Hormonal Problems? Try Giving Your Liver A Break

We talk about our “poor liver” after a night out indulging in a few too many drinks.

That’s because the liver is responsible for eliminating toxins, such as alcohol, out of the body. It’s the largest internal organ and performs a whopper 200 functions including regulating hormones. No wonder we feel sorry for it after drowning it with booze! It’s a hard worker and very important for your hormonal health. So, if your hormones are a bit awry, then it’s likely that your liver might be a little sluggish.

The liver functions like a pool filter cleaning system. Just as the pool filter cleans out the water by catching leaves, dirt and insects, the liver cleans our bodies from harmful chemicals and toxins found in food and the environment.

Alcohol, drugs (legal and illegal – it still needs to process that Nurofen), pesticides in foods, chemicals in skin care, environmental pollution, and not enough nutrients are all liver stressors. It is capable of freeing us from these toxins, but the challenge is when the load is higher than what it can handle. This is when toxicity takes a toll on us. It ends up working extra hard to remove these excess toxins, instead of doing its other jobs in the body.

It might not be what you automatically think of when you want to get your hormones in check, but liver function and hormone balance are intimately connected. Look after it – healthy liver function is the underpinning of hormone balance.

Reduce the burden on your liver whenever possible, and feed it with enough detoxifying nutrients so it’s kept happy.

Happy Liver Guidelines…

Try to not overeat.

I know it’s hard when you’re at a breakfast buffet and your eyes are bigger than your belly BUT your liver can’t handle all that load at once.

Cut down on the alcohol.

Remember, it’s the when the liver gets overloaded with all the toxic substances that it gets overworked. Which is more important – that third gin & tonic or getting your hormones in check. Leave it at just the two next time you’re out and your liver will thank you for it.

…And the sugar and caffeine.

As with alcohol, sugar and caffeine are also liver loaders!

Eliminate processed foods.

As well as greasy fatty foods, and those with preservatives or other additives from your diet. Think of the filter system – it doesn’t like any of these so will have to work extra hard to clean them out of you.

Water.

So simple, but we underestimate its importance. Drink plenty of it to help eliminate the toxic and excess substances.

Reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals

And choose organic whenever possible. There are so many environmental toxins occurring in our homes, workplace and in our food supply.

Eat foods that cleanse your liver.

Bitter greens are great for cleansing the liver. Try spinach and beetroot (beet for you American folk) greens. Beetroot is also fab for your liver. Foods high in potassium are so good for liver support.

Guess what? Bananas are not the top potassium source – sweet potatoes are! Plus, cooked and concentrated tomatoes (so basically homemade tomato sauce), white, kidney and butter beans, as well as bananas, of course. Turmeric is also a fantastic ingredient to incorporate into your daily diet for liver detoxification.

Place all the ingredients in a pot and warm gently. Pour into a mug and enjoy.

This is great to have in the evenings, maybe an hour or two before bed. It helps with sleep also!