Why Your Gallbladder Needs Fat, Not Low-Fat

For decades, we’ve been told that 'low-fat' is the healthy choice. Supermarkets are full of low-fat yogurts, spreads, and snacks, all marketed as heart-healthy or belly busting. But cutting fat too low can cause real problems. Not just for hormone health, but for your gallbladder to function properly. Your gallbladder needs dietary fat. Here's why...

How the Gallbladder Works

Your gallbladder is a small organ tucked under your liver. Its job is to store and release bile, a greenish fluid made from cholesterol and bile acids. Bile is essential for breaking down and absorbing dietary fat:

-When you eat fat, your small intestine releases a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK).

-CCK signals your gallbladder to contract.

-The gallbladder then squeezes bile into your small intestine, allowing you to digest

and absorb fat properly.

If you’re not eating enough fat, this signal weakens. The gallbladder doesn’t contract properly, and bile can stagnate. Stagnant bile increases the risk of gallstones and digestive discomfort.

The Problem With Low-Fat Diets

Low-fat diets may seem like a good idea because fat is calorie dense, but they are not all they are cracked up to be:

-Stagnant bile: leads to gallstone formation.

-Weakened digestion: without bile, you struggle to absorb key fat-soluble vitamins (A,

D, E, K).

-Metabolic impact: dietary fat helps regulate hormones, satiety, and energy. Cutting

fat too low disrupts all of this.

-Fat does not raise insulin: rather than fat being the problem, it is insulin that tells the

body to store sugar as fat.

And if you’re taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins), there’s another issue. Statins block cholesterol production in the liver. Since cholesterol is the backbone for bile acids, this can reduce the quality and flow of bile even further.

Why Cholesterol and Bile Acids Matter

Saturated fat and cholesterol should not be demonised. Cholesterol itself is vital. It’s used to make:

-Bile acids (for fat digestion)

-Hormones (oestrogen, testosterone, cortisol, progesterone, aldosterone)

-Vitamin D

-Cell membranes throughout the body

Without enough cholesterol, bile production suffers, fat digestion is impaired, and gallstone risk rises.

Healthy Fats vs. Unhealthy Fats

The problem fats aren't the real, natural fats, it’s the highly processed industrial fats:

Fats to avoid:

-Refined seed and vegetable oils (pale yellow, sold in plastic bottles, e.g. sunflower, soybean, corn oil)

-Margarine and “low-fat spreads”

Fats to include:

-Animal fats from quality meat, fish, eggs, and dairy

-Extra virgin olive oil

-Avocado fruit and oil

-Nuts and seeds

-Butter (real, not margarine)

These fats support hormone balance, satiety, brain health, and crucially gallbladder health.

Prevention is Key

Healthy fats actually help prevent gallstones, because they keep bile moving. However, once gallstones are there, fat won’t make them disappear. That’s why prevention matters.

In Summary

Low-fat diets are a con.

They may have been marketed as healthy, but the science shows otherwise. Your gallbladder, your hormones, your brain, and your metabolism all need fat to function properly:

-Eat real, healthy fats.

-Avoid industrial oils and margarines.

-Remember: fat isn’t the enemy, stagnation of bile acid is and dietary fat reduces this

risk.

Your body thrives when you give it the right nourishment.

Ready to take back control of your health?

Gallstones, cravings, fatigue, stubborn weight are not random symptoms. They are a sign of deeper metabolic issues like Insulin Resistance. The earlier you spot it, the more you can do to prevent long-term damage and improve health and vitality.

Take my FREE Insulin Resistance Quiz today and discover what’s really going on with your body.

CLICK HERE

Don’t wait until symptoms turn into bigger problems. Prevention is better than a lifetime of medication with the side-effects to accompany them.

Until next time,

love and healing,

Ali xxx