What is your liver and why is it important?
The liver is the largest gland in the body, weighing about three pounds in an adult. It is also one of the most important organs. The liver lies in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and is protected by the surrounding ribs. She filters blood, makes bile, breaks down hormones, regulates blood sugar and detoxifies toxins and oh so much more.
The liver is amazing!
She can lose ¾ of her cells and STILL function, continuing with more than 500+ vital functions for the body. Yet we generally don’t give our liver much thought or care. She’s out of sight, out of mind. We can’t see her, we can’t feel her like our heartbeat, so how do we even know she’s there? Our livers are our greatest allies in good health, she is working hard for us day and night!
The liver defends the body against all the insane pollutants we are regularly exposed to. Our environments are filled with chemical toxins from the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the products we use on our skin and the products we use to clean our dishes, clothes and house. And it is our livers that have to bear the burden of it all and even do the clean up job. Think antibiotics, pesticides, fungicides, cleaning products, solvents, plastics, heavy metals, radiation, chronic dehydration, low-fibre diets, cellular waste from bacterial, viral and fungal infections, excess fats in the diet and preservatives from processed foods. Not to mention we also inherit toxins at conception and in utero, so we aren't even coming into the world with a clean slate. If mom has mercury fillings then baby will have trace amounts of mercury already in their systems! With all these toxins board I'm sure you can imagine how very stressful it is on the body. It’s pretty hard for our bodies to pull the nourishment we require daily to feel fully vitalized and alive from the toxic soup of life we take in everyday.
The liver is like a storage house, a filter, a processing centre and a garbage service all in one amazing organ!
We can mistreat our liver for many years, and she will continue to do all the much needed work for us. Unfortunately we don’t often correlate the many health issues we may be experiencing with our bogged down toxic livers and therefore continue to mistreat it daily.
You can be mindfully aware of your health, eat well, exercise regularly, keep your immune system strong but if you aren’t supporting your liver regularly you may have an organ working with only half its capacity (or less) by the time we are 40!
Could so many of the symptoms, health complaints and diseases experienced in our time actually be symptomatic of an overburdened liver?
Fatigue, hormone imbalances, gas and bloating, allergies, chemical sensitivity and poor sleep are all signs of a burdened liver.
You can support your liver through diet!
What you are eating, matters! Consider a low-sugar, high-fibre and moderate fat diet to begin supporting your liver. Best to eat real whole foods and organic whenever possible. Whole foods are anything that rots on your counter. Vegetables, fruits and healthy fats. Vegetables that grow above the ground tend to be less starchy than the ones that grow under the earth. Starchy vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes will have more of an impact on your blood sugar levels and balancing your blood sugars will help support better liver function. So decreasing your fruit intake is helpful for that as well. Stick to your berries for best results and stay away from tropical fruit that's imported. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are ideal for detoxing the liver of harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals also high in fibre with is helpful for regulating bowel movements. When we are trying to detoxify the liver pooping is so important! When choosing protein sources cage-free eggs, grass-fed meat and wild caught fish is best. Use herbs like turmeric, oregano, parsley and coriander in your dishes. Cut out (or at least reduce) packaged foods, alcohol and caffeine.
Incorporate dandelion, turmeric and ginger teas into your day.
Supplements like milk thistle, NAC, artichoke leaf, turmeric root and dandelion root may enhance liver health.
We only get one liver and this very precious protective organ needs to be appreciated and respected. She is our most intelligent organ with all its many intricate and complex responsibilities in the body. She is incredibly loving and caring and constantly works hard for you even through constant bombardment.
Love your liver!
In health,
Sheena