find animal fats harder to digest than say, fat from avocados and coconuts? or is it the opposite for you? i have trouble with things like chicken skin, fatty pork and too much dairy but i can eat avocados all day and coconut oil by the spoonful!

also, totally off-topic but i'd love some buddies so feel free to add me!

thanks all!

homesweeths

I remember reading a suggestion somewhere, to take ox bile as a supplement with meals. I've been thinking about trying that with our eldest, who gets really ill when she eats fatty food, especially meat.

justaspoonfulofsugar

I agree,there are good digestive enzymes that have ox bile and I have read about people without gallbladders using it and having success.
I have digestive issues and whenever I am having problems(or I eat something I shouldn't)I pop a couple of them and they seem to do the trick.
HCL is another supplement that could work but you should be under the care of a health care professional(naturopath/alternative physician).
Hope you find some relief soon

Dragonwolf

My husband had his gallbladder out when he was a teenager. He's not full Primal, but has found that he has fewer digestive issues when he quits eating crap, though right now, he does stay on the higher carb end of things (which is something you can do, too, Paleo does not necessarily equate to low carb), since he can't handle the carb flu stuff. Meat's always coupled with a good portion of somewhat carby vegetables or straight-up starches (ie - carrots, potatoes, a pasta of some sort, etc).

chani8

Why not just create your own 'perfect-for-you' diet? That means find what works for you and don't worry about which box it fits into. You can be primal and eat mostly veggies, just use nice oils and nuts instead of meat. Maybe eat quinoa, too, or whatever grain you loved as a vegetarian, just watch your macros. Try to keep your carbs around 100g in order to keep your blood sugar balanced, which may help with the anxiety as well.

HellsKells

I had my gallbladder taken out a few years ago, and while there are always going to be times when things seem to go right through me (pardon the imagery there...lol) for the most part, I find that my system is handling things BETTER now than it did before. I don't know if it's the type of fats that I'm putting in my body or what, but I don't have nearly as many gastrointestinal issues as I did before, and I have yet to feel queasy after eating something (which used to happen from time to time before).

As far as the meat fat goes....I don't tend to eat a LOT of chicken skin or fat from pork (except bacon grease - I do use that), so maybe cutting those things out might help and just stick to the other fats you can tolerate well would be a better option?

But to answer your initial question...I feel like I'm doing much better now than I was before!

blynnblair

I had my gallbladder taken out 2 years ago, I was told the reason I had gallbladder disease was because I lost a significant amount of weight quickly 70 lbs in about 2 years. I was in so much pain that i didnt care what caused it i just wanted it out. Well after having it removed i gained back all the weight i lost and about 5 pounds more VERY quickly. mind you i wasnt paleo and was still eating gluten and the like while still having frequent runs to the bathroom and horrible stomach upset.
I did some research and learned that 60% or more people who have had their gallbladders removed also have gluten intolerance or celiac. I wish i would have not been in so much pain and done some research before i let them remove one of my organs but i digress.
I have been paleo since about april of this year, I do really well with coconut oil and coconut butter. I also need to have a decent about of carbs per day about 80 or so grams to help digest the fattier cuts of meat i eat. I also take Now Foods Super Enzymes and have noticed a huge difference in bathroom (sorry for the tmi) I would suggest getting them!

ps add me and we can talk more, I have to run right now!

prefabsey

I am without a gallbladder, but haven't experienced any change in my body's response since starting paleo or LCHF.

prisan512

I had my gallbladder removed in 2011. Also never had issues until I lost 50lbs on a real low calorie and unhealthy diet an expensive dietician put me on. Thing is once I had it removed I never had any issues with food. Maybe I'm unsure of what the negative side effects are and consider them normal.
I started paleo again, been almost two months, and not having any pain or known issues. Should I take the ox bile to be safe, or to help? Or should I leave it be until I start noticing negative reactions to the foods? (I already have the ox bile and enzyme capsules, just not sure if I should or shouldn't take them) ... As some say, don't fix what ain't broke.... Horrible English,buti. Elieveitd the saying.
Oh, and what are the negative side effects from not having a Gallbladder?
Thanks!

catpunk

thank you all so much for your input and personal experiences! i haven't been online much due to moving and cleaning the old house, so i apologize for my late reply. i may stay on the higher carb end of things and primarily stick with veggies and some grains, plus i'm going to look into taking a ox bile supplement.

i also suffer from bathroom issues if i eat food that is too fatty, so i guess that is all part of having a gallbladder removed. i didn't even have stones, just "sludge" as the surgeon put it, but i had been having gallbladder issues for years. they finally removed it due to not having any other options (their words, not mine). i recently read about the gluten-gallbladder connection and was a bit saddened that had someone suggested that to me i might have been able to put my surgery off for a few years, if not even the rest of my life. it was an unfortunate thing, seeing as i didn't have acute gallbladder issues like most people did, just years of pain and digestive discomfort.

Akimajuktuq

I had my gallbladder taken out 2 years ago, I was told the reason I had gallbladder disease was because I lost a significant amount of weight quickly 70 lbs in about 2 years. I was in so much pain that i didnt care what caused it i just wanted it out. Well after having it removed i gained back all the weight i lost and about 5 pounds more VERY quickly. mind you i wasnt paleo and was still eating gluten and the like while still having frequent runs to the bathroom and horrible stomach upset.
I did some research and learned that 60% or more people who have had their gallbladders removed also have gluten intolerance or celiac. I wish i would have not been in so much pain and done some research before i let them remove one of my organs but i digress.
I have been paleo since about april of this year, I do really well with coconut oil and coconut butter. I also need to have a decent about of carbs per day about 80 or so grams to help digest the fattier cuts of meat i eat. I also take Now Foods Super Enzymes and have noticed a huge difference in bathroom (sorry for the tmi) I would suggest getting them!

ps add me and we can talk more, I have to run right now!

This was very informative, thank you. It bothers me that organs are being removed instead of diet and lifestyle being assessed. However, there's no money to be made when we heal ourselves. I've seen many people, including experts, blaming animal foods for gall bladder issues yet most of the evidence I have seen points to gluten, grains, etc.

OP: reduce the fats you don't tolerate well and eat lots of the ones you do, but I don't agree that continuing to eat grains will be beneficial due to inflammation etc. You can still eat a higher carb diet without grain. If you insist on eating grain, do your best to make sure they are not cross contaminated (very common).

I've heard a lot about the benefits of ox bile. I really want to try it!

blynnblair

I had my gallbladder taken out 2 years ago, I was told the reason I had gallbladder disease was because I lost a significant amount of weight quickly 70 lbs in about 2 years. I was in so much pain that i didnt care what caused it i just wanted it out. Well after having it removed i gained back all the weight i lost and about 5 pounds more VERY quickly. mind you i wasnt paleo and was still eating gluten and the like while still having frequent runs to the bathroom and horrible stomach upset.
I did some research and learned that 60% or more people who have had their gallbladders removed also have gluten intolerance or celiac. I wish i would have not been in so much pain and done some research before i let them remove one of my organs but i digress.
I have been paleo since about april of this year, I do really well with coconut oil and coconut butter. I also need to have a decent about of carbs per day about 80 or so grams to help digest the fattier cuts of meat i eat. I also take Now Foods Super Enzymes and have noticed a huge difference in bathroom (sorry for the tmi) I would suggest getting them!

ps add me and we can talk more, I have to run right now!

This was very informative, thank you. It bothers me that organs are being removed instead of diet and lifestyle being assessed. However, there's no money to be made when we heal ourselves. I've seen many people, including experts, blaming animal foods for gall bladder issues yet most of the evidence I have seen points to gluten, grains, etc.

OP: reduce the fats you don't tolerate well and eat lots of the ones you do, but I don't agree that continuing to eat grains will be beneficial due to inflammation etc. You can still eat a higher carb diet without grain. If you insist on eating grain, do your best to make sure they are not cross contaminated (very common).

I've heard a lot about the benefits of ox bile. I really want to try it!

When i spoke with the doctor they were surprised someone my age (24 almost 25 at the time) had gallbladder disease since i didnt meet the 4 "F's" of the usual patient, Female, Over 40, Fair skinned and Fat. as soon as i said i lost wait they just went straight to that as the conclusion....ugh i try really hard to not be mad about it but if there was one thing i regret it is letting them remove it and no one else even taking diet in account. it boggles my mind that people think food and health arent related. I have known of SO many people my age and a little younger needing to have their gallbladders removed, obviously something is wrong with the food we are (was now) eating .
ps Now Super Enzymes does have ox bile in it

Dragonwolf

When i spoke with the doctor they were surprised someone my age (24 almost 25 at the time) had gallbladder disease since i didnt meet the 4 "F's" of the usual patient, Female, Over 40, Fair skinned and Fat. as soon as i said i lost wait they just went straight to that as the conclusion....ugh i try really hard to not be mad about it but if there was one thing i regret it is letting them remove it and no one else even taking diet in account. it boggles my mind that people think food and health arent related. I have known of SO many people my age and a little younger needing to have their gallbladders removed, obviously something is wrong with the food we are (was now) eating .
ps Now Super Enzymes does have ox bile in it

My husband had his out at 16. He wasn't a small guy, but he wasn't fat, by any means (he spent his days carrying computers up and down stairs and playing barnball with the Amish kids).

They didn't even really question anything other than to say "yep, you have issues, let's get it out" (which was hell enough on him). It wasn't until after his mom and grandmother had to get theirs taken out that anyone started questioning environmental factors, and even then, diet didn't really factor into it.

Rozydreams

I had mine out 14 years ago and the only issue I've ever had was eating bacon & eggs 12 hours after surgery, lol trip back to emerg for me, so painful. I missed out on the post-op diet instructions apparently.

I have no digestive issues when I eat primal. Any digestive issues I've had when not eating primal I've contributed to the food not my gallbladder.