Is Your Liver Fuel Efficient?

Liver imbalance may make you feel down-and-out when you think you should be full of life or living. An overload of fat can make the liver function below its optimum level of performance. Your liver is the central processor of fats.

A person who is overweight and older than 30 years of age can have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. The web site www.liverdoctor.com describes the appearance of a fatty liver and gives input on a liver cleansing diet:

 “the liver cells and the spaces in the liver are filled with fat so the liver becomes slightly enlarged and heavier. The liver has a yellow greasy appearance. There may be discomfort over the liver, which is situated in the right upper abdominal area. There may be gallstones composed of cholesterol and bile salts.”

The liver is able to regenerate itself using a cleansing diet. One practitioner, Dr. Maoshing Ni, writes about artichokes being beneficial for your liver.

"This delicious vegetable is a powerful liver protector because it contains a flavonoid called silymarin, a strong antioxidant. Studies on animals have shown that silymarin may be helpful against liver toxicity and cancer."

I began to consider the importance of the liver on my own health after hearing a presentation from a health educator in a business networking group I attend. Mary Carney described the function of the liver but also its impact on our energy or lack of energy. She writes a health column for the Mountain Views-Observer published in Sierra Madre, California.

She changed her diet after blood tests showed "unsettling liver enzyme levels."

The liver is a resilient organ, Mary wrote in an article. "I know our livers can regenerate, rebuild and repair themselves almost faster than any other organ in the body. All we have to do is nutritionally support them to do so."

This has helped me put staying at a comfortable weight in perspective. It's not just about losing weight so I feel better or look better. But losing extra weight is one way to prevent a fatty liver from developing and this, in turn, will assist in a more efficient processing and storing of fats.

So if you're feeling out of sorts, you might want to consider what is happening with your liver.