The importance of your liver

The liver is one of the most important, vital organs in our body. Having a good healthy liver fueled by good habits and good food is the key to having a healthy overall life. 

The liver is responsible for metabolic processes, detoxification, and production of digestive material. The liver does a lot of the bodies processing of nutrients, so it must receive them in order to work properly. The best way to satisfy the liver’s needs is to have a diverse, balanced diet, where all the nutrients and mineral requirements are being met. Consuming sources of vitamin C, especially, helps the liver carry out essential digestive material production. Our livers are also a storehouse for nutrients. A good diet with a balanced content of these will ensure than when in need of nutrients, your body has a reliable storing facility that will provide. 

The key thing to ensure a healthy liver is to lower or eliminate processed sugar and alcohol consumption. Both of these products will be processed by the liver and converted to fat. When the body is not in need of glucose or energy, it will turn sugars that aren’t needed into fats. With processed sugars, not only will these lower a body’s insulin sensitivity, but those sugars are most likely turned into fat. With alcohol, the liver will process it as a toxin, and turn those molecules in something harmless for the body, like fat. In turn, the more alcohol and processed sugars, the more fat is produced by the liver. A fatty liver is when at least 5% of the liver is taken up by fat, and that by itself encourages other health problems. 

This is why I have been backing the claim, that maybe high fructose corn syrup is actually killing us. Sometimes these processed sugars and alcohols are very easy to come by and can have addictive qualities. Moderation is key, but it is very hard to keep moderated with sugar in today’s society. We have to be more aware of what we are eating and take the right choices. 

Our liver is quite the organ, being the heaviest and the one that can regenerate. However, this does not mean we should just go around and drink all the alcohol out there and eat as much sugar as we can. Permanent liver damage is irreversible and if you want to live long and healthy, it is a good idea to keep your liver in check. 

In order to maintain a healthy liver, one must have a healthy lifestyle. Exercise and a good diet is the best care that the liver can receive. In today’s society, we seem to dismiss our health, especially when it comes to nutrition. Another factor that has to be taken care of is our emotional health, because more often than not the problem is buried deep within us and not in our diet. Although these claims might not be backed up by science, our emotions may be affecting our liver’s health too. If we live stressed and angry we are more likely to eat refined carbs and high fat content foods. We are more likely to fall for quick stress relievers and forms of pleasure. Therefore, the proposal I provide is to take time for yourself, outside in nature. Being outside and in fresh air will decrease stress levels, and a good walk or run or even swim might be the answer to a healthy, long, quality life and a healthy liver.