How To Love Your Liver

 

Notes and Resources from the talk:

Endocrine disrupting compound (EDC), “an exogenous chemical, or a mixture of chemicals, that interferes with any aspect of hormone action”

By interfering with the actions of natural hormones, exposures to EDCs have been shown to contribute to the development of a wide variety of disease states [49, 51]. Often these effects are most profound when exposures are low-dose [38] and during early development.

State of the evidence 2017: an update on the connection between breast cancer and the environment (this is the meta-analysis that examines in detail the connection between EDC’s in our skincare, food and beverage packaging, cleaning products, pesticides as well as HRT, birth control and early sexual development).  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5581466/#Sec15title

There is substantial evidence indicating that endocrine disruptors also contributes to developmental problems, diabetes, and possibly also obesity and metabolic syndrome. Also, it seems highly likely that endocrine disruptors can contribute to infertility and subfertility.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3443608/

Reducing exposure is only half of the story, when we support the body by giving it what it needs we can greatly reduce the effects of the exposure that’s already happened as well as the exposure we are unable to avoid.  Here are some simple strategies to give your liver the love it deserves:

Proper Nutrition

Phase I Nutrients and Food Lists
      • Magnesium, found in dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, avocados, bananas, cocoa, and seafood.
      • Vitamin A (retinol), found in liver, eggs, and dairy foods.
      • Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), found in liver, beef, clams, portabella mushrooms, almonds, dairy, salmon, and eggs.
      • Vitamin B3 (niacin), found in tuna, poultry, salmon, lamb, beef, sardines, shrimp, asparagus, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, and avocados.
      • Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), found in brewer’s yeast, cauliflower, kale, egg yolks, broccoli, tomatoes, organ meat, poultry, sweet potatoes, avocado, and salmon.
      • Vitamin B6, found in fish, liver and other organ meats, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, spinach, and bananas.
      • Vitamin B12, found in organ meats (especially liver), shellfish (especially clams), and other animal products like meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy.
      • Folate, found in dark leafy greens (like spinach, bok choy, turnip greens, parsley, and lettuce), broccoli, legumes, cauliflower, asparagus, and beets.
      • Vitamin C, found in citrus fruits, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, bell peppers, berries, and pineapple (along with many other fruits and vegetables).
      • Vitamin E, found in nuts and seeds (especially sunflower seeds and almonds), avocado, beet greens, spinach, collard greens, and some seafood like swordfish.
      • Beta-carotene, found in carrots, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, broccoli, squash, tomatoes, and most other fruits and vegetables with an orange, yellow, or green color.
      • Zinc, found in oysters, crab, lobster, beef and poultry, pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds, and legumes.
      • Selenium, found in Brazil nuts, organ meats, mushrooms, seeds (such as sunflower, sesame, and flax), broccoli, cabbage, spinach, seafood (especially tuna, salmon, halibut, sardines, and shrimp), ham, beef, and chicken.
Phase II Nutrients and Food Lists
  • Glycine (to complete glycination), found in gelatin and bone broth, collagen, connective tissue attached to bones and meat, pork feet/skin/ears, pastrami, organ meats, crustaceans, and poultry.
  • Glutamine, found in beef, pork, chicken, seafood, organ meats, spinach, and parsley. (Because glutamine is heat-sensitive, the most bioavailable sources are raw—such as sushi and raw spinach.)
  • Cysteine (which contains sulfur), found in beef, chicken, seafood, pork, eggs, dairy, red peppers, garlic, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and onions.
  • Methionine (which contains sulfur), found in most animal-based foods (especially meat and eggs, but also fish and eggs), as well as Brazil nuts.
  • Taurine (which contains sulfur), found in meat, fish and shellfish, eggs, and dairy.

Proper Digestion

  • If you’re not able to properly break down and absorb these foods and nutrients, your liver will not have the fuel it needs to protect you
  • If you experience bloating, constipation, diarrhea or heartburn often, then this means you and we should talk.

Sleep Quality and Quantity

  • Shorter duration and poor sleep quality at the time of breast cancer diagnosis is associated with reduced rates of survival.
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26612513
  • Sleep slows aging, boosts the immune system, supports a healthy metabolism, digestion, and hormone balance and helps to repair and detox the body and also improves cognitive function and motor skills.

STRESS REDUCTION

  • Chronically high cortisol and stress will suppress the digestive and reproductive systems, and alter the immune system.
  • Stress refers to perceived or emotional as well as chronic pain or other hidden stressors (such as a weakness of imbalance in the body).

EXERCISE

  • Good old fashioned exercise and sweat, more important than what you may sweat out is the effect that exercise has on all the aforementioned mechanisms
  • Improves digestion, improves sleep, relieves stress
  • Make sure you don’t over do it, more is not more better 🙂
    • Increased demand for nutrients
    • High cortisol and slow recovery

Additional Resources

Ready for the next step?

If you are dealing with a persistent health challenge or just want to find out how to optimize your health by identifying your weaknesses and imbalances in order to correct them, schedule a free consult or email me at contact@jessie.life.