What is a Gallbladder, and How Does It Function?
About the Gallbladder
The gallbladder is located in the upper right quadrant of your abdomen, right below your liver. The gallbladder stores bile, which helps your body break down fats that you digest. Your gallbladder is part of your biliary system, which acts as the storage space for your bile. The biliary system does not produce the bile. Rather, it holds the bile that is not currently used by your body. It is the liver that makes your body’s bile. When there is food in the digestive tract that needs to be digested, your small intestine sends a signal to the gallbladder to release bile to aid in the digestion of fat. This signal takes place by secreting a hormone called cholecystokinin.
Cholecystitis Is the Most Common Gallbladder Issue
With the prevalence of the Standard American Diet (SAD), and the lack of physical activity that is a normal part of the life of many Americans, gallbladder issues such as gallstones and other diseases have become more and more common.
Among the many issues that one can experience as a result of gallbladder problems is cholecystitis. Cholecystitis is what is known as inflammation of the gallbladder. Even though this disease is usually due to the presence of gallstones, it can also come about as a result of an infection or a chemical irritation. If you have cholecystitis without gallstones, it is called acalculous cholecystitis. Stagnant bile is the number one cause of acalculous cholecystitis and many other digestive issues. Stagnant bile is also the number one suspect for recurrent migraines and headaches.
The Causes of Gallbladder Problems
Gallbladder problems can be caused by a variety of physical ailments. Some of the causes of gallbladder issues include the following maladies:
- Food allergies
- High fat diets
- Low fiber diets
- Oral contraceptives
- Rapid weight loss
Excessive Protein Consumption
Excessive protein consumption causes thickening of the basement membranes of the blood vessels, (arteries and capillaries), as well as those in the liver sinusoids. This starts a cascade reaction that culminates in the accumulation of protein fibers in the liver and the excretion of crystallized clumps of cholesterol deposits that we know as gallstones.
These foods require the use of bile to digest and can thus exacerbate gallbladder symptoms.
High Fat Foods
Any food that is high in fat triggers gallbladder attacks. High fat requires bile to digest. This includes olive oil and other vegetables oils and almond butter.
These are referred to as plastic oils or trans fats. They cannot be used by the body and become obstructive, blocking eliminatory pathways and covering vital tissues within the liver. Hydrogenated oils are found in most packaged snacks and conventional breads. In fact, as per CNN, as of 2015, food manufacturers have been given 3 years to completely phase-out of trans fats.
Pork and Meats
Pork and most conventionally raised meats are high in fats that lead to increased inflammation. Because most conventional meats are high in antibiotics and hormones, when you consume them, they must be metabolized in the liver. This generates stress and congestion of the liver.
Sugar and Simple Carbohydrates
Sugar and simple carbohydrates – A 1986 medical study that spanned over 12 years found that a high sugar diet leads to the formation of gallstones.
“Our findings suggest that a high intake of carbohydrate, glycaemic load, and glycaemic index increases the risk of symptomatic gall stone disease in men. These results add to the concern that low-fat high carbohydrate diets may not be an optimal dietary recommendation.” 
Furthermore, according to recent research from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, refined sugar, such as high-fructose corn syrup, found in most processed foods and beverages, not only considerably increases your risk of breast cancer, but raises the chances of a tumor spreading to other organs – metastasis. 
All Foods That Cause Inflammation or Allergic Reactions In You
As toxic substances are filtered and accumulate in the liver over time, the bile becomes stagnant and toxic. This causes inflammation. It is this inflammation what actually causes allergies. So how does this relate to gallbladder problems? When you have irritating substances in the biliary system, you are going to have inflammation of the bile ducts. Combine this with hardened deposits in transit, and you have a formula for pain.
Lactose in dairy is indigestible by humans and is mucous forming. Prolonged exposure to dairy brings about inflammation. Any high protein consumption, including dairy, also causes gallstones. Add to this all the antibiotics and hormones that are given to cows over their lifetime that is passed down to those who drink their milk. All of this gets processed in the human liver.
All processed foods come loaded with additives like nitrates/nitrites, unhealthy fats and a high bacterial count (added as fermenting agents) that overtime cause liver congestion and the rise of toxic compounds there in. As the bile becomes thicker, toxic compounds crystallize into gallstones. On the other hand, the American Institute for Cancer Research, AIRC labels processed meat as a carcinogen within the same group agents as cigarettes, “1.75 ounce, or about two strips of bacon — of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%”   
By definition, “processed meats” refer to any meat that is preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding chemical preservatives. Examples of processed meats include ham, bacon, hot dogs, sausage, luncheon meats, salami, canned meats, and so forth.
Dealing with gallbladder disease will never be easy, but distressing symptoms can be ameliorated by following tips.
While some of them may seem to be common sense, making a valiant effort to abide by these tips can make things a bit easier when it comes to mealtimes and digestion. Following these tips can also make issues like gallstones and inflammation less likely to occur.
Do Not Eat When You Are Stressed
This may seem like a somewhat strange tip, but following it can do wonders for your digestion at mealtimes. By reducing stress when you eat and throughout your life, you can make your digestion system even stronger. This is because your gallbladder and liver, like the rest of your body, responds negatively to stress. Being relaxed at mealtimes makes your gallbladder operate in the way that it should.
Do Not Overeat
Bingeing on food can cause a variety of problems, but gallbladder disease is especially pernicious due to the fact that it’s hard to identify if you don’t undergo a battery of tests. Since a large onslaught of food in one sitting can tax your digestive system, you should eat most of your meals in moderation. As a general guideline eat 75% of your ‘full capacity.’
A common complaint amongst gallstone sufferers is: “I am pretty sure you have mentioned every food group out there, so what is there to eat?”
Know this: unless you address the underlying cause of gallbladder attacks and take the necessary steps to reduce liver and gallbladder congestion, managing foods is most certainly going to become more difficult with time. Therefore, cleanse these organs, and your food sensitivities will be diminished or disappear altogether.
At this point, you can go back to eating normal, just as long as you do not eat the same types of foods that caused the gallstones to begin with.
The Foods That Help Your Digestion
The following foods are easier for your body to digest and are great for people with gallbladder disease:
Gallbladder Diet Charts
Do Not Simply Reject Some Food
Modifying your diet and identifying the foods that are most likely going to cause gallbladder problems will only help as long as you continue to stay away from such foods. However, as gallstones grow or become more numerous, your sensitivity to other foods will also continue to grow forcing you to have to add new foods to your “Do Not Eat” list.
There is an alternative approach to dealing with gallbladder pain and food sensitivities. By cleansing the gallbladder and liver of the cause of the symptoms using a comprehensive natural gallstone dissolution and elimination program, Pain can disappear and food sensitivities can gradually be reduced, and sometimes disappear quite dramatically.
The Pulverexx Protocol™
If you already have gallbladder issues and want a solution that can potentially reverse the condition, then a more proactive approach should be taken, one that can actually dissolve and cleanse the gallbladder and liver of its accumulated toxicity and congestion. The Pulverexx Protocol™is a great way to not only dissolve calcified and cholesterol gallstones but to clear your liver, gallbladder, mucus and stagnant bile. The Pulverexx Protocol™ is a good solution for those who not only want a powerful way to dissolve gallstones but to cleanse their digestive system in a way that allows it to run at optimal levels.
- Christensen, Jen (June 16, 2015) .”FDA orders food manufacturers to stop using trans fat within three years“. CNN. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- Tsai CJ, Leitzmann MF, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL., “Dietary carbohydrates and glycaemic load and the incidence of symptomatic gall stone disease in men.”, Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Gut. 2005 Jun;54(6):823-8.
- Yan Jiang et al, A Sucrose-Enriched Diet Promotes Tumorigenesis in Mammary Gland in Part through the 12-Lipoxygenase Pathway, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- “FAQ: Processed Meat and Cancer“.AICR.org.2014-08-07.Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- Bacon, John (October 26, 2015). “Hot dogs, bacon, processed meats linked to cancer“.USATODAY.com.Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- Santarelli RL1, Pierre F, Corpet DE., “Processed meat and colorectal cancer: a review of epidemiologic and experimental evidence,” Nutr Cancer. 2008;60(2):131-44. doi: 10.1080/01635580701684872.