How to Support your Liver and Gallbladder for Better Digestion
The liver and gallbladder are two organs that tend to be forgotten when we think about our digestive system, and good digestive function — we usually think of our stomach, small and large intestines as our main digestive organs, forgetting about the important supportive organs (like the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, appendix, etc.).
Dunno why that is — they just tend to be left in the dust! 😬
In this article, we’re going to dig specifically into the liver and gallbladder, as they relate to our digestion, and why it’s important for you to make sure you’re giving them some TLC on the daily!
Both of these organs play really important roles in our gut health — let’s explore how:
The Liver and your Gut
Our liver has some 500+ jobs to do for our body — it’s a powerhouse, supporting us across many bodily systems 👏 Perhaps not surprisingly, our liver has a role to play in our gut health, too!
One of the ways it supports good digestion is through the production of bile. Bile is a substance that’s produced by the liver and stored and concentrated in the gallbladder. This substance is important for the digestion of fats, among other functions, which we’ll dive deeper into below.
Our liver is the first place that nutrients get sent to — via the portal vein — after they’ve been absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal lining. Being our major detoxifier and metabolizer, the liver is able to filter through the raw materials sent over from the gut, to ensure they’re safe, and toxin-free before being sent to general circulation so our cells can access them.
We need to make sure we’re supporting good liver function, so that it can detoxify and metabolize for us, produce bile, and aid in our digestion (among all the other roles is plays in blood sugar balance, hormone regulation, and more 😅).
The Gallbladder and your Gut
The gallbladder is a small organ, nestled right beside our liver. Its main function is to act as a storage container for bile.
When we have a meal containing fats, the gallbladder will secrete this concentrated bile into the upper part of the small intestine (our duodenum), to help us digest fats.
Let’s explore bile — and its many roles — a little further:
Bile is highly antimicrobial
This means it can help protect us from pathogens that could otherwise cause disruptions to the microbiome, and potentially contribute to the development of signs and symptoms.
Bile helps to break down and emulsify fats
This breakdown process creates smaller fat particles, which provide digestive enzymes (like lipase) a greater surface area to further break them down into fatty acids to be absorbed.
Bile plays a key role in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like (A, D, E, K)
These vitamins require fat in order to be absorbed properly via the lacteals in the lining of the small intestine. Vitamin A is important for the health of mucosal barriers, vision, immune function, cell growth. Vitamin D is important for immune function, and bone health. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, that helps to protect our cells from oxidative damage. Vitamin K is important for bone health, and blood clotting.
Bile helps to eliminate excess cholesterol in the body
Cholesterol is transported to the liver to be processed, and then is sent to the gallbladder to be removed of via bile, and ultimately via our bowel movements. This is an important process that helps maintain cholesterol balance in the body.
Bile can impact motility — it acts almost like a natural “laxative”
Bile salts (one of the components of bile), can increase transit time and soften stool, making it easier to pass, which helps to reduce constipation and stagnation in the colon!
How to Support Good Liver, Gallbladder Health, and Bile Flow
Incorporate liver-and-gallbladder-supportive foods. Bitter foods (like arugula, radicchio, dandelion greens, beet greens), beets, citrus (like lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit), garlic, and sulfurous veggies (like broccoli, brussels, cauli, asparagus), are all great for supporting good liver function, gallbladder health, and bile flow.
Drink liver-supportive teas, like dandelion root, milkthistle, green, burdock root. These bitter herbs are hepatoprotective (help support liver health), and encourage bile flow and production. Enjoy these on rotation, on a daily and weekly basis!
Be mindful of things that tax the liver. Excess coffee and alcohol intake, medications, etc., require the liver to process and metabolize them so that they can be excreted from the body. Excessive intake of these substances can add additional work to the liver’s never-ending to-do list, potentially taking energy away from its other jobs! Being mindful of your intake of these can help the liver to focus on other things (like producing bile!).
Try digestive bitters! Digestive bitters are a great way to bring in some supplemental support for your liver and gallbladder. This is a tincture, derived from bitter herbs (perhaps some of them that I’ve mentioned above, depending on which formula you go with!), that can be taken directly on the tongue, or in a small glass of water 15-30 minutes before meals. It helps to stimulate gastric juices (so we can digest better), including the secretion of bile from the gallbladder! Its bitter constituents (hence the name), support both liver and gallbladder health.
If you’re currently on a gut-healing journey or are generally looking to support good gut health — be sure not to forget about your liver and gallbladder!
They’re important for detoxification, good motility (we love healthy bowel movements around here! 💩 ), healthy microbial balance, nutrient absorption, and more.
If you’d like to get started right away on supporting both your liver and gallbladder, you can download the free guide below that includes some tips and tools, as well at 15 recipes to support both of these organs!
