AYURVEDA PERSPECTIVE ON FATTY FRIED FOOD

Bile kick starts the digestion of fat. It is made in the liver and then makes its way into the gallbladder where it is concentrated and stored. Understanding how bile works in the body and assessing your bile production can help you make an informed decision about funnel cakes and fries, and support better fat metabolism.

When your french fries reach the small intestine, stored bile is released and mixed with the fries to break up large fat globs into small droplets for easy digestion (a process called emulsification). Fatty, fried food demands alot of bile production from the liver. If you overdo your fry intake, there might not be enough bile to emulsify the fat and you could end up with a nausea and/or diarrhea. These symptoms don't exactly scream pass the ketchup...

Bile also happens to be an important pathway for cholesterol metabolism which is good because fatty, fried foods increase cholesterol. Stimulating bile flow can help lower cholesterol, which is how some herb formulas like Bitter Ghee work to help those with cholesterol problems. Stimulating bile flow also flushes your gall bladder, preventing it from getting clogged up with stones. In a country where 1/2 million people lose their gallbladders annually and 1/3 of the population has high cholesterol - these facts make bile a hot topic.

Kapha people tend to have thicker bile that gets congested in the gall bladder, which leds to gallstones. Too much fried, fatty foods increases the likelihood of stone formation. When bile is congested you may end up with side effects like headaches, nausea, indigestion, constipation after you eat a meal high in fat. Congested bile also causes poor fat digestion and metabolism.

If you produce too much bile, it will irritate your intestines, give you diarrhea, and also overstimulate your mind. The dosha most closely associated with increased output of bile is Pitta. Pitta people are therefore more prone to bile excess. Your body also tends to produce more bile in hot summer months. So, reducing bile production is key to less irritability when the weather is hot.

Vata tends to be deficient in bile due to dryness. Vata bile is thin.

Whether congested, too much, or too little, healthy bile production is essential to healthy digestion of fried foods, and health in general.

Read the complete article on Healthy Bile Production here.

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