Does even looking at a plate of fried food or a fatty cut of meat give you indigestion?

While I don’t explicitly recommend eating fried food regularly, it’s a really good clue for me when a client tells me they specifically don’t tolerate fatty or greasy foods very well. I know we’ll want to be looking at the gallbladder and fat digestion.

While that’s one of the more “textbook” clues, suboptimal gallbladder function can actually lead to a whole host of gut and digestive symptoms, even if you’re not eating fried or greasy food.

When we eat any sort of fats (avocado, extra virgin olive oil, or peanut butter are the usual crowd favorites), our gallbladder releases bile into the digestive tract and bile then has a few important jobs to do:

Emulsify (break apart) the fats, so they can be easily absorbed! Dealing with dry skin can sometimes be a sign we’re not digesting fats properly
Encourage movement of the digestive tract, called peristalsis. If bile isn’t flowing, we don’t have enough movement in the gut and this can lead to constipation, bloating and agony of wanting to poop but not being able to!
Conversely, poor bile flow can actually lead to diarrhea in many people, because having undigested fats in the gut can lead your body to prompt an immediate evacuation. Often smelly, sometimes lighter in color and loose BMs after meals can be a sign of this biliary insufficiency.
Sweep up the gut between meals and keep bacterial overgrowths at bay. SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) or bacterial overgrowths can become chronic in the gut when bile isn’t present to act as an antimicrobial and street sweeper between meals.
Carry toxins out the exit. Bile is also a transport system for toxins to be eliminated from the body. When bile isn’t moving toxins out quickly enough, the body may try to use other avenues for detoxification like excessive sweating, smelly armpits, or skin eruptions.

When working with clients dealing with digestive symptoms like bloating, constipation, or diarrhea, one of the FIRST things we do is evaluate gallbladder health using blood work and a GI MAP.

In blood work - we’re looking at bilirubin, GGT, lipid panel and liver enzymes to check on the gallbladder, and upstream of that the liver as well.

In a GI MAP we’re looking at steatocrit, which is a measure of undigested fat in stool. When steatocrit is high, it tells us the body is having trouble breaking fats down. Finding elevated steatocrit in a GI MAP is a big a-ha moment when working with IBS or chronic gut issues.

Are you looking to get to the bottom of diagnosed or suspected IBS or gut issues? My 1:1 program for gut health and digestion is accepting new clients. Apply and book a complimentary intro call and let’s get started.