Hold the onions! Let's talk "liver". No, not beef liver, but human liver and its relationship to weight loss. This king of the organs is so important in our battle of the bulge, it's worth spending some quality time discussing it.
According to the American Liver Foundation, the liver is responsible for the following functions (and more):
? to convert the food we eat into stored energy, and chemicals necessary for life and growth;
? to act as a filter to remove alcohol and toxic substances from the blood and convert them to substances that can be excreted from the body;
? to process drugs and medications absorbed from the digestive system, enabling the body to use them effectively and ultimately dispose of them;
? to manufacture and export important body chemicals used by the body, one of these being bile, a greenish-yellow substance essential for the digestion of fats in the small intestine.
It is the fourth function that we are mostly concerned with, but it cannot be viewed except in light of the others. What I mean is that the liver has the ability to do only a certain amount of work in a day. If it is damaged or busy removing contaminants from the body, there is not enough time for it to deal with the fats that we consume. If not dealt with immediately, excess fat will be stored away until it can be.
The bile produced by our liver is passed along to the gall bladder, which then releases it in order to emulsify the fat. An emulsion is simply the combination of two or more items that will not naturally mix on their own. Think of oil and vinegar. On their own they separate; if mixed with a chemical emulsifier, they can be "forced" to remain together in an emulsion.
What practical application can this have for you? This means that you need to make sure that your liver isn't working overtime to remove toxins and such from your system, and make sure that you eat things that will help the liver to work at its utmost efficiency.
In the avoiding toxicity category, here are a few simple suggestions:
1. Avoid unnecessary drugs. Medicines are chemicals and must be removed by the liver. If you don't take them, your liver won't waste time removing them.
2. Avoid drinking alcohol. Your liver will have to work to remove it from your blood.
3. Avoid absorbing chemicals into your body. Wear a mask when using aerosols, wear rubber gloves when handling liquid chemicals, and NEVER use a solvent to "clean" paint, ink, or other sticky contaminants from your skin. Doing so causes the solvent and the contaminant to be absorbed into your body.
4. Avoid steroids and other hormones whenever possible.
As far as consuming, or not, certain foods, here are some guidelines:
1. Eat lots of fresh, preferably organic, fruits. Do not eat the canned fruit in sugary syrup.
2. Eat lots of fresh, preferably organic vegetables. These can be juiced and seasoned if the raw veggies alone are not palatable.
3. Reduce (dramatically) the amount of processed (refined) carbohydrates such as pasta, pastries, bread, and most other commercially baked goods.
4. Avoid hydrogenated fats. If a fat can sit in a can for ten years and not go rancid, how can you expect your body to easily process it? Margarine, shortening and most oils should be avoided. Extra virgin olive oil is one exception to this rule.
5. Avoid dairy products ? especially those that can contain hormones and pesticides.
6. Avoid deep fat fried foods. Duh...
7. Try to drink a gallon of water a day. A reader once asked if lemon squeezed into water would help you lose weight. I read recently that fresh lemon juice helps the liver to produce bile, which is definitely advantageous.
8. Drink Aloe Vera gel or juice. Aloe Vera helps to cleanse the liver and to flush fat deposits from the liver.
9. Eat more fiber. Not only does fiber readily attach itself to fat and help to clean the digestive tract, but it also helps to sweep toxins out of your system, thus limiting their ability to circulate back into the blood.
Some of these tips may seem redundant or obvious but it's very important to think of them in light of your liver and its ability to metabolize fat. If you do all that you can do to make your liver as effective as possible, it will do its best job as a fat-removing machine. As we can see here, there is more to keeping our liver efficient than just eating the right foods!
Reference: www.liverfoundation.org The Liver Foundation
Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (ccwebgroup.com/tips) and the Chief Technology Officer for http://www.wellnesspartners.com, an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as http://www.wellnesspartners.com, http://www.wellnesspartners.com, and Green Tea Extract.
cleaning team near Winnetka ..Browsing one of the Russian websites I have recently found... Read More
My name is Greg Ryan. I am a high profile... Read More
As a Master swimmer I am made painfully aware, each... Read More
There is no question that having a massage makes you... Read More
One of the biggest scams ever successfully pulled on the... Read More
In our never ending search for the illusive "Fountain of... Read More
Its crowded..really crowded..every other site offers Weight Loss Programs and... Read More
Acupuncture for weight loss is a modern application of this... Read More
Gastric bypass surgery involves stapling the stomach to make it... Read More
Diet Fads-Forget about 'EmAnother fad "best diet" bites the dust.... Read More
If you have been dieting, there is a good chance... Read More
Weight Loss and Water: A Way to Make Your Body... Read More
1. Start Exercising first thing in the morning.As soon as... Read More
There are certain eating habits that can make you gain... Read More
According to a recent survey by the National Health Institute,... Read More
An eating disorder is a life threatening condition that often... Read More
Protein is an essential nutrient necessary for maintaining good health.... Read More
In theory, if you're starving, exercising less helps conserve energy.... Read More
In twenty years of consistant exercising, maintaining a low percentage... Read More
At the beginning of December, WeightWatchers.com announced the release of... Read More
If you have a protruding abdomen, loose skin as a... Read More
1. Increase your water intake to at least 1 gallon... Read More
Let's face facts; obesity is ripe today in America and... Read More
America's Obesity EpidemicAs the numbers of overweight Americans continue to... Read More
Your brain has this really interesting system that is kind... Read More
family-safe home cleaners Northbrook ..The goal of many athletes and exercisers is to "get... Read More
When on a diet, snack attacks can hit hard and... Read More
We all have aspects of health we want to improve.... Read More
Gastric Bypass surgery is becoming increasingly more popular for the... Read More
I am so proud of you and your accomplishments. You're... Read More
Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come... Read More
Temporary weight loss is easy!You simply starve yourself on the... Read More
Weight Loss tipsAll throughout my childhood and teenage years I... Read More
One common question I receive is, "What do you do... Read More
It seems there are two schools of behavior patients follow... Read More
Let me tell you something - if you are doing... Read More
I'm sure you have pondered this question, for it is... Read More
If you were going to travel to the other side... Read More
The percentage of Americans who are overweight and obese is... Read More
A metabolism drug like ephedrine, has shown many people how... Read More
According to the American College of Surgeons, most severely obese... Read More
The incidences of deseases like obesity, diabetes, colon deseases etc.are... Read More
In the early nineties doctors were beginning to see the... Read More
The only absolute truth in the area of exercise and... Read More
Have you ever wondered with all the weight loss programs... Read More
It is a fact that about 70% Americans are overweight.... Read More
While exercising isn't complicated, it's very easy to make mistakes.... Read More
If you've been pursuing a lighter, healthier version of yourself,... Read More
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or... Read More
No doubt about it, when we feel stressed we want... Read More
Weight Loss |