Proper liver function is critical for a healthy body (and a healthy body is crucial for weight loss). The liver performs over 400 functions, but one of the most important jobs being to filter toxins and waste from your blood. After your liver filters your blood, it transforms any toxins found into substances to be excreted out of your body via your kidneys (urine) or dumps them in your bile duct to flow into your digestive system and out your body in feces (in a healthy liver with good bile flow).
If your liver does not have the proper nutrients to do its’ job of filtering the blood and transforming toxins into safe substances to send out of your body, it gets backed up and sluggish. Toxins are NOT able to leave your body, and they are stored in your adipose tissue (fat tissue) where they will stay until your liver function improves, and they can be released safely! Another common problem is sluggish/stagnant bile flow. The liver dumps toxins into the bile (bile duct is a river for toxins to move out of the body) and when it gets too thick, the toxic matter can’t flow out of the body quick enough (leading to fatigue, low energy, constipation, PMS, toxicity & disease)!
How does your liver function measure up?
Is your liver function supporting your body’s fat burning abilities? If you suffer from any of the following, your liver and gallbladder might be trying to tell you something!
- History of alcohol/drug use or hepatitis
- Long term prescription drug use
- Sensitive to chemicals (tobacco smoke, fumes, perfume, cleaning agents, etc.)
- Pain between the shoulder blades
- Stomach upset by greasy foods
- Greasy or shiny stools
- History of nausea, motion sickness, or morning sickness
- Light or pale colored stools
- Headache over the eyes
- Gallbladder attacks
- Bitter taste in the mouth (especially after meals)
- Become sick or easily intoxicated if drinking wine
- Easily hung over
- Pain under right side of rib cage
- Hemorrhoids or varicose veins
- NutraSweet (aspartame) consumption
- Chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
Most often, liver stress is a result of a protein deficiency, poor digestion, and/or a low nutrient diet that allows an increased toxic burden to build up. Fat burning is not a priority for a liver under stress. That’s why you must “get healthy to lose weight” not “lose weight to get healthy.” Trying to go about it another way is a waste of time (dieting, cleansing, fasting, etc) and works against your body. You must strengthen your liver to support your body’s fat burning abilities!
Want to learn more about how to strengthen your liver? Click on over to read the following articles:
- Top 10 fat burning (and liver supporting) foods you can easily add to your grocery shopping list!
- Do you need to detox: Understand how detoxification works, and what YOU can add into your diet to support it!
- Creating {Nutritional} Wealth: The fast-track to creating your own custom nutrition plan!
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References:
Weatherby, Dicken. “Liver and Gallbladder.” Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Nutritional Therapy Association, 2004. Print.
Photo Credits: Liver Clipart: Altered and used with permission from Microsoft.
When your body decides to slow your metabolism it’s all about one thing: survival! It’s not about your body trying to conspire against you and ruin your life. It’s your body making a wise decision to sacrifice long-term health for short-term survival because it’s being told to do so (usually through food/nutrient scarcity). The slowing of the metabolism allows your body to go longer on less food. The body also tends to hold on to fat as a protective mechanism, which isn't exactly what most people are going for! Ready to learn what is slowing your metabolism and what you can do about it? Subscribe below to get access to my FREE Metabolism Report: Why Your Metabolism Was Fast, But Now It's Slow: 
As a nutritional therapist, my passion is education. My goal is to help guide you to improve your nutrition through strategic eating (not dieting) and without expensive supplements! Because when you know better, you can feel better! 
ok, so I have a fatty liver and my liver is “19.6 centimeters in length” according to a ct scan performed recently (it’s not the first time I’ve been told this)…so I’ve been told to avoid all fats. What would be your recommendation?
Unfortunately, I’m unable to give out specific recommendations to non-clients. However, I would love to set up a free consultation with you 🙂
I have 3 gallstones. How does one do an oil flush and what are the risks? Ty
I would be very interested to learn more about this. I did send an email a few weeks ago asking if you could do email/skype consultations. Never heard back?
Soooo, what do you do when you are 6 yrs post gallbladder removal and can’t seem to loose weight? I’m paleo/gf, I run, weight train.
Shannon-I’m having the SAME problem. Also 6 years post surgery. I’d love to know what I should be doing differently!!
Long term user of anti seizure med which will eventually kill my liver. There is nothing they can do about it and as long as I am a seizure patient, I am ineligible for a transplant when mine does go. I have been luck so far, but I know that luck will run out at some point and I will die. I am sure I am not the only one.