Paleo without a gallbladder??

starrchiild
starrchiild Posts: 38 Member
edited November 9 in Social Groups
I like the idea of Paleo a lot and it makes sense. I was moving towards a Paleo diet with lots of meat (200 Grams/protein day) and lots of fat (75 grams/day with Avocados, bacon, nuts etc...) and (of course) multiple servings of fruits and veggies daily.

Then came the upheaval of a new job and then the Gallbladder went kaput and I was told I should be on a low fat diet as I no longer have the gallbladder to help me digest fat properly.
I have read some people use ox bile to help with fat but I am dubious.

Anyone here able to stick to a paleo diet without their gallbladder??

Replies

  • punchgut
    punchgut Posts: 210 Member
    talk with some doctors. I believe that you could email Mark Sisson of Marks Daily Apple and have this as one of his weekly questions that he answers. He has physicians to help out with things like this.

    Now, I know a bit more about this than your average person and there are a few things that can help. What the gallbladder does is excrete forms of cholesterol that will either pull fats to it (aggregate) or stay away from it based on how acidic an environment it is in. This allows for the bile excreted from the gallbladder to travel from the small intestine with ingested fats without interfering with their processing until it's time to collect together to travel into the blood stream in the form chylomicrons (these are transport vehicles for fats in the body, similar to HDL and LDL for cholesterol). The bile salts are actually prepared in the liver and stored in the gallbladder for use when consuming food and when you had your operation the surgeon should have diverted the bile track from the liver direct to your intestine. This means you still get bile in there to process fats but it doesn't give you a burst during eating. You may never notice any difference between a high fat or low fat meal affecting you and the quality of your poop. In that case, don't worry about it. Otherwise, you might want to try the bile supplement. But you can also supplement with lipase to help aid in breaking down the fats faster. There is also using coconut oil to increase your fat intake without needing an increase in bile.

    Still, I would talk with a professional. Look in the paleo physicians network (google it).

    Best of luck.


  • GrokGranny
    GrokGranny Posts: 25 Member
    I just did a post on this! Feel free to friend me and I will do the same. I found it necessary to take Ox Bile during a meal and HCL after a protein meal. I don't do well with grains or legumes, so I am following Paleo...not perfectly, but close! Feel way better. Google Paleo without a gallbladder and it will pull up a lot of resources!! Good luck!
  • GrokGranny
    GrokGranny Posts: 25 Member
    Punchgut...thank you for the Paleo Physician's Network nudge!!
  • starrchiild
    starrchiild Posts: 38 Member
    Thanks for the great reply Punchgut!!
  • emma7437
    emma7437 Posts: 225 Member
    I dont have a gall bladder and am having no problems.
  • mazziek
    mazziek Posts: 1 Member
    Yea I have no gallbladder and have no.problems. Gradually introduce fat tho. I take meds for having a funny tummy, I take less on a primal diet. Feel free t pm me if u have any questions
  • janedaly56
    janedaly56 Posts: 9 Member
    GrokGranny wrote: »
    I just did a post on this! Feel free to friend me and I will do the same. I found it necessary to take Ox Bile during a meal and HCL after a protein meal. I don't do well with grains or legumes, so I am following Paleo...not perfectly, but close! Feel way better. Google Paleo without a gallbladder and it will pull up a lot of resources!! Good luck!

  • ThePrimalSpartan
    ThePrimalSpartan Posts: 59 Member
    I, too, am gallbladder-less and have no issues following Primal/Paleo. In fact, less than 3 weeks (more like 2) after my surgery I was back on this diet. 2 years later and I still have no problems. Your body will adapt. Feel better soon!
  • ortega1990
    ortega1990 Posts: 236 Member
    I haven't had a gallbladder for 20 years and no problems eating Paleo.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    I like the idea of Paleo a lot and it makes sense. I was moving towards a Paleo diet with lots of meat (200 Grams/protein day) and lots of fat (75 grams/day with Avocados, bacon, nuts etc...) and (of course) multiple servings of fruits and veggies daily.

    Then came the upheaval of a new job and then the Gallbladder went kaput and I was told I should be on a low fat diet as I no longer have the gallbladder to help me digest fat properly.
    I have read some people use ox bile to help with fat but I am dubious.

    Anyone here able to stick to a paleo diet without their gallbladder??

    Methinks you need a second opinion on that one.

    As punchgut said, your gallbladder doesn't produce the bile, it just stores it. As long as the surgeon did his job properly, you can digest fat just fine without a gallbladder.

    That said, my hubby doesn't have one, either, and has done better since going more Paleo (he's not completely, but worlds better than a few years ago), despite the high fat content in his diet. When you get the fats from quality sources, instead of crap, it makes a huge difference.
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