6 simple ways to love your liver

The liver is one of the most important organs in your body for detoxification.  Keeping your liver healthy and supporting its ability to break down hormones efficiently is one of the best things you can do live longer and feel better as you age.  Good liver function is essential for healthy hormone balance, protecting against free radical damage and supporting detoxification pathways.

 Here are 6 easy lifestyle changes you can make to give your liver the love it deserves: 

1. Reduce your alcohol intake. Study after study is finding that alcohol can have damaging effects on our liver (not to mention our gut and brain health too!) Try to cut down on alcoholic beverages, reserving them only for special occasions or eliminate your intake for a specific period of time and stick with it.  Dry January can turn into Dry June if you like!  To make it easier to adjust, stock your fridge non-alcoholic alternatives and mocktail recipes that you enjoy.  A scoop of this power up mixer tastes great with sparkling water and will also benefit your liver with antioxidants to fight free radicals. 

2. Be conscious of sneaky weight gain as you get older. If you’re over 40, you know how easily one or two pounds per year can start to add up.  Fatty liver disease is closely linked to obesity, so make the effort to trim down if you’ve reached an unhealthy weight.

3. Hydrate. This is one of the easiest, most affordable things we can do that often gets overlooked. Filtered water helps flush out toxins from your system and keeps your liver working optimally. 

4. Find healthier alternatives for processed foods, flour and refined sugar, and keep healthy snacks on hand to prevent you from having a hunger attack and eating food that you regret later.  Click here to see which protein bar is our all-time favourite (nutritionist approved too!). 

5. Incorporate vegetables that are high in water soluble fibre and antioxidants into your weekly meal plan.  A few excellent examples are pears, apples, beets, artichokes, carrots. Antioxidants in these foods bind onto free radicals during detoxification of harmful substances. They also have the benefit of anti-carcinogenic properties. Cruciferous foods high in sulphur such as cabbage, Brussel sprouts, garlic, onion, and eggs are also beneficial. 

6. Support with carefully selected supplements: In addition to a high quality multi-vitamin, Glutathione assists in a number of ways by protecting your liver from damage and helping in the breakdown of alcohol. During times of the year when you know you will be consuming alcohol, it's a good idea to increase your glutathione intake, both in your diet and by additional supplementation if needed. Milk thistle has long held the title as a super star for liver support, and for good reason, since its essential in supporting detoxification pathways. Its effectiveness for all sorts of liver disorders has been confirmed through laboratory studies and extensive clinical trials.

Did you know? 

The active ingredients in milk thistle are flavonoids collectively known as silymarin. Milk Thistle Extract is indicated for liver disease associated with alcohol abuse, chronic hepatitis, and protects those working with toxic chemicals and other substances harmful to the liver. It can protect, repair, and regenerate the liver, supporting its many important functions.