The liver is the metabolic super-achiever of your body and is vital for survival. It supports nearly every organ in the body by cleaning toxins from the foods you eat and drink, making hormones that help balance your blood sugar, processing fats, and making a variety of chemicals that your body needs to be healthy.
Guess which liver is healthy?
Your liver will keep on working for you, even if 3/4 of it has been damaged by alcohol, infection, and other environmental toxins (i.e., pesticides, prescription or over-the-counter drugs, etc). Unfortunately, excessive liver damage has been suggested to be a big contributor to the obesity epidemic in this country.
In a previous blog on nutrition - Got Greens? - I addressed that just because you have a healthy diet, it doesn’t mean that you can properly digest and absorb the nutrients from your healthy foods. A healthy liver typically breaks down dietary fat into usable energy, exporting any excess fatty acids and triglycerides to other organs for further metabolism.
Sometimes, however, the excess fat gets stored in the liver, which sometimes leads to inflammation, impaired function, and further complications. One condition that too much fat in the liver can lead to is insulin insensitivity, which in turn, leads to type 2 diabetes and inefficient weight loss.
The Quick Start Solutions?
1. Get regular physical exercise. The most effective and time-efficient mode of exercise is short duration high-intensity bursts intermingled with short duration low-intensity recovery periods. Not only do you burn a ton of calories during the workout, BUT your body keeps on working for you for several hours POST-workout as well.
2. Eat more raw vegetables. Many different enzymes are necessary to properly digest your food and absorb the nutrients. Raw vegetables are the BEST source of these digestive enzymes outside of the body. Include raw veggies with every meal and snack, especially the green leafy vegetables from the cruciferous family (i.e., broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale), which contain very specific phytonutrients that actually help fight against stubborn belly fat.
3. Consume less Fructose, especially high-fructose corn syrup. Fructose is the form of sugar readily found in most fruits and many sweetened beverages, including those so-called “healthy flavored waters”. Fructose is metabolized into fat in the liver much more readily than glucose, and, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is even worse! HFCS is found in so many of the processed foods, “healthy whole grain” breads and pastas, dressings and other condiments, pre-packaged meals and vegetables, and sugary drinks (i.e. soda) that have become staples in the new-age American diet. You name the food/drink, chances are, HFCS is in there. So, be sure to read your nutrition labels, and if you see HFCS listed, ESPECIALLY within the first 5-10 ingredients - PUT IT BACK! Spend a little extra $ on healthier foods now and you’ll be saving a lot of extra $$$$$ on medical bills and health costs later in life.
4. Supplement with Krill Oil. Antarctica krill are small shrimp-like creatures that feed many marine life including whales, seal, penguins, and other fish to supply their nutritional needs. Krill are a highly renewable source that is free from several environmental toxins and heavy metals, and RICH in omega-3 fatty acids. Current research has shown that by taking krill oil, you can reduce your liver fat by 60%, as compared to only 38% with fish oil. Keep in mind, not all krill oil is created equal. To ensure high quality at one of the most competitive prices on the market, use Prograde EFA Icon.
As for my mom who is now a 16 year liver transplant survivor, she is enjoying a healthy and active life. She was able able to receive a liver very quickly and had no complications, mainly due to the fact that she was in good health to begin with.
Remember that the fat you see on the outside is not the only thing working against you. Jump start your metabolism and weight loss by taking better care of your health TODAY!
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