Liver Lovers Anonymous.....

  

Years ago, in our first pastorate, we hosted a social gathering in our home for married couples in our congregation.  We called it “Liver Lovers’ Night.”  The idea was to provide those who enjoyed the taste of liver to experience it, while those who didn’t particularly like the meat were served pizza. It was always a fun night.

When I was a child, nutritionists taught that one of the most important meats for children to eat was liver.  Organ meats hold higher levels of nutrients than muscle meats; by as much as 100 times more!  Because of these teachings, most parents in the sixties believed that minerals and vitamins were found in the liver in greater quantities than in other meats. Our family ate liver once a week.

These days, there is even more information available. Now, in a new millennium, health advocates remind us to eat liver from younger calves; calves that have been grass-fed, raised without anti-biotics, hormones or chemicals. And, when healthy, the benefits of plentiful. Liver meat is loaded with iron, vitamins, minerals, proteins and healthy fats.

Now, I have to say that these days, I don’t eat as much liver as I used to. I’m not sure why. I think I just got out of the habit.

There was a season when a nasty, and untrue, rumor was going around that liver meats should be avoided. The idea was based on discoveries made at that time about the human liver. The human liver serves as an “end of the line” in the body for toxins. When the liver is overloaded, the body reacts with one or more of the following symptoms:

1.    Feeling bloated after eating, or digestive discomfort

2.    Difficulty losing weight

3.    Moodiness, frequent irritability: unexplainably stressed

4.    Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep

5.    Itchy skin or other symptoms of allergic reaction

6.    Frequent illness; weakness/ low immunities

7.    Craving salty, starchy or sweet foods

8.    Having a hard time staying focused on a task, or concentrating; brain fog

9.    Unexplained headaches or other pains

10. Dark circles under the eyes; skin blemishes

11. Chronic fatigue

12. Yellowish skin or sclera (white of the eyes)

If a person identifies with two or

more of these symptoms, it is a pretty reliable

indicator the person’s liver is working too hard to purify their blood completely. Such symptoms are signs your body is struggling with an overload of toxins, and probably needs to be detoxified.

If you think your health is in a similar place to my own experience, let me encourage you to do the “first things first.” Choosing to regularly detoxify my digestive system and liver function was one of the first things presenting itself after my diagnosis. Do the first things. Begin making choices to cleanse your liver and digestive system.  Try not to use a quick, all-at-once cleanse. Rather, make some life adjustments: 

a) make sure you eat enough fiber and raw foods (fruits and veggies) to keep your colon and digestive system clean,

b) take Vitamin C each day,

c) exercise

d) drink 100 ounces of water each day,

e) take a supplement that contains Milk Thistle (to normalize liver function), and Glutathione (a natural enzyme that fights inflammation). Such a product enables a daily life-style of detoxification, especially as we are getting older. (I like “Synergy7” or “Liver Detoxifier and Regenerator” from NOW Foods.)

f) try to eat “clean” food – organic, not processed, sugar and preservative free

When I learned the importance of liver maintenance, it opened an entirely new door for me. Suddenly, I had a voice in determining how much energy I was going to experience on a day-to-day basis. I didn’t have to go through a week or two of cleanses, feeling awful every six months or so. I could maintain a detox on a full-time basis, and continue to build my health and recovery.  Learning how to take care of my own health and energy levels meant taking time to understand the signals my body was sending me. I had to become a liver lover – for real.

Are you willing to become a liver lover?

Next up:  Keys to Experiencing Healing with Essential Oils



©2016 Debbye Graafsma/Awakened to grow. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

Disclaimer: Although I am a counselor, and hold a doctorate, I am not a medical doctor. So, the views and suggestions which have helped me in my own healing journey may or may not work for you. While I hope that my stories and suggestions will help and encourage you, nothing I post here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.  This blog is published for educational purposes only. Information contained herein has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  If you are concerned about your health, please seek the advice of a professional.