Save Your Gallbladder: What to Do Before Surgery Is Even on the Table
Told surgery is your only option? In this episode, Nurse Doza shares five evidence-informed actions to support your gallbladder—clean up diet, detox the liver, fix the gut, fast strategically, and use hot/cold exposure—so you can reduce symptoms and keep your gallbladder functioning as designed. Keyword: gallbladder
5 KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Cut inflammatory foods (processed oils, sugars, most dairy; refined grains) and favor proteins, healthy fats, and veggies.
2. Support liver detox with foods (turmeric, garlic/onion, crucifers, omega-3s) and targeted nutrients (NAC, milk thistle, ALA, taurine, Bs/minerals).
3. Restore the gut with fiber-rich “gut foods,” glutamine, and consistent motility.
4. Use 24–36-hour fasting windows to improve bile dynamics and metabolic signaling.
5. Add heat/cold exposure to influence bile acids, cholesterol handling, and energy balance.
The Good Poops Protocol — A targeted, gut-first bundle crafted to support regularity, microbiome balance, and healthy bile flow. By improving motility and digestive comfort, it helps you follow the diet, fasting, and liver-support actions discussed in this episode—key steps to protect your gallbladder before surgery is even on the table. https://www.mswnutrition.com/products/good-poops-protocol
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 START – Welcome, mission, and how this show helps
01:30 – Why “save your gallbladder” (and why removal isn’t the only path)
03:30 – Action 1: Change your diet now (what to cut and what to add)
06:30 – Healthy fats & proteins: salmon, avocado, turkey; veggies over fruit (for now)
09:00 – Action 2: Detox the liver with foods + evidence-backed nutrients
13:30 – Turmeric, garlic/onion, crucifers, omega-3s: how they influence bile
16:30 – NAC, milk thistle, ALA, taurine, Bs/minerals: supportive roles
19:30 – Action 3: Fix your gut (microbiome, motility, glutamine, “gut foods” list)
23:00 – Action 4: Fast 24–36 hours—why timing matters for bile acids and AMPK
26:30 – Action 5: Get hot & cold—sauna, shiver, BAT, and bile acid metabolism
29:30 – Putting it together: a simple week-one starter plan
31:30 – When to seek help: symptoms, labs, and consult options
33:00 – Closing recap and next steps
RESOURCES
1. “Gallbladder Diet – Foods to Eat & Avoid.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317196#foods-to-eat
2. Curcumin and gallbladder contraction (study PDF). https://apjcn.qdu.edu.cn/11_4_4.pdf
3. Omega-3s and metabolic health (review). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8118138/
4. Cleveland Clinic: Gallbladder diet guidance. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/gallbladder-diet
5. Garlic/onion and cholesterol gallstones (study). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20153000/
6. Milk thistle and liver support (review). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27321822/
7. N-Acetylcysteine in non-APAP acute liver failure (review). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7903568/
8. Alpha-lipoic acid and MASLD. https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-025-00954-9
9. Taurine, cholesterol, and bile acids. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8836270/
10. Bile acids, microbiome, and fasting-related signaling. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10377837/
11. Glutamine and gut barrier function. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5668683/
12. Cold-induced BAT, cholesterol, and bile acid synthesis. https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.4357
13. Sauna, dehydration, and intestinal permeability model. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8324874/
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