Supermodels SA July 2013 | Page 20

Here are the foods that you should eat and the foods you should stop eating to springclean your liver: Stop drinking alcohol. Your liver filters toxic substances like alcohol out of your body. If you are trying to clean your liver, you must give up alcohol so that your liver can put all of its functioning capacity into healing itself. Trade your coffee habit for green tea. Green tea contains catechins, an antioxidant compound that has been shown to increase fat oxidization in the liver. Drink a cup of green tea daily to unclog the liver of fatty deposits. Cut down on fatty animal products. While eating fatty cuts of meat from pasture raised animals from local farms is generally good for your health, you need to cut down on these foods while springcleaning your liver. When your liver is clogged, it has a hard time metabolizing dietary fat. Because if it cannot process dietary fat at an optimum level, the liver will actually deposit fat back into the digestive tract, which can contribute to many digestive system problems including heart burn. Cut down on fatty animal products like dairy products and fatty meat cuts until your liver is functioning at an optimum level. Supplement with B vitamins. B vitamins like choline and inositol help the liver function optimally. Eat eggs for their high choline content. Eat liver supporting foods. Liver supporting foods like grapefruit, garlic, turmeric, lemons, limes, walnuts, avocados, and leafy green vegetables to name a few. Load up on fruits and veggies. On top of eating liver supporting foods, it’s a good idea to load up on fruits and veggies in general. Stick to fresh foods rather than canned, frozen, jarred, or processed varieties of fruits and veggies. Avoid trans-fats and refined carbohydrates. Trans-fats and refined carbohydrates are harmful to your body in general, but they are really bad for your liver. According to Byron J. Richards: “Unfortunately, your liver is expected to deal with this problem with both hands tied behind its back. For example, the excess leptin production from white adipose tissue causes a depression in its companion hormone, adiponectin. Low adiponectin in turn causes insulin resistance in your liver, which raises your blood sugar and simultaneously converts sugar to fat in your liver. Now your liver cannot process carbohydrates properly, resulting in easy weight gain or weight regain from eating carbohydrates. Having a fatty liver elevates the risk for type 2 diabetes by 500 percent.” Exercise 3 - 5 times per week. Exercise plays a key role in regulating many bodily functions, including promoting healthy liver function. Exercise causes your muscles to call for calories, giving the liver a preferred place to shuttle excess calories that would typically be stored in the liver. Exercise also turns on genes that enhance your metabolism. Now is the perfect time to springclean your liver.