The liver.  That childhood food, that if cooked the right way, was a tolerable once a month family dinner.

My other childhood memory of “the liver” was that people occasionally perished from liver disease that was usually associated with a level of alcoholism.  That’s it!  That was my experience of the liver.

A couple of things happened simultaneously.  Within my circle there was first the diagnosis then ultimate untimely passing of dear ones due to liver disease.  These were people whom I knew their lifestyle habits.  There was no level of alcohol abuse happening.

Then through good fortune I attended a seminar that was focused around “diet”.  A doctor spoke of the liver and its role in weight management.  A couple of tidbits of information were:

A)     Fructose.  Stay away from it.  It has an ability to sneak into the liver and it is very hard for the liver to process.

B)      Binge drinking.  It’s not the calories in alcohol that cause the weight gain.  It’s the weekend, Friday night, party night.  After an over indulgence it takes the liver a week to process/clean out the system.  The liver is also crucial in metabolising fats.  As much as we can multi task, some parts of the body cannot.  Given the choice, the liver basically focuses on the alcohol, as it appears the most immediate threat, for the complete week.  JUST when it’s ready to get back to fat, the weekend comes again.  And so the cycle continues.  The weight gain is the minimal of the concerns.  As miraculous as the body is, it can only take so much of this and disease happens.

THEN having another good fortune, being with the company at the right place, I got to hear Dr.Libby Weaver talk liver health.

We all know by now the skin is the largest organ, it absorbs EVERYTHING we put on it.  The liver, it’s the second largest.  It now processes not only everything we put in our bodies but also everything we put on it

Considering some of you are still using chemical and parabin loaded products on your skin and still eating processed foods (yes that includes eating out)……….Man that’s a lot of work on your liver!!!!

Hormones……..your dear liver even processes those!  Those monthlies and menopause, have you noticed that not only yours, but for the men, those around you have gotten, hmmmm, shall we say a little more intense?

The best and easiest way Dr.Libby explained it:  hold out your hand, open your fingers.  Imagine where your wrist is as the entry to your liver from your body.  Everything, EVERYTHING that goes into your body and on your skin is coming in through your wrist.  Your palm is your liver.  Your fingers are the exit.  Folks, we have a traffic jam happening.  OVERLOAD.  Things (hormones, chemicals, alcohol) are unable to exit and leave the body.  What happens?  They go right back into your system, to try again at another time.

Now imagine that happening day after day, week after week, year after year……..breakdown>>>>>>>>>disease.

The liver is the major fat burning organ in the body and regulates fat metabolism. In her book “Accidentally Overweight” , Dr. Libby offers a quickie test to see if you need to lover your liver more.  Take your hand; that area right under where a bra strap would be (under the pecs for you guys), and place it there.  IF you feel a liver roll you may want to think about making some changes.

Ok, so you get it.  You want to (hopefully not NEED to yet) make some changes.  Start with your “diet”.

*Stay away from sugars
*avoid foods that are processed
*take a lot more “C” –  RDA doesn’t cut it anymore.  Reach for optimal levels
*eat veggies and greens.  Go for color
*eat your food raw or at least one meal a day
*get off the drugs
*eat less fat

Foods that support your liver (organic is best):

*garlic
*grapefruit
*beets, carrots
*avocados
*apples
*olive oil
*lemons/limes
*walnuts
*cabbage
*turmeric (the livers favourite spice)

AND remember your supplements……..

*ESSENTIALS
*BiOMEGA
*HEPA PLUS
*FIBERGY
*PROBIOTIC

In recognizing the difficulty for many people in making changes that support their health on many levels I offer a two step transition:

STEP ONE:  OBSERVE.  For one week simply observe yourself.  Imagine that you are observing someone else’s life.  Step outside yourself and notice your habits, what you feed yourself.  Notice the triggers.  The times of the day and when in your life that better choices can be made

STEP TWO:  DECIDE.  Pick just one of those non-health supporting habits and resolve to, for just one week, change it/stop it.

You have just learned a valuable skill.  Time to take it onto another level, another health supporting habit.

An example: after a week you notice you don’t drink enough water.  You start to drink more.  Then you add a lemon wedge.  The next week it’s a slice of lime as well.  You then may even venture into filtered water.

It really is THAT easy.

 

 

“Life is inherently risky.  There is only one big risk you should avoid at all cost and that is the risk of doing nothing   

–  Denis Waitely