Love Your Liver

The choices we make daily impact the liver’s ability to do its job. This essential project manager has multiple life-supporting functions; however is often ignored while the attention goes to the noticeable parts of the body like the skin, heart, digestive system and brain.

Liver functions are many and include:

1. Bile production to assist breakdown of fat in digestion.

2. Metabolism of all nutrients absorbed from the small intestine in digestion.  All blood from the digestive system first passes through the liver.

3. Detoxification of toxins into waste products to be eliminated by the bowel or kidney.

4. Storage of vitamins and minerals.

5. Blood sugar balance.

6. Immune function support by destroying bacterial pathogens in the blood.

It makes sense that if your liver is overloaded with toxins that these functions are compromised and diminished.

Warning signs that your liver isn’t flushing out toxins properly and needs a little love are:

1. Feeling constantly tired, sluggish and fatigued.

2. Feeling nauseous following a fatty meal.

3. Headaches.

4. Cravings and blood sugar issues.

5. Weight gain, especially around the abdomen.

6. White or yellow coated tongue and/or bad breath.

7. Constipation.

8. Chemical sensitivities.

9. Skin issues - itching, rashes, acne and eczema.

10. Jaundice in eyes.

11. Joint pain.

12. Pain in liver area.

13. A short temper, and so much more.

Your liver is like a rubber band - it can only take so much stretch before damage begins. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, a liver detox can give your liver a rest and help rejuvenate your body and health with benefits of increased energy, weight loss, reduced brain fog and pain. When undergoing a liver detox you may experience symptoms like: nausea, headaches, insomnia, diarrhoea, body pains, irritability, etc.  However check below for things the liver loves that support it to cleanse and to minimise detox symptoms.

Liver Detoxification

There are 3 phases to liver detoxification and removal of waste from the bowel or kidneys:

Phase 1 consists of enzymes known as cytochrome P450 which neutralise and break down toxins into less harmful metabolites. Increasing antioxidants is protective against free radical damage.

Phase 2 then conjugates the water soluble metabolites by adding a nutrient, e.g. glycine, sulfur containing taurine, cysteine, etc, and follows conjugation pathways to remove metabolites from the body through bile, urine and stool. Cruciferous vegetables are a natural source of sulfur to enhance phase 2 detoxification pathways. Protein is important for amino acid conjugation; and vitamin C, selenium and turmeric support glutathione conjugation.

Phase 3 transports the phase 2 conjugates to: the kidneys to be filtered and eliminated via the urine; or to the bile to be eliminated via the digestive system and the stool. A daily bowel motion is vitally important to clear toxins and waste, otherwise they are reabsorbed by the body.

Check out the Bristol Stool Chart. You should be having one or two motions of type 3 or 4 each day. Make sure phase 3 is working well before focussing on phase 1 or 2. Common culprits of phase 3 not functioning well are:

• lack of magnesium

• lack of fibre

• lack of water

• lack of movement

• gut dysbiosis, i.e. imbalance of bacteria

• inflammatory foods

Liver loaders you should know about are:

1. Alcohol

2. Sugar

3. Trans fats

4. Pesticides

5. Chemicals sprayed on food and found in processed and refined food. Read ingredient lists to see what is really in your food.

6. Synthetic substances, chemicals and/or heavy metals found medicines, vaccines, conventional laundry, cleaning and skin products.

7. Smoking

These liver loaders have a highly toxic and cumulative effect on the body. The further we stray away from nature, the more health declines. By saying “no” or minimising liver loaders we support daily detoxification.

Liver lovers

Support daily detoxification by including liver lovers:

1. Bitter tastes. Eaten at the beginning of a meal bitter stimulates:
   - saliva to help digest carbohydrates;
   - hydrochloric acid in the stomach to help digest proteins;
   - and bile release to assist fat digestion.
   Eat bitter greens like: arugula, rocket, spinach, cruciferous vegetables (brocolli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale) and kitchen herbs like parsley, coriander, peppermint, etc. These contain glutathione, a master antioxidant.
   Other bitter foods are cacao (dark chocolate), green tea, and coffee (only if your body tolerates coffee). These can interfere with sleep, so best taken earlier in the day.

2. Sour tastes like lemon and citrus peel stimulate the liver to produce more enzymes to stimulate, accelerate, and catalyze numerous chemical reactions in the body. Adding lemon, lime or grapefruit to water can help improve liver function.

3. Bitter medicinal herbs like St Mary’s Thistle, dandelion, artichoke, burdock, turmeric etc.

4. Colourful foods rich in antioxidants like beetroot, carrots, berries, cranberries, citrus, greens etc.

5. Healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil.

6. Optimal hydration to flush toxins.

If you would like support to detoxify your liver, please connect with me for lots of other helpful information.