Liver Loving Lifestyle

💁‍♀️We're all about that Liver Loving Lifestyle 💁‍♀️

It's no surprise after discussing Liver Health, and things that over load the Liver over the past couple of days, that we are following you up with an article about alllll the ways which you can show your Liver some love! If we can maintain our liver health - then the reward you will reap is Health!

In this article, I want to explore foods with you that will help to support liver function and in particular, aid in liver detoxification (getting rid of the nasties!) and therefore, helping your liver function at its best. The foods listed below are known to help with boosting liver function which in turns help with the general health of your liver and your body.

So lets have a look;

*Vegetables - Vegetables high in glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are converted into two types of reactive compounds which work together as powerful stimulants for the livers detoxification pathways. Glucosinolates are found in vegetables in the 'brassica' family and includes vegetables like Broccoli, Kale, Cauliflower, Brussels, sprouts and cabbage varieties. Eating these foods at least 3 times per week as advised by Dr Cris Beer, will help give your liver a much needed boost. Foods high in sulfur will also help your liver with the detoxification process. Sulphur is found in foods such as onions and garlic. Vegetables like red cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, beets and capsicum that have darker pigments are also suggested to help with liver health.

*Fruits containing Ellagic acid such as raspberries, grapes (red), oranges and lemons.

*Herbs & Spices - Rosemary, Fennel Seed, Celery Seed, Cumin, Dill & Turmeric. It is also suggested that Dandelion helps in the production of bile and therefore aids in liver detoxification.

*Proteins - Sources of protein like lean meats, sprouted legumes, and buckwheat are fantastic to support liver function.

🧘‍♀️Lifestyle🤸‍♂️

As well as foods to eat to help that amazing organ function at its best, there are also lifestyle changes we can make that can help our liver, instead of hinder it.

While Moderation is key, you want to avoid falling into a 'bingeing' style of moderation (refer back to our previous article 'Liver Overload' https://naturallynourishedcollective.com/…/26/liver-overload) - The best approach is to include the things that should be had in moderation (the things that you just can't give up) in small amounts. However there are things that should NEVER be incorporated, even in small amounts due to their toxic nature and are harmful for the body to have in any amounts. These are things such as Smoking and Illicit Drugs. If you or a loved one struggles with addiction abuse, consult your doctor to find the best way to approach quitting, safely.

Dr Cris Beer recommends following the 80:20 rule. "When it comes to food, think 80:20. 80% of your diet should be made up of fresh, unprocessed foods such as ... fruits, nuts & seeds, eggs and lean meats. The other 20% of your diet can be all the other things you love to eat but in moderation".

🤤Learn to Listen to your hunger cues! 🤤

Many people these days over eat due to the availability of foods. With marketing constantly shoving upsized meals in our faces, we have all fallen victim to 'eating more because its better value'. This places a massive over load on our liver. And in fact, this can actually contribute to liver disease without us actually even eating 'bad' foods.

Listen to your hunger cues to try and avoid becoming ravenously hungry which is when we tend to overeat. With this, also try to avoid eating when you are not hungry. This includes emotional eating - try and find a healthier outlet for dealing with your emotions such as talking to a friend, going for a walk, taking up a hobby or doing something you enjoy.

Hydrate Well!

One of the simplest and most effective things you can do to care for your liver is drink plenty of water. Drinking at least 2 litres a day of preferably filtered water (or more if its hot and you're perspiring) can help your liver flush away toxins and function better. As a gauge, check your urine. The colour of your urine can tell you how hydrated or dehydrated you are. The darker the urine is, the more dehydrated you are. It should be relatively clear. Keep in mind if you are taking various vitamins this may change the colour of your urine.

🐟Healthy Fats!🐟

So many of us have become 'fat-phobic' because of the governments previous understanding of nutrition. But its important to understand and accept that fats play a vital role in body function. everything from organ function, brain function, alllll the way to liver function (yes im aware they're all organs haha)

Surprisingly enough, you can actually become fatty acid deficient, symptoms of which include - dry & itchy skin, eczema, joint pain, low mood, reduced immunity, hair loss, and mild memory loss. It's important to remember that moderation is key though as you can certainly have too much of a good thing.

The best types of fats for liver function are Monounsaturated Fats and Polyunsaturated Fats (including omega 3's & 6's)

You can find Monounsaturated fats in;

*Avocados, *Olives, *Nuts (Almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews) *Natural Peanut Butter

You can find Polyunsaturated Fats in;

*Walnuts, *Sunflower Seeds, *Sesame Seeds, *Safflower Seeds, *Pumpkin Seeds, *Flaxseed, *Evening Primrose Oil, *Lecithin, *Spirulina, *Fatty Fish (Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, Herring, Trout, Sardines). Polyunsaturated Fats are often deficient in Western Diets which contributes to a lot of disease, especially those that are based around cognitive function such as Parkinson's, alzheimers, dementia etc.

They play a vital role in cognitive function, prevent and reduce the symptoms of depression, ADHD and bipolar disorder, Protect against memory loss and dementia, Reduce the Cris of heart disease, stroke and cancer, Ease Arthritis, Joint Pain, and inflammatory skin conditions, Support Healthy Pregnancy, Help you battle fatigue, sharpen your memory and balance your mood.

🍻Alcohol🍻

So many of us overindulge and drink way too much. Binge drinking is excessively common around the world and generally starts from a young age. It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with safe drinking standards to ensure you are living your best life. For a woman the 'safe limit' as set by the government is no more than one standard drink per day (100mls) with two alcohol free days during the week and no more than 2 standard drinks for men (total of 200mls daily) with 2 alcohol free days in a row. Ideally these alcohol free days will be in a row to give the liver a good rest.

☕️Caffeine ☕️

There are some benefits to caffeine but there are also many drawbacks. Up to 200mg of caffeine can stimulate the liver to aid in detoxification however consuming above this can cause liver damage. So try not to exceed 2-3 cups per day.

⛹️‍♂️Exercise ⛹️‍♂️

Last but certainly not least is exercise.

Exercise has been shown to aid in liver function by improving the bodies usage of fats and glucose. This is ideally included into your weekly lifestyle. Try exercising for at least 30 minutes a day. Even a brisk walk can help.

Thanks for tuning in to our Love your Liver Articles. We hope that they have helped you understand and appreciate this amazing organ just that bit more!

If you think that you may benefit from a detox, we recommend heading over to Dr Cris Beers website and following her Liver Detox Plan. It is safe and researched.

Source: Dr Cris Beer BBioMedSci, MBBS (hons), FRACGP, member ACNEM, member AIMA, Cert IV in Fitn

Liver Overload

🤯LIVER OVERLOAD🤯

Following on from our last Liver post (https://naturallynourishedcollective.com/articles/2019/2/26/love-your-liver) here is Part 2 - Liver Overload!

In this chapter of Liver Care, we will go through everyday substances that can damage your liver, as well as foods and drinks that are known to contribute to a sluggish liver and even worse, liver disease. The most common issue with the liver seen in practice, is fatty liver disease, followed by acute liver inflammation and gallbladder disease. "The side effects of these diseases leave patients so unwell that they can often times be left debilitated" according to Dr Cris Beer.

So how can the liver be damaged?

There are three main categories of substances that can harm the liver which include Toxins, Overload Agents and Microorganisms.

TOXINS ☣️

When the liver is bogged down, it will purposely store fat on the human body so it has a place to store toxins in until such time as those toxins can be processed. These toxins store in adipose over time and can lead to a toxic load on our body as we age. This is also why as some people lose weight, they develop skin conditions such as acne - as these toxins can be expelled through the skin.

OVERLOAD AGENTS 🤯

You may not think that overindulgence creates an issue for anything else except your waist line, but over eating actually has the capability to bog down your liver function as well. Food is extremely accessible in todays society which sees many of us constantly indulging in overload agents such as sugar, excess carbs, unhealthy trans fats and excessive red meat consumption.

Eating in extreme excess, or even small excess daily, overloads the liver's ability to breakdown and process food nutrients. Some other common overload agents are; *Fructose *Refined Carbohydrates *Unhealthy Fats *Iron Rich foods

MICROORGANISMS - Viruses, Bacteria & Food poisoning. 🤢

Some organisms in our environment have the potential to impact our liver and contribute to damage by either directly attacking the body or via the chemicals that some microorganisms release. Some examples of these microorganisms are; *Blood-Borne Hepatitis Viruses *Food Borne Hepatitis Viruses *Food Borne Bacteria *HIV *Malaria *Tuberculosis *EBV, CMV and Glandular Fever viruses.

LIVER HATING FOODS ❌

*Beans & Legumes - avoid flavoured or salted canned beans. Always choose Uncanned Varieties.

*Starches & Grains - Wheat, Rye, Barley, Spelt, Couscous, Triticale, Chips (all types)

*Some Vegetables - Pickled, Tinned & Frozen. Always opt for fresh and raw when possible.

*Fruit - Canned, Dried, Candied, Concentrated Fruit Juice.

*Dairy - Cheese, Cream, Ice-Cream, Sweetened Yoghurts, Custard

*Nuts & Seeds - Peanuts, Roasted and Salted nuts, Candied or Chocolate Covered nuts

*Oils - Butter, Canola Oil (AVOID), Duck Fat (Moderation), Ghee (Moderation), Mergerine (AVOID), Peanut Oil (AVOID), Vegetable Oil (AVOID)

*Herbs, Spices, Dressings & Condiments - AVOID - Sugar, Sweetened Spices, Artificial Sweeteners

*Drinks - AVOID - Alcohol, Soft Drinks, Fruit Drinks, Coffee & Tea (except herbal), reconstituted juice.

*Meat - Excessive consumption of Red Meat, Processed Sausages, Bacons, Hams & Processed Meats, Fish high in mercury content, Meats high in Nitrates (smoked Salmon, Ham etc)

Other Every day substances that can damage your liver are;

*Energy Drinks, *Alcohol Intake *Excessive Workload *Smoking *Prescription & Over the counter medicine *Infection/illness *Stress *Processed Foods *Environmental Toxins *Soils *Allergies/Food Intollerances *Poor Nutrition.

Removing the things named above will see you be kinder to your liver and help it do its job.

Don't stress, you don't have to do it all at once. Use this as a guide to making healthier choices and over time this will become your new way of living.

Stay tuned for our next Liver Post on Liver Lovers and all things good for your liver ✌️

Source: Dr Cris Beer BBioMedSci, MBBS (hons), FRACGP, member ACNEM, member AIMA, Cert IV in Fitness

Love your Liver

💚LOVE - YOUR - LIVER 💚

Most people are unaware of how vital their liver actually is to feeling well and living a healthy life. 

This amazing organ, located on the upper right hand side of the abdomen, just below the diaphragm and neatly tucked away under the ribs on that side, has over 500 hundred imperative functions to keep your body healthy. FIVE. HUNDRED. FUNCTIONS. 

It's sad to think that its role and our general well being are often over looked. 

Liver health is determined by a bunch of markers from blood serums, but there are some other ways you can check your function and get a vague idea on how your liver is doing - and we will discuss some of those ways below. 

In todays society with drinking, general environmental insults, toxins and chemicals in our foods and drinks, it's easy for this amazing organ to get bogged down and not be functioning at its peak resulting in various conditions, and leaving you not feeling your best. 

So - what does it do? Its basically your internal chemical and nutrient processing factory in your body. While processing food nutrients to maintain supply to our tissues etc, it also enables chemical reactions that rid the body of toxins and internal cellular waste. 

Along with nutrient absorption and detoxification - the liver also does the following:
*Produces Bile *Filters the Blood *Breaks down unwanted and harmful hormones *converts carbohydrates in the diet into glucose for energy *synthesises cholesterols and lipoproteins *metabolises fat *produces body proteins *regulates blood clotting *Produces immune system cells used in fighting infections

This is just the tip of the ice berg - its clear to see how much we rely on our liver for day to day functions and why it should be on the top of our list of body organs to look after. 

✅CHECK YOUR LIVER FUNCTION AT HOME✅
(Survey copied from Dr Cris Beer's Book - Healthy Liver)

*You feel tired despite getting a good night's sleep?
*Your skin becomes itchy at night?
*You have dark circles under your eyes?
*You experience pain in your right upper abdomen?
*You have dark coloured urine?
*You have pale chalky stools?
*You bruise Easily?
*You have noticed red freckle-like skin spots appear?
*You find it hard to lose weight?
*You have reddened skin, particularly on your palms?
*You have yellow tinge to your skin or to the whites of your eyes?
*You often feel nauseated?
*You have swollen feet/legs?
*You often have diarhorrea?
*You have lost your appetite?
*You have a coating on your tongue?
*You drink three of more alcoholic drinks in one sitting?
*You experience frequent headaches?

Have a think about these questions, and place your answers into a category of -NEVER-SOMETIMES-OFTEN-DAILY.

If most of your answers are sometimes to daily - then it may be worth while following up with your doctor for a liver function test and following a safe liver detox to help clear out your liver of toxins and chemicals. 

Stay tuned over the next couple of days to learn about safe Liver Detoxes (created by a medical practitioner) as well as foods that Hate your Liver and LOVE your liver - to help you love your liver better in future! xx

***Source - Dr Cris Beer - BBioMedSci, MBBS (hons), FRACGP, member ACNEM, member AIMA, Cert IV in Fitness***