Five Ways to Love your Liver
Your liver is really important for keeping the things you need in your body and the things you don't out of your body. You need it in tip-top form to detoxify, process hormones, digest/metabolize and reduce your risk of lifestyle-related illnesses.
There are four ways you can love your liver. The first is to enjoy alcohol in moderation. Most people think the liver's only role is to process their drinks. That's not it's only job but it is the most important. Alcohol has great potential to harm your liver function. At the extreme end of alcohol enjoyment you risk cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis and cancer. At the recreational end you create sluggishness in your liver function which impacts the way your body works every day.
The second way to love your liver is a very positive one - load up on your liver-loving foods. The benefit of using high-nutrient foods and drinks to promote the function of a particular organ is that the nutrients can improve the function of other areas of your body at the same time. It's efficient. Great liver-loving choices include green tea, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish, oats, avocado, blueberries, bananas, barley, beets, brocolli, brown rice, carrots, cranberries, cruciferous vegetables, figs, garlic, grapes, grapefruit, leafy greens, lemon, papaya and watermelon.
While dialing up your liver-loving foods it can be helpful to dial down your liver-loading foods. You don't need to drink alcohol to damage your liver (thought it does help a lot). "Non-alcoholic fatty liver" is also a thing. The biggest culprits are fatty, salty and sugary foods, particularly if they're power-packed together as ultra-processed foods.
The forth way to de-load your liver is to reduce exposure to artificial substances in your environment - pesticides, synthetic chemicals, environmental pollutants, medications. Anything that doesn't naturally belong in your body needs to be processed by your detoxifying system.
The fifth way to deload your liver, once you've covered what you can on the first four, is to consider a supplement. It's best to consult with a health professional and if you have serious concerns for your liver then chat to your doctor who may suggest a blood test for liver function.
Modern living requires constant exposure to artificial substances, many improve our quality of life. Your liver is there to support you with your choices and circumstances, but if you want to enjoy ongoing health and vitality you need to give a bit of love back.
There are four ways you can love your liver. The first is to enjoy alcohol in moderation. Most people think the liver's only role is to process their drinks. That's not it's only job but it is the most important. Alcohol has great potential to harm your liver function. At the extreme end of alcohol enjoyment you risk cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis and cancer. At the recreational end you create sluggishness in your liver function which impacts the way your body works every day.
The second way to love your liver is a very positive one - load up on your liver-loving foods. The benefit of using high-nutrient foods and drinks to promote the function of a particular organ is that the nutrients can improve the function of other areas of your body at the same time. It's efficient. Great liver-loving choices include green tea, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish, oats, avocado, blueberries, bananas, barley, beets, brocolli, brown rice, carrots, cranberries, cruciferous vegetables, figs, garlic, grapes, grapefruit, leafy greens, lemon, papaya and watermelon.
While dialing up your liver-loving foods it can be helpful to dial down your liver-loading foods. You don't need to drink alcohol to damage your liver (thought it does help a lot). "Non-alcoholic fatty liver" is also a thing. The biggest culprits are fatty, salty and sugary foods, particularly if they're power-packed together as ultra-processed foods.
The forth way to de-load your liver is to reduce exposure to artificial substances in your environment - pesticides, synthetic chemicals, environmental pollutants, medications. Anything that doesn't naturally belong in your body needs to be processed by your detoxifying system.
The fifth way to deload your liver, once you've covered what you can on the first four, is to consider a supplement. It's best to consult with a health professional and if you have serious concerns for your liver then chat to your doctor who may suggest a blood test for liver function.
Modern living requires constant exposure to artificial substances, many improve our quality of life. Your liver is there to support you with your choices and circumstances, but if you want to enjoy ongoing health and vitality you need to give a bit of love back.