How to Support a Healthy Liver

A healthy liver is essential for a healthy life. Our liver weighs a little over one kilogram, making it the heaviest organ in our body. It works 24 hours a day to keep us alive! Although the liver tends to get overlooked, it is actually responsible for a variety of different functions. In this blog post, I’m going to break down what our liver does, and what we can do to support optimal and thriving liver function. 

Most of the time when something is off in our body, we can feel it. Our stomach feels like it is in discomfort when we are suffering from digestive turmoil. Our head starts pounding when we haven’t gotten enough sleep or drank enough water. Our liver doesn’t give us many physical symptoms, you can’t necessarily feel when it’s not working at its best and that is why we can oftentimes neglect taking care of it. 

The Liver’s Primary Functions

Our liver is such a hard worker. One of its main purposes is to regulate chemical levels in the blood and excrete bile. Bile is a digestive fluid that once excreted from the liver, gets stored in the gallbladder. Bile is extremely important for overall digestion because it helps break down fats into fatty acids. Bile also helps with eliminating toxins from the body, similar to the liver. Our liver also processes all of the blood that leaves our stomach and intestines. This blood processing results in creating nutrients and metabolizing drugs into forms that are easier for the rest of the body to use. Some other well-known functions of the liver include (but are not limited to):

• Enzyme activation
• Storage of glycogen, vitamins, and minerals
• Metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Regulates amino acids
• Regulates blood clotting

There are over 500 functions that have been identified with the liver, so as you’ve probably realized, our liver is capable of doing a lot!

Worldwide, chronic liver disease is a major cause of mortality, with 2 million individuals dying from liver disease each year. It is the 10th cause of death worldwide! The good news is that there are things you can do to dramatically decrease your risk of liver disease. According to Mayo Clinic, (a nonprofit American academic medical center) some prevention measures you can take include:

• Drinking alcohol in moderation
• Using medication wisely
• Keeping food safe
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Protecting your skin

At NutraChamps, we have products that we specifically designed to support the liver and promote cleansing. 

Liver Detox: A healthy liver is key to providing more energy for other organs to thrive optimally! The ingredients we added into our Liver Detox formula include: 

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): A vital nutrient for the liver because it plays a key role in removing toxins and byproducts of the fat metabolism. Studies have shown that in addition to acting as an antioxidant, ALA can prevent liver degeneration while also supporting regeneration.

Quercetin: This natural flavonoid has been shown to have many beneficial effects on liver health, including the diet and plays an important role in helping your body combat free radical damage, which is linked to many chronic diseases.

Our Liver Cleansing Herbal Blend: Features an extra-strength Milk Thistle Extract – a herbal remedy that helps the liver reduce inflammation and metabolize toxins like alcohol. This proprietary blend also contains Turmeric Root, Dandelion Root, Chlorella, and Gentian Root, which have been shown to reduce, protect, and heal the liver from damage and oxidative stress, so you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Our formula is most effective when taken consistently for 30 days! In addition to supplementing, we also recommend eating a balanced diet full of vegetables to provide even more support for your liver and overall wellness. I will get into some foods that help the liver thrive later on! 

Liver Cleanse: Our liver cleanse supplement contains an array of herbs that help address detoxification, cleansing, regeneration, and repair! It’s gentle, gut-friendly, and effective at providing you with the right support for a healthy liver. Some of the ingredients in our herbal blend include:

Milk Thistle Extract: This is your new secret weapon for liver support. This herbal remedy is fully loaded with 80 percent silymarin, one of the most concentrated on the market. Silymarin is a potent compound that helps the liver metabolize toxins like alcohol, so you’ll wake up feeling fresh and ready to take on the day.

Artichoke Extract: Does your gut toss and turn? Artichoke extract can help. It’s been used in the Mediterranean region for hundreds of centuries to support the liver and ease digestion. Just like milk thistle, artichokes boost bile production and clear toxins from the liver. It may be even more effective than over-the-counter laxatives and antidiarrheals at soothing an upset stomach.

Dandelion Root Extract: Yep, that stubborn weed that refuses to leave your garden is actually great for the liver. From China to Timbuktu, dandelion root is renowned for its ability to protect the liver from toxins and stress. A stressed liver can cause chronic fatigue, but dandelion root can help you bounce back to your normal, energetic self.

The full list of ingredients can always be found on the back of our bottles and you can easily look into reviews and more information on Amazon or our website nutrachamps.com

Foods That Support the Liver

It’s important to note that supplementing alone doesn’t make up for a poor diet, lack of exercise, and excessive drinking or substance use. Wellness is all-encompassing and includes the food you put into your body on a daily basis. Here are some foods from healthline.com that are known to be beneficial for the liver:

Coffee: Studies show that drinking coffee actually prevents liver disease! The benefits come from its ability to prevent the buildup of fat and collagen. Coffee has also been shown to decrease inflammation and increase the antioxidant called glutathione, which can help to combat free radicals.

Grapefruit: This delicious citrus fruit contains antioxidants that help to naturally protect the liver. These antioxidants are known as naringenin and naringin. Animal studies have been conducted to prove that these two antioxidants are effective in protecting the liver from injury.

Grapes: Red and purple grapes in particular contain a variety of beneficial plant compounds. Resveratrol is one of these compounds that lower inflammation and has a number of other amazing benefits.

Cruciferous Vegetables: High in fiber and so versatile, these vegetables are great at increasing detoxification enzymes in the body, which in turn, protect the liver.

Nuts: A study conducted in 2019 from PubMed Central found that a diet higher in nuts resulted in a decreased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 

To conclude, our liver is basically a powerhouse that we must protect at all costs, just like the rest of our organs! Our body is our home, it’s our vessel that we go forward and do life in. It allows us to love, work, play, rest, and SO much more. Without our health, we have very little. I hope you learned something new about the vital role that our liver plays in our overall wellness and health. Here’s to taking care of our bodies and continuing to #ChampionYourLife with NutraChamps!