Over the holiday season there are lots of reasons to indulge in foods, drinks and activities that don’t support our liver function. It is almost unavoidable, so here are a few of my favourite tips to keep your liver in its best shape and avoid unnecessary weight gain or a relapse of old symptoms.
From a dietary point of view, it is best to avoid foods that have been highly processed. Usually these are high in sugar, contain saturated or hydrogenated fats (think crisps and biscuits with a long shelf life) and artificial additives like colours, flavours and preservatives. Drinks are also an easy culprit for sneaking in high quantities of sugar, additives and of course alcohol.
I am by no means suggesting that we don’t indulge a little during this season; so how, I hear you asking, can we do it in moderation?
Start the day by rehydrating and kick start your liver with lemon water. Upon waking, fill a large glass (400-500ml) with warm water, add a generous squeeze of lemon or 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (brewed with the mother) and sip this over 5-10 mins while you prepare breakfast or go about your morning routine.
Why? Every morning after we wake up, our bodies are dehydrated from fasting through the night. Rehydrating while you have an empty stomach kick starts metabolism and peristalsis, thereby stimulating appetite and getting your bowels moving (an added bonus). The sourness of lemon or vinegar stimulates the liver, pancreas and gall bladder thereby setting you up for your first meal of the day. Warm water is a lot gentler on your body and reduces the amount of work it takes to warm the fluid before it can absorb and hydrate the body. Staying hydrated can be hard; especially when the weather is hot, we are busy rushing around, when we are out of routine and of course when we are drinking alcohol.
Ditch sweet breakfasts for savory ones. Avocado, roast veggies, eggs, beans, nuts, soup, lentils and even salads! Yes, salads! Think of how crisp and fresh salad leaves are first thing in the morning if you were to pick them fresh. By the end of a hot summer’s day, they are wilted and unappealing – that is because they are supposed to be eaten in the morning! Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big heavy meal if that’s not for you. Its more about it being high in vegetables, fibre and protein.
Why? The recommended daily intake of vegetables is 5 serves, and the recommended number of different vegetables that one should consume over a fortnight is 40 different types of vegetables! Many of you may think that sounds unachievable at first, but that is because many of us eat low nutrient-dense breakfasts such as toast and cereals. If we eat 2 serves of veggies at breakfast, then we are almost halfway there with our veggie intake for the day! Also, the reasoning behind 40 different types of vegetables over a 2-week time frame is to increase the diversity and richness of the microbiome. You don’t have to eat 40 full serves, you just want to expose your gut microbiome to different varieties of prebiotic fibers. Here are some examples of vegetables you might not have considered when trying to increase your vegetable intake; olives, seaweeds, sauerkraut, pickles, frozen edamame beans, tempeh, legumes or beans (canned is fine), sundried tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts.
Take postprandial walks. Postprandial is just a fancy term for “after a meal”. Doing some light exercise such as going for a walk around the neighborhood, doing the dishes and staking the dishwasher or playing ball with the kids roughly 30-60 mins after eating a main meal is all it takes to get the most out of your indulgent Christmas feast!
Why? Taking a walk after you have eaten a big meal means that you are moderating the spike in blood sugar that naturally occurs approximately 2 hours after a meal thereby moderating your blood glucose for the rest of the day. Movement also massages the smooth muscles of the digestive system making you feel lighter, less bloated after meals and stimulates the passage of stools.
Allow your body to sweat! I’m sorry if that sounds gross, but it is a natural route of excretion for toxins that we ingest (or come into contact with) to be safely removed. Many people are unaware that if they are using a deodorant says that its anti-perspirant then it is blocking this crucial route of elimination.
Why? Harmful chemicals such as pesticides, additives and hormone disruptors are found in our everyday foods, beauty products and cleaning products (just to name a few). Our body utilizes 4 main routes of excretion; breath (via lungs), urine (via kidneys), stools (via the liver and gallbladder) and sweat (via the skin). Swap to a natural deodorant and feel the difference in just a couple short weeks. At first you may notice that you are more smelly, but give it another week or so and once you have detoxified your natural body odour will neutralize and you won’t need to use harsh chemicals to lock the toxins in your body.
Dr Shirley O’Dwyer currently practices at Ranges Integrative Health on Wednesdays. Bookings can be made online from our bookings page or by calling 9754 2062.
