How to Maintaining Liver Health

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR LIVER?

You might not think about your liver often, he second largest organ in your body (after the skin), your liver works tirelessly to keep you healthy—performing a stunning array of tasks. This workhorse filters everything you eat and drink, helps usher toxins safely out of the body, regulates blood sugar levels, stores extra sugar in the form of glycogen, and converts extra carbohydrate and protein into forms that can be stored for later use. Your liver also produces the body’s “liquid gold”—bile—which breaks down fats so they can be absorbed, and carries waste out in the stool. Your liver even breaks down old or injured blood cells. It stores iron. It stores clotting molecules for the blood.

Unfortunately, this remarkable organ can be excessively burdened by the onslaught of toxicants so common in everyday life—chemicals, poor food, sweet snacks and sodas, excess alcohol, pollution and the constant stress we all face today. Then there is our “obesogenic” food environment, which tempts us to eat high-fat, sugary, refined foods that seem to beckon from every television commercial, store, and restaurant, and place a significant burden on the liver’s detoxification system. Finally, the liver is impacted by chronic stress, a feature of contemporary life—which can lead to chronic high levels of cortisol, and contribute to fatty liver.But, that doesn't mean you can't show your liver some love! Here are Ways to Cleanse and Support Your Liver:

  • Choose foods that support liver health

Eating "clean" is the best way to support your body's natural detoxification efforts. That's why it's important to enjoy well-balanced meals with plenty of grains, fruit, veggies, whole-grain bread, rice and cereals. When it comes to what to drink, you can't beat plain water!

  • Skip foods that burden your liver

You probably know already that you should lay low on sugar, salt and foods that are high in fat—but did you know that skipping these foods will also support a healthy liver? Also watch out for alcoholic beverages—moderation is key.

  • De-Liver the right nutrients

Supplementing with the right nutrients can help you support and maintain your liver health. Look for ingredients like milk thistle, NAC, vitamin B1, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc and more. Explore more of our liver health supplements!

  • Support Glutathione Levels

Your liver’s ability to transform toxic molecules into less toxic ones, and then help your body excrete them, depends on two phases of detoxification. Phase I liver detoxification utilizes specialized enzymes to help neutralize innumerable substances. Phase II detoxification goes even further, and neutralizes the byproducts of Phase I. Then the toxins are removed from the body. To detoxify, your liver relies on many enzymes and molecules, but the most important may be glutathione. Levels of glutathione are naturally higher in the liver than the rest of your body.
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