Our LIVEr

 

The weekend is upon us. Often, it ends up being the most costly two days of our week. A common thought that we feel we have "earned" some reward for our disciplined week. Drinks start flowing, less healthy food choices seem more acceptable, we "rest" our bodies more, etc. I'll get into the caloric and weight consequences of this in another post. Today I want you to consider your vital organ the LIVER.  

We all know about the blood that runs through us... there is a lot of it and it goes to every nook and cranny in our body. It is our transportation system. Nutrients, oxygen, hormones, protein, energy (fat and carbs), and all the other things get carried in this transportation system throughout our body. The LIVER is the Grand Central Station of our blood. It does all the processing, organizing, and redistributing of the things in our blood. We cannot live without a LIVEr. Some people are forced to live with half of one, but there is no way to live without it. For our purpose today... I want to talk in simple terms.  

There are foods and drinks that are EASY for the liver to process... blood brings those components in they are easily broken down and sent to where they need to go. Easy/good foods for the liver to process: oatmeal, broccoli and green veggies, olives, blueberries, plums, nuts (in moderation), dark chocolate (in moderation), even coffee in moderation has some benefits. Whole foods are the name of the game. We are a species that is intended to eat whole foods. We, humans, have not evolved remotely close to the speed of the industrial food industry. Remember, we have been evolving for THOUSANDS of years to get to where we are now. Our food industry has basically evolved in the last 100 of those thousandS of years. So, as amazing as our body is.... we are biologically an abacus and our food is the iPhone 15. It will take another thousand years (if we make it) for our biology to catch up with processing all the foods available to us TODAY. This does not even consider the increased alcohol and drug use that is prevalent in our culture.  

So all the fatty foods: burgers, fries, milkshakes, fried chicken, potato chips, candy, quesadillas, queso, all of it beats the shit out of our liver. It is incredibly taxing for our liver to process this stuff. It does it, because the body is still the most miraculous creation ever ... fill in your belief here. However, we would ALL be unimaginably more lean, healthy, and likely happier, if we didn't beat the shit out of our liver.  

When we throw alcohol and drugs into the equation... imagine poor food choices as a dumpster fire for the liver and adding gasoline and other accelerants to the mix... we now have a raging wildfire for the liver to handle. It is just so taxing. And just like all of us, when we work too hard for too long, we get burned out, we get sick, we don't function as well, and eventually we will hit a massive wall. The same thing happens with our livers.  

All of this to say, be kind to your liver. Start now. The damage most of us have done, is repairable (see 👆, amazing human body).  I don't want you to think I am standing on a stage talking down to you. I have my own vices that I tax my liver with that I am trying to manage. I am saying push yourself toward a life of moderation. What does moderation look like? It is the serving size on a package or drink you are consuming. It's having two drinks instead of four, six, or eight. It is retraining your thoughts to seeing food and drink as fuel to help your body function instead of guilty pleasures that you reward yourself with. If you had the means to own a high end car, Ferrari or Porsche, would you fuel it with low level unleaded? Your body is that Ferrari. Fuel it and nurture it with good foods and water.  

Looking more specifically for what good food vs. bad food looks like? Throw a comment in the comment section and I will get a common foods list together so you have a better idea.  

Have a great weekend y'all. Make good choices!!!