Loving your liver
Have you ever felt not quite your best and wondered why? If your symptoms revolve around feeling sluggish, easily fatigued, sugar cravings, and foggy thinking, then chances are high you are not giving your liver the love it needs.
Doctors hail the liver as one of your body’s hardest working organs. While it is quite amazing, performing hundreds of functions, all that work is to primarily help process, store or eliminate everything you put in your body.
If you bombard your body with alcohol and processed food – such as sweets, cakes and most pack
aged meals – your liver suffers. An unhealthy liver can lead to digestive issues, constipation, slow metabolism, and make weight gain more likely, as well as promote the formation of gas.
A disgruntled liver can even give you emotional issues – triggering depression, hormonal imbalances and mood swings.
Optimising your liver function is not hard, however. Try following these guidelines and you’ll be on your way to feeling better. Maximise nutrient intake by choosing meals containing all food groups: healthy protein, dairy, grains, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats. Put less strain on your liver by using coconut oil. Unlike most other fats, this healthy saturated fat is easily digested. Up your intake of crucifers – which include such vegetables as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy and daikon. All contain compounds that assist your liver’s ability to neutralise toxins such as pesticides (often sprayed on fresh produce), drugs and carcinogens. Add garlic. Garlic is one of the richest sources of the active sulphur-based compound allicin, which is critical for detoxification. It will boost your liver’s capacity to eliminate the hormone oestrogen, the chemical mercury and certain food additives. Onions, shallots and leeks do similar. Throw in some ginger and turmeric, too. Ginger nourishes your liver, unclogs blocked arteries and lowers blood cholesterol, while the antioxidants it contains are anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antimicrobial. Turmeric contains curcumin, found to heal your liver as well as aid detoxification. Another food that contains a nutrient vital for your liver is avocado. It is a source of glutathione as well as being full