Show Love to Your Liver

During this time of year a lot of people are having family and friends get together and consuming a lot more alcohol, rich foods and sugary desserts. What they don’t realize is that they are putting a lot more strain on our largest organ, namely our liver.  Did you realize the liver has over 500 functions?   It processes almost everything you consume, breathe in or absorb through your skin.  It works tirelessly as a purification plant to eliminate cellular waste products such as ammonia, as well as environmental toxins like heavy metals, pollutants and drugs.  Nearly all the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines passes through the liver for processing.  It helps in the production of blood clotting factors, blood, proteins, bile and more than 1,000 enzymes. It helps utilize cholesterol in the blood.  It stores energy from food to provide fuel for your muscles.  It helps regulate blood sugar levels and hormones in your body.

So while you are consuming less than healthy food and beverage options; your liver can suffer from disorders ranging from cirrhosis to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and even cancer all which puts severe stress in the liver and can impair its function.  Even drinking water that is not purified can be harmful. Thousands of chemicals are added to food and more than 700 have been identified in unfiltered drinking water.  Plants are sprayed with toxic chemicals, animals are injected with potent hormones and antibiotics and now a large portion of our food is genetically engineered, processed, refined, frozen and cooked.  This all destroys the major vitamin, mineral and enzyme content of our food.  Never mind the unhealthy fats one consumes in processed and fried foods.

So what can we do to protect our liver?  For over 2,000 years the herb milk thistle has been used to treat liver and gall bladder dysfunction.  Milk thistle contains silymarins which protect the liver. They are great antioxidants that can help prevent oxidative damage in the liver.  It also helps replace older damaged cells. It is very helpful in cases of hepatitis.  Nature’s Sunshine Products has two products that contain milk thistle.  One is called Milk Thistle Time Release. The other is called Milk Thistle Combination that contains N-Acetyl-Cysteine, dandelion, choline, inositol and Vitamins A and C besides the milk thistle.

Another product that is great for the liver is SAM-e.  Glutathione is a super antioxidant involved in every cell in our body but is critical to liver function as it helps process and excretes toxins that damage the liver.  Same is needed for the syntheses of glutathione in the body.  Of course Same is needed not only for the liver but for every cell in our body. Depression is associated with the liver, therefore Same is beneficial for cases of depression as it helps the liver.

Exercise helps the body detoxify which takes a load off the liver. Drinking plenty of pure water instead of soda, coffee and alcohol is great for not only your liver but your entire body.  Increasing the consumption of fiber like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and brown rice is also beneficial.  Cruciferous vegetables are also known to be anti-cancer vegetables and are beneficial not only for the liver but the entire body. Some cruciferous veggies include:   brussel  sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower.

So make wise choices during these cold winter months. Yes we like to have comfort foods but we should limit their intake so we don’t do permanent damage to our bodies especially our liver.