The topic this week is the importance of detoxing.  I’ve spoken many times about how important detoxing is.  We live in a toxic soup, the air, our food, our soil, ect.  Even organic sometimes isn’t always “organic”. So, of course it is of VITAL importance to keep our detox pathways open and flowing so that we can handle whatever comes our way.

I’ve also spoken before about the importance of getting good fats in your diet, you remember right?  Now that the link between saturated fat and heart disease has been thoroughly debunked, we can freely enjoy butter, cream and coconut oil to our heart’s content, right? Well, there may be another point to this that needs attention.

The reason I mention fat here is because when you detox your body, part of it is doing a dietary makeover.  A lot of you know this if you have done the 21 day cleanse with me.  Eat good fats while decreasing grains, dairy and sugar is very important.  Notice I didn’t say “diet”.  I HATE that word, as diets don’t work.  You have to makeover what you are eating, not restrict everything.People are finally (for the most part) breaking up with sugar and starting a new love affair with fats. Fat is back as a healthy macronutrient that’s key for brain health, hormone production and reduction of belly fat. Yes, FAT helps you lose belly fat.  Fats are also the precursor to eicosanoids, localized hormones or “signalling molecules” that target nearby tissues—prostaglandins being just one example.

Whether you’ve jumped on with the ketogenic diet or you’ve gone vegan, beneficial fats have been in the spotlight. Your brain is more than 50 percent fat, and apart from nerves, every single cell in your body uses fat as its primary fuel source.  Ehemm.. let me repeat that… EVERY SINGLE CELL IN YOUR BODY USES FAT AS ITS PRIMARY FUEL SOURCE!
However, the truth is that many individuals are not in love with their new higher-fat diets. Some experience bouts with indigestion or reflux, others sluggish thyroids. Some drop weight like a rock on the paleo diet, whereas others’ waistlines won’t budge.

WHY IS THIS?  You said that eating more fat would make me lose weight??

These issues can be traced to bile and the gallbladder. Bile is responsible for breaking down fats and plays a key and underappreciated role in detoxification. Bile is an important detox mechanism we don’t hear much about.

“Contrary to what you’ve read, you DO need your gallbladder, but this incredibly important organ seems to have fallen out of favor over the past century or so. The best diet in the world will do nothing for you if you can’t properly absorb your foods, and this is what’s happening with today’s higher fat diets. If your body can’t process fats, you simply won’t get those fabulous fat-blasting, immune-boosting, membrane-protecting, fuel-providing benefits from fats.” -Ann Louise Gittleman

Problems related to gallbladder dysfunction are almost completely being ignored by medical professionals who essentially thumb their noses at the lowly gallbladder, as if it’s a throwaway organ. But in reality, your gallbladder performs an impressive number of important tasks.

The gallbladder is a muscular pear-shaped organ located just beneath your liver whose purpose is to store, concentrate and eject bile when needed. Without this infusion of bile, you can’t absorb your fat-soluble nutrients, vitamins A, D, E and K, and those all-important essential fatty acids.

For the Ladies:
Consider this: without bile, you lose the lubricating benefits of those fat-soluble nutrients. Vitamins A and E lift your estrogen levels and help maintain mucous membranes. Omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fats help keep vaginal tissues healthy and encourage your body to produce the hormones necessary for preventing vaginal dryness.  *** This is why bile is also HUGE in menopausal women.

“The problem is, many gallbladders have become lazy, congested, and even blocked with sludge and bile stones. When bile stagnates in an underworked gallbladder, it thickens and begins to stick to itself and form gallstones. Decades of processed foods and nutritionally bankrupt low-fat and non-fat diets, compounded by increased toxic exposures, have created a gallstone epidemic.

Your gallbladder is a use it or lose it organ. Cholecystectomy (surgical gallbladder removal) is now the most common “elective” abdominal surgery in America with more than 750,000 operations performed each year.

If you’ve had your gallbladder removed, you’ve lost your natural ability to properly digest fats, as well as your ability to remove toxic hormones and waste from your system. Without your gallbladder, there’s a continuous trickle of bile from your liver directly into your intestine—regardless of whether you’ve consumed fats. The problem comes when you need a large bolus of bile to process a fatty meal. Without a gallbladder, you have no bile reserve, and this has adverse effects on fat digestion and nutrient absorption. If you have had your gallbladder taken out, one KEY nutrient you must take for forever is Bile salts to help digest your fats.  

Even among those who still have their gallbladder, bile deficiency is a massive problem today due to aging, diminished stomach acid, and inadequate intake of fat-metabolizing foods. Food allergies and sensitivities, stress and overeating further compound the issue. In order to gain a better appreciation for the problem, let’s take a closer look at the many benefits of bile.”

“Bile is an emulsifier—a type of soap for fats. It breaks them down into smaller particles so they can be absorbed by your gut. Every day, your liver synthesizes and secretes more than a quart of this thick greenish-yellow liquid and sends it to your gallbladder for storage.

Not only is this miracle molecule the key to absorbing and assimilating fats, but bile serves as a toxic waste sponge, soaking up excess chemicals, hormones, drugs, heavy metals and other toxins for elimination. Your liver continuously uses cholesterol for bile production, which helps keep cholesterol levels in check—another benefit. If you’ve had your gallbladder removed, you’re at greater risk for weight gain and nutritional deficiencies, as well as toxic overload. The number of toxins you can eliminate directly depends on the amount of bile your body can produce each day.

Without a gallbladder, your risk for weight gain increases substantially as oversized fat globules make their way into your bloodstream, and because they’re not broken down into a usable form, your body has no other option than to store them as fat—along with fat-soluble toxins.

Congested bile is linked to a whole host of seemingly unrelated symptoms including hormone dysfunction, hypothyroidism, hot flashes, constipation, depression, migraines, insomnia, dry skin, chronic fatigue, yeast overgrowth, parasites—and the list goes on.

The worse your bile gets, the more toxic and nutritionally compromised your body becomes. The result is big-time fat storage, along with accumulation of toxins stored in body fat—and this has serious implications. By the time you have a 75 percent bile deficiency, you’ve already begun developing allergies, arthritis, and/or inflammation in your joints and muscles. By the time your deficiency hits 90 percent, you may be receiving a cancer diagnosis or another equally devastating illness.”

How do I detoxify my body and help my gallbladder?If you have symptoms of poor fat digestion such as nausea, bloating, constipation or pale stools, or if you’ve had your gallbladder removed, then it’s wise—I might even say critical—to increase your intake of bile-building foods and consider supplements to improve your bile.

If you’ve lost your gallbladder, don’t despair—it IS possible to be healthy without one. However, the same cannot be said for living without healthy bile.

Here are some tips from Dr. Anne Louis Gittlemen a bile expert, as well as some of my own tips to help.

1. Beets

Beets contain betaine which thins the bile and helps prevent gallstones. Betaine is also a rich source of hydrochloric acid, which is critical for digestion and triggers your gallbladder to release bile. Beetroot protects your liver from chemical toxicity.

2. Artichokes

Artichokes are a fabulous bile-producing food and liver protector. They may boost your glutathione levels as much as 50 percent.

3. Bitters

Bitter foods trigger your pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes and your gallbladder to release bile. Although digestive bitters are particularly important if you’re vegan or vegetarian, they are really helpful for everyone, with or without a gallbladder. Bitter greens such as arugula, endive, dandelion and radicchio offer wonderful benefits—as well as horseradish, which is also anti-cancer. Orange peel, gentian root, bitter artichoke and Angelica root are also excellent bitters. Stay away from Swedish bitters, which typically contain herbal laxatives such as rhubarb and senna.  I love using herbal bitter supplements for digestive issues.

4. Choline

Choline is an essential nutrient that acts as an emulsifier, assists fat digestion, reduces cellulite, decongests the liver, improves nerve and brain function, and builds hormones. Ninety percent of us are choline deficient.

5. Lecithin

Lecithin is one of the primary emulsifying agents in bile, containing significant choline. Lecithin breaks down fats making them more digestible. Lecithin also helps keep your homocysteine levels low, thereby reducing your cardiovascular risk. Lecithin from non-GMO soy or sunflower seeds makes a great fat-flushing supplement.  Add 1-2 tsps in a morning smoothie!

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

I call apple cider vinegar a “miracle in a bottle!” ACV contains malic acid, which helps your body digest protein and thins the bile. Take one tablespoon of raw ACV in a glass of water before meals,

7. Taurine

Taurine is a key component of bile acids, made in the liver. Many are deficient, especially vegans and vegetarians, because taurine is derived from organ meats and other animal proteins. Taurine helps thin the bile, assists detoxification, improves lipids, and lowers the risk for obesity.

8. Capsaicin

Capsaicin will ignite your fat burning engine! Found in sweat-inducing foods and spices like cayenne, capsaicin stimulates metabolism by activating brown fat, as well as helping optimize your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

9. Cumin

The smoky-peppery spice cumin can boost your metabolic rate, promote weight loss, reduce body fat and LDL, and stimulate pancreatic enzymes. In one study, just one teaspoon of cumin increased weight loss by 50 percent. I use cumin in just about everything from soups to salad dressings to casseroles.

10. Omega-7s

Omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) is the amazing omega you might not yet know about. Omega-7 operates as a “lipokine”: a hormone-like molecule that optimizes energy utilization and storage in body tissues at very low concentrations. Omega-7s really shine when it comes to improving your blood glucose, insulin and lipid levels. Omega-7s will even help build collagen! Where do you find them? Macadamia nuts, sea buckthorn, and deep sea anchovies.

Probably one of the MOST important things you can do to start is to do a whole body cleanse.  To not only cleanse a big detox organ your gallbladder as mentioned, but also your liver, gut, skin and kidneys.  I do one about twice a year to again make sure my pathways are open!  I am doing a trial group cleanse starting August 1st.  If you join me for this virtual group cleanse, I will be doing videos, as well as daily emails to help you learn about the different stages your body is going through the cleanse.  I’m attaching a flier at the end of this newsletter, but please let me know if you are interested in joining!  I’m excited to possibly make it a biannual thing!

11. I also love using a supplement called AF betafood, it is easy to take to get mostly all of the nutrients above mentioned for the gallbladder in one whole food supplement.  Can’t beat that!!

*****As always there is an organ/body relationship…….  When your gallbladder and detox pathways aren’t working well, you will have physical symptoms as well, not just being unable to lose weight.  Low back pain is a common symptoms I see, as well as right sided headaches, knee pain and shoulder pain.  This is the referral of the gallbladder.  You gallbladder can also spasm because of being stressed.  So, make sure you are coming in for regular check ups to make sure your nervous system is flowing as well!