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- Liver
- Thyroid
- Adrenal Glands
Combined, these three organs rule your metabolism and when they're not working up to snuff it becomes very hard for your body to build muscle, burn fat, and reap all the benefits from healthy eating and consistent exercising. It's REALLY important to remember to care for these organs when you consider your diet and lifestyle- flushing, detoxing, and cleansing these organs will help keep your body's metabolism revved.
Rather then tackle all three right now (and risk overwhelming you guys) I'll start with the liver, and save the thyroid and the adrenal glands for subsequent posts.
The liver makes proteins that regulate blood clotting, neutralizes toxins in the blood, produces immune agents to fight infection, generates bile to help digest fat, and stores glucose for energy. Your liver is basically the metabolic factory of the entire body, although most people don't realize it. The liver has the potential to make you a fat burning or a fat storing machine depending on how you care for it.
There are several ways in which your liver burns fat;
- It manufactures bile acids, which act like laundry detergent (so to speak). They break down the cheese fries you ate last night.
- Bile acids also switch on the activity of brown fat- a caloric incinerator that burns calories rather then storing them.
- Bile acids also carry excess fat to the small intestines for disposal. If your diet is high in fiber from fruits, veggies, and whole grains then the unwanted fat is washed from the body via the bowels.
Your liver also has the detox job in the body- it works to detoxify everything you eat, drink, swallow, smoke, rub, or otherwise work into your bloodstream. Almost every substance found in your body or put in your body including chemicals, bacteria, hormones fungi, viruses, and parasites are filtered through the liver for removal. I tend to think of the liver as your body's garbage disposal. It works NONSTOP to clean up and remove junk from your body.
This makes your liver very vulnerable to overload. When overload occurs your liver ceases to operate optimally, and it cannot remove or detoxify all of the junk that comes its way. Nor can it do a good job of breaking down proteins, fats, or carbs. The body will start to poison itself.....this is often what happens to people who are chronically sick with headaches, inflammatory diseases, and skin disorders. Many of these chronic problems can be attributed to a sick liver. Toxins that cannot be processed by the liver (due to overload) escape into the bloodstream and weaken your immune system. The result can be autoimmune disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, arthritis, and firbomyalgia. The body, in essence, turns on itself.
Creepy-I know. But the general public tends to think that as long as they're not throwing back booze every night the liver will take care of itself. NOT TRUE. We have more toxins in this country then the rest of the world, in fact third world residents have healthier livers then we do. They simply don't have chemically enhanced or additive laden foods or foods pumped up with hormones. In this country more people then ever are overweight and sick and health professionals are beginning to look inward for the answer- to our livers.
The following are some symptoms of a sick liver;
- Weight gain (in the midsection)
- Cellulite
- Bloating
- Allergies
- Gluten intolerance
- Indigestion
- Constipation
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Hormone imbalance
- Hypoglycemia
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Yeast overgrowth
- Skin disorders
- Sleeplessness
- Bad breath
- Disorientation of confusion
- Itchiness
- Discolored stools
If ANY of these sound like you- it COULD be an overworked liver, in which case some damage control is needed. The liver is repairable- it can be restored and rejuvenated with a little TLC. Giving your liver some love will help your body burn fat more efficiently (weight loss) and will help make you less vulnerable to dietary indulgences. You won't have to "panic" when you indulge in a cheat meal or treat food as long as you get back to clean eating immediately after.
To help take care of your liver I recommend the following;
- Drink PLENTY of water-at LEAST two to three liters of pure water a day to help detox the body and assist the bile acids in flushing out the toxins. Add some lemon for flavor if needed- remember that water with lemon is a natural fat metabolizer and can burn fifty to seventy calories a day just from drinking it!
- Eat organic if you can! It contains fewer toxins and makes things easier on your liver
- Supplement with liver friendly herbs. I take milk thistle to help cleanse my liver. Milk thistle acts as an antioxidant in the liver, which means it fights free radicals. Other liver healers are licorice root, skullcap, red clover blossom, and slippery elm bark. You can find liver cleanse supplements that include blends or all or some of the above
- Increase your fiber- mostly from fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
- Get enough B Vitamins. B Vitamins are involved in the movement of fat. If in doubt take a B Vitamin multi.
One organ down- next up- THE THYROID!!!! :)
