This blog post contains information about how you can keep your liver healthy, and keep the rest of your body functioning a whole lot better.  I have also included a recipe for a liver-lovin’ salad that you can add to your menu.

Why is your liver so incredibly important?

It is the front line organ for filtering out your body’s toxins.  It is also responsible for balancing your hormones and preventing cancers linked to hormones.

I would guess that most people think that liver problems come from a very toxic lifestyle — usually associated with indulging in too many alcoholic “bevvies” on a consistent basis.  Well, you would be right in that assumption… but an unhealthy and stressed-out liver can also result from many other habits and lifestyle choices:

• Heavy protein intake
• Deep fried foods & trans fats (found in packaged and baked foods)
• Sugar
• Dairy products
• Coffee, pop, and other caffeinated beverages
• Medications
• Tobacco
• Artificial additives & preservatives
• Emotional Stress
• Unnatural cosmetics/skin products absorbed through the skin
• Excess weight
• Many of these checklist items are part of many people’s routine… So what can we do about them?  

First off, you can make the choice to eliminate, or at least lessen, the stressors to the liver.  Cut back on how many cups of coffee you have a day, take steps to eliminate stress or pick up some practices that will help you to cope with stress better.  You can choose to cut back on the amount of protein in the diet and adopt a healthier meal plan.  Take a look at the list above and figure out what you can do. These steps will all help.

There are also other steps that you can take to help out your liver — after all, it is the organ that takes the brunt of the workload when toxins are introduced to the body.  It NEEDS a break once in a while. (Thanks to Andrea — our front of the house holistic nutritionist — for compiling this very helpful list.)

**There is also a recipe for a great salad at the end of this post that is fantastic for liver support.

Here are some helpful ideas to support your liver:

• Eat organic foods to avoid toxic chemical residues.
• Start your day with lemon & water. It stimulates bile production, promoting detoxification.
• Avoid damaged fats such as hydrogenated fats found in many processed foods.
• Avoid excess saturated animal fat like sausage, bacon, salami, hotdogs.
• Drink lots of water!

Other Liver-healthy foods:

Sulfur rich foods: Garlic & onions

Cruciferous Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage

Foods high in Vitamin C: strawberries, sweet peppers, lemons & limes, oranges

Bitter Greens: dandelion, endive, chard, mustard greens

B complex vitamin foods: Eggs, brown rice, whole grains, spinach, broccoli

High antioxidant fruits & vegetables: beets, berries, kale, eggplant, grapefruit

High Fibre Foods: all fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes

Magnesium rich foods: avocado, walnut, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, sunflower seeds

“Love Your Liver” Simple Salad

• 2 handful of mixed greens
• 1 grated or chopped carrot or beet
• 2 tbsp. of ground flaxseed or hemp hearts
• ¼ to ½ cup of cooked quinoa
• Handful of raw nuts & seeds (almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds are good options)
• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• Avocado, peeled and diced

Add the juice from 1/2 a lemon and a couple teaspoons of olive oil.  Enjoy!