Part 2 - Gallbladder & Pancreas
Gallbladder & Pancreas
After food leaves your stomach it heads into the duodenum, the top part of the small intestine. This is a special area with a unique lining to protect it from the acidic stomach contents. The acidic mash of food triggers the secretion of a few digestive juices.
First, the pancreas releases bicarbonate to alkalize the food. If your stomach is working well, your food is a very acidic pH of 2 and the bicarbonate alkalizes it to a pH of 8. This is an important step because your small intestinal walls can only handle alkaline food and your digestive enzymes only work in a pH of 8.
The pancreas also secretes a series of enzymes and the gallbladder releases bile. There are a few other chemicals that are secreted at this spot, but these are the main players.
When it breaks down
The food in your stomach might not be acidic enough to trigger the release of bicarbonate to alkalize the mash. This can lead to slightly acidic food touching the sensitive tissue of the rest of your small intestine. The slight acidity can damage the cells and cause leaky areas (see Leaky Gut section for more). You might even feel your food leave your body slightly acidic as well (acidic poops).
Also, your natural enzymes don’t work in an acidic environment and then your body has to work very hard to digest your food. This can lead to more undigested food leaking through your small intestinal wall. The undigested carbs can lead to a lot of gas and bloating
If your gallbladder is struggling, it might not release enough bile for fat absorption. If you have a major gallbladder issue, then your poops will also be very pale coloured (beige or white).
If your gallbladder is struggling, you might feel pain anytime you eat fatty food or cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, etc). If you have symptoms of a gallbladder attack (pain, fever, tea coloured urine), go to the emergency room immediately.
How to support this step of digestion
This area is highly connected to your stomach, so strengthening your stomach first is key.
Pancreas support – See enzyme therapy in the leaky gut section
Gallbladder support
The gallbladder gets ready for digestion as soon as you eat something bitter and, in the past, we would start our meals with a bitter salad or a bitter alcohol (a digestif). Today, we rarely eat bitter food, so it’s not surprising that our gallbladder needs some support.
If you have a gallbladder
Digestive bitters are very helpful and can be used anytime, you don’t need to have a diagnosed gallbladder problem. But, if you know you have gallstones, work with a practitioner to determine if digestive bitters are right for you. You don’t want to get a gallstone stuck in your bile duct.
You can get bitters at most health food stores and take them before fatty meals. They’re also helpful for acid reflux symptoms.
Lemon and water when you first wake up really supports the gallbladder. It helps to squeeze out any bile your liver has put there during your overnight detox.
If you’ve had your gallbladder removed –
You can live a very healthy life after a gallbladder removal, but you need to keep one important point in mind:
Bile is made, but it gets released randomly from your liver instead of being stored to be used for digestion.
This means that that your body doesn’t have the ability to emulsify fat to aid in digestion. This leads to the most common digestive symptom after getting your gallbladder removed – your digestion turns into a Slip ‘n’ Slide anytime you eat a really fatty meal.
And, this can lead to essential fatty acid deficiencies (Omega 3 & 6) along with fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies (Vitamins A, E, D, and K). This is something to keep in mind and watch for symptoms of deficiency. The most notable are chronic inflammation from low omega 3s and low blood levels of Vitamin D (get your blood levels tested).
You’ll need to replace the missing bile with every meal. This can make a huge difference in your overall digestion and can reduce your nutrient deficiencies. Look for a digestive enzyme that contains “ox bile”. Take 1 or 2 with each meal and you’ll notice your fat digestion improves!
Emulsify fat anytime you can to aid in digestion. Your body doesn’t really need bile to digest fat if it’s emulsified. I talk about this more in the video below. You can buy emulsified fish oil as well which is much easier to absorb and assimilate. Or, add fish oil, vitamin D, and any other fat-soluble vitamins to a smoothie.
This video is a short Facebook Live I created in June 2021 after a few questions about Gallbladder support :)
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :).