Fatty Liver is a scourge currently 3 out of 5 people i have that come to me have fatty Liver
the is a good explanation and way out of this dilemma follow this link for a 112 page solution that i all i have to say here
it will make you wiser as to the ramifications of Fatty Liver
https://blueheronhealthnews.com/members/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NonAlcoholicFattyLiverDiseaseSolution.pdf
here is part of the process no doubt it will be hard to follow a strict regime however if you have ab idea of which direction to go in it may help to get your Fatty liver in a better place
Week 1 recap Eat as you normally would, but go organic and add 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables every day.
Keep a food diary of what you eat and when you eat, as well as how you feel physically and emotionally. Focus on setting up a proper sleep routine and getting at least 8 hours sleep a night. Start adding exercise to your day with a 7-minute workout in the morning (at least 5 days a week) and a 30-minute walk during the day or last thing at night. WEEK 2 Now that you have a clear vision of where you are, it’s time to remove the trigger foods and dive into cooking from scratch. I know this might sound scary, but with a little planning you’ll see that home-cooking is quick and easy. This week, you’re going to change your diet. However, make sure you don’t get into “diet mentality” -
This is not about restriction. Yes, you are removing certain foods from your plate, but you will replace them with other foods - with ingredients that support and nourish your body and your liver, rather than stress it out. If you get hungry, eat. Just make sure you choose snacks and meals that support, rather than hurt, your liver. Removing liver-stressors As we’ve seen in the previous section, certain foods boost the fact content in your liver, increase inflammation and damage your gut microbiome. It’s time to remove these foods from your life. Go through your kitchen cupboards, fridge & freezer, pantry, and desk drawers and get rid of the following foods: Foods with added sugars (biscuits, cakes, ready meals, fizzy drinks, chilled desserts, icecream, sweets…) Foods with gluten (bread, pasta, crackers, wheat flour…) Foods with artificial ingredients (if you can’t pronounce it or don’t know what it is, then it isn’t natural and doesn’t belong on your plate) Foods with trans-fats (processed foods, meat products, desserts, ready-to-bake foods, crisps, chips, donuts…)
You might also want to take a look at your bathroom shelf and kitchen cleaning products and see what toxins may be lurking there. If you’re regularly using products that contain chemicals your body has to work hard to eliminate, you are adding stress to your liver. Make sure you replace these products with natural, toxin-free alternatives. You can find these in your local health food shop, or online. If you can, invest in a good quality water filter and either a HEPA filter or some house plants to purify your home environment. The more toxins you can remove from your environment, the more you lighten the burden on your liver. Restocking your cupboards Now you’ve made space in your kitchen, it’s time to fill those cupboards with ingredients that will allow you to create quick, tasty meals that support your body, help your liver detox, and reduce hepatic fat build-up.
Here’s a snapshot of my pantry. You don’t have to go and get all these ingredients at once, but it gives you an idea of the kind of ingredients you need to begin cooking up healthy and delicious meals. Spices & Herbs Grains Legumes Oils & Seasoning Turmeric Cumin Ras el Hanout Rosemary Oregano Mint Mild curry powder Black pepper Smoked paprika Black rice / brown rice Quinoa Millet Amaranth Polenta Brown rice pasta Buckwheat noodles Gluten-free oats Oat bran Chickpeas Black beans Kidney beans Borlotti beans Red or brown lentils Black eye beans Split peas Mung beans Adzuki beans Coconut oil Olive oil Avocado oil Tamari sauce Apple cider vinegar Plum vinegar Himalayan pink salt Baking Healthy Treats Nuts & Seeds Buckwheat flour Rice flour Gluten-free flour Coconut flour Ground almonds Prunes Apricots Desiccated coconut Coconut flakes Maple syrup Cacao butter Cacao powder Vanilla powder Cinnamon Tahini Peanut butter Almond butter Pumpkin seeds Sunflower seeds Chia seeds Flax seeds Hemp seeds Almonds Hazelnuts Brazil nuts Cashew nuts
Healthy alternatives Here is a quick guide to replacing common trigger foods with healthier alternatives: Inflammatory food Healthier replacements Breakfast cereals Sprouted granola with buckwheat, sunflower seeds, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, coconut flakes, raisins. Chia bowl (chia seeds mixed with hemp milk, topped with berries and toasted seeds). Smoothie with greens and gluten-free oats. Bread and crackers Breads made with ancient grains or sprouted grains (amaranth, quinoa, spelt, buckwheat, kamut). Sourdough bread made with gluten-free grains. Paleo bread (usually made with almond and coconut flour). Gluten free oat crackers (check the label for added sugar). Cheesecake Home-made cheesecake made with fermented cashews or silken tofu. Coconut yogurt with granola and fruit. Coffee, cappuccino, latte Organic coffee with plant milk (almond, oat, hemp or coconut). Chicory root coffee alternative. Green tea or herbal tea. Processed meats (ham, spam, sandwich meats) Organic and grass-fed meats or turkey. Marinated tofu. Tempeh. Cookies, biscuits, cakes, sweets Homemade trail mix (mix toasted almonds, cashews, walnuts, with raisins, goji berries and cacao nibs). Homemade energy balls (blend dates or prunes with nuts, seeds, and coconut oil). Crisps Kale crisps. Vegetable crisps (beetroot, carrot, zucchini, parsnip, etc.). Rice cakes (with hummus or peanut butter). Toasted nuts and seeds. Dips Guacamole (mashed avocado with peppers or tomatoes, lime juice & paprika). Hummus (blended chickpeas with tahini, olive oil and garlic). Salsa (tomatoes, minced red onions, olive oil and crushed garlic). Chocolate bars, energy bars Home-made energy bars (with oats, apricots, dates, seeds, nuts). Handful of nuts with a piece of fruit. Dark chocolate. Energy drinks, fruit juice, fizzy drinks, lemonade Kombucha. Green tea. Coconut water. Water infused with lemon, mint or berries. Sparkling water with crushed berries and lemon juice. Sparkling water with lime juice. Farmed fish Wild-caught fish. Nori sheets with sushi rice and vegetables.
Inflammatory food Healthier replacements Junk-food burger Organic grass-fed burger. Bean burger. Sourdough bun or sprouted grain bun. Fries Sweet potato wedges. Celeriac fries. Parsnip fries. Fried chicken Baked or roasted chicken. Tempeh strips. Marinated tofu. Ice cream Blended frozen banana (easiest healthiest ice cream EVER). Cashew nut ice cream. Coconut ice cream. Mayonnaise Blend together soaked cashews, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Blend together avocado, olive oil and fresh herbs. Microwave popcorn Stove-top organic popcorn. Toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Cow’s milk Almond milk. Hemp milk. Oat milk. Coconut milk. Hazelnut milk. Rice milk. Milk chocolate Organic raw dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao). Home-made dark chocolate truffles. Milkshake Chocolate smoothie (banana, plant milk, cacao powder). Peanut smoothie (banana, plant milk, peanut butter, vanilla powder). Fruity smoothie (banana, plant milk, frozen berries). Tropical smoothie (banana, plant milk, mango, pineapple). Pasta Zucchini noodles. Carrot noodles. Buckwheat noodles. Bean pasta. Peanut butter Peanut butter made from 100% peanuts. Sprouted almond butter. Sprouted cashew butter. Pumpkin seed butter. Tahini (sesame seed paste). Pizza Sourdough pizza with vegan cheese. Home-made pizza on gluten-free sprouted tortilla. Cheese Organic fermented cheese. Vegan organic cheese (like Miyoko). Ready-made microwaveable porridge Homemade porridge with gluten-free oats. Chia bowl topped with berries or toasted seeds. Quinoa flake porridge. I
Inflammatory food Healthier replacements Salad dressings Olive oil, lemon juice and Himalayan pink salt. Coconut aminos. Apple cider vinegar. Gluten free tamari sauce. Olive oil, fresh herbs (basil, mint, oregano, etc.), lemon juice, crushed garlic. Table salt Himalayan pink salt. Sea salt. Tamari sauce. Black salt. Sugar and artificial sweeteners Maple syrup. Rice syrup. Manuka honey. Organic stevia. Yogurt, cream Coconut kefir. Coconut yogurt. Oat cream. Effortless home-cooking The main reason most people don’t home-cook is time. Unfortunately, this means we fill up on processed foods which, as we’ve seen, are packed with ingredients that boost fatty liver. The easiest way to avoid those ingredients is to cook your meals from scratch. Yes, it seems daunting, but you can do it. Diane was a convenience food addict. She had no desire to cook when she got home from work, and her evenings would be punctuated by the ping of the microwave. The first thing she said to me was “I can’t cook and I don’t want to.” Even though she was motivated to change her diet, she struggled with the idea that she would have to create something from whole ingredients. Everyone can cook. I think that programs like MasterChef and The Bake-off have made us weary of getting into the kitchen, too focused on “failing” or thinking that we have to create something out of this world. The opposite is true. The most important thing about home cooking, especially when you’re pressed for time, is quick, simple, and tasty. No need to make a soufflé - a salad will do!
My advice to Diane was to start small. Firstly, to change her mindset. She’d been telling herself all these years she couldn’t cook, and believed it so strongly that she’d not even made the simplest dish in over a decade. Every time her mind threw up the thought “I can’t cook” she replaced it with “I am learning to enjoy cooking.” Then, I asked her to research recipes made with the ingredients listed in this e-book, finding those that can be made in under 20 minutes, and those that can be made in advance. It was a joy to watch her progress. By Week 3, she’d given up ready-meals entirely. On her day off - a Wednesday - she had cooked up a large pan of quinoa and mixed it with beans and choppedvegetables, then stored it in jars in the fridge: lunches for the next few days. She’d then made a large vegetable stew, rolled out some energy balls, and prepped some overnight oats ready for breakfast. At the weekend she made a big pot of soup (for her lunch and dinner for the next few days) and a butterbean dip to snack on. This preparation meant that meals were either ready to go, or were ready in under 10 minutes - simply heated up and with a handful of watercress or rocket or steamed cauliflower added. For Diane, this was a revelation. After years of buying microwave meals, she rediscovered a love of cooking from scratch. Take a look at the recipes in Part IV, and wander the internet for recipes that include cruciferous vegetables, allium foods, and antioxidant-rich foods. Make a list of the meals you’d like to eat. Then, take the schedule you wrote up in Week 1, and book in your cooking during the moments of spare time and energy you identified. For example, you can batch-cook grains and curries so you’ve got enough for several meals - this is perfect for when you’ve come home from work tired and just want to heat something up. You can make up salads in jars or containers ready for your lunches. You can make chia puddings or overnight oats in advance so you have breakfast sorted for the next two or three mornings. You can pre-make hummus, dips and salad dressings - these keep in the fridge for around a week, so you always have the makings of a quick and easy meal. If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of this, just remember - it doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to taste good and be healthy. If you use ingredients that you like, the end result will be tasty. The more you cook from scratch, the easier and more instinctive it will become, until it is as natural and effortless as taking a shower. Once you start, you’ll wonder what you saw in ready meals in the first place.
Hydrate This week, you’ll also hone in on hydration. This will support your kidneys and help them flush out any toxins that are processed by your liver. Every single one of your billions of molecules is made up of over 90% water. You need water to live, yes, but you also need it for optimum health. In fact, it is one of the key nutrients you need in the fight against disease. Why? Because water doesn’t just quench your thirst, it is the medium for most of the chemical reactions that occur in your body, and plays a role in many critical functions: Your brain needs water to make hormones and neurotransmitters. Water helps deliver oxygen all over your body. Water acts as a shock absorber for your brain and spinal cord. Water helps digestion by forming saliva and stimulating bowel movements. Water flushes body waste. When you’re detoxing, it is even more essential to drink enough water. All the water-soluble toxins and waste materials eventually find their way to the kidneys, where they are removed and flushed out as urine. So you’ll want to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water to help your kidneys do their job properly. What’s more, water is essential for proper digestion and regular bowel movements. The last thing you want is to be constipated, because all the toxins that end up in your colon can be reabsorbed, thereby undoing all your, and your body’s, hard work. Exactly how much water you need depends on your weight, height, where you live and how active you are. However, general guidelines by the Institute of Medicine suggest 2.2 liters of water from drinks or 2.7 liters of total water, from drinks and food. Tips to stay hydrated: Drink a big glass of water first thing in the morning. This is when your body needs it most. It’s just woken up from a 7-8-hour water fast, and this is the time your blood has the highest concentration of toxins. Drinking first thing helps to dilute and eliminate those toxins. Fill up a big bottle or jug with filtered or spring water, add a slice of cucumber, squeeze of lemon, fresh mint, and drink it throughout the day. Make sure you drink after a workout. Muscles are made up of 79% water, so it’s important that you replenish what you lose through sweat. Depending on the intensity of the exercise, you’ll need about half a liter of water for every hour. Have a big cup of herbal tea mid-morning and mid-afternoon - use this time as a moment to relax and unwind. Always have a (re-useable) water bottle with you - this way you never have to be thirsty. Add soups and smoothies to your menu to top up your fluid intake. Be aware of your hydration needs - if your urine is dark yellow, it’s a sign you are dehydrated. You want to aim for light colored urine that doesn’t have a strong smell. Week 2 recap Keep up the evening routine, exercise, and food diary. Empty your kitchen cupboards of liver stressors. Fill up your cupboards with wholesome ingredients. Start cooking from scratch and batch cooking so you always have home-cooked meals. Eat at least 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables a day. Drink at least 2.2 liters of water or herbal tea a day.
This week, you’re going to feed your gut bacteria and support your digestive system. This will help it to eliminate the toxins that your liver processes, and will also help rebuild the gut microbiome, which also helps the liver to heal. To do this, you’re going to focus on extra fiber and probiotic foods. Adding probiotic foods Every day, have at least one or two servings of fermented foods. Mix it up so you get some variety. Remember, you have over 7000 different species of bacteria in your gut, so the more variety you can give them, the more they will thrive. Kombucha - This is probably the easiest probiotic to add to your diet. Just drink a glass or two every day. When you buy kombucha, check the label to make sure it is raw, unpasteurized, and does not contain any artificial additives or added sweeteners. Sauerkraut - You can find this in health food shops. Make sure it is raw and unpasteurized, otherwise it won’t contain beneficial bacteria. Sauerkraut is wonderful on top of a salad, added to a hummus wrap, or piled on top of a rice cake with smashed avocado. Kimchi - Like sauerkraut but with an Asian twist (ginger, chili and garlic). Complements stir-fried dishes, or can be enjoyed added to salads. Kefir - You’ll find coconut kefir in health food shops. Add it to smoothies, pour it on granola or fruit, or drink it on its own. Miso - Try white miso in dressings and marinades, it has a mild savory sweet flavor that lifts ingredients out of bland and into tasty. You can also use miso paste to make Asian noodle dishes. Dark miso has a more pronounced savory flavor - a little goes a long way! Tempeh - Delicious marinated in tamari sauce, ginger and garlic, and fried in a little coconut oil. You can also cut it into chunks and add it to stews and curries for extra protein. Pickled vegetables - Crunchy, salty and tangy, picked vegetables are great as a side to any meal, or added to wraps and salads. Increase your exercise You’ve now had two weeks of early morning workouts and daytime walks. It’s time to increase the pace a little. Remember that exercise doesn’t just fight inflammation and help you lose weight, it also melts away the fat in your liver. See working out as a complement to your new healthy diet. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t have to be a chore. Find an exercise that you enjoy and do that - the trick to making exercise an effortless part of your every day is to love it. If you’re dragging yourself to the gym, it’s all too easy to give up because ultimately, you’re not really enjoying it. If, however, you love to dance and enroll in a dance class, you’re much less likely to give up because you’re doing something you enjoy. 70 BlueHeronHealthNews.com Here are a few ideas to help you include more movement in your day. Aim to do an extra 20 minutes of exercise a day, on top of the 7-minute workout and 30-minute walk: When you watch TV, use the ad break to do a round of push-ups, crunches, triceps dips, or planks. Dance to your favorite song when you get home from work - make it a celebration of having the evening to relax. Try an exercise class - yoga, pilates, tai chi, qigong, aerobics, Zumba… Go swimming. Subscribe to a fitness channel or download an exercise app and follow a new class. Join a walking or hiking group. When commuting to work, get off a stop early or park your car further away. Get up from your desk every 45 minutes. Spend time gardening. Get an elliptical machine or stationery bicycle, use it 10-15 minutes a day (you can do this while watching tv!). Go for longer walks in nature at weekends. Week 3 recap Keep up with the sleep routine, food diary, home cooking and exercise. Keep eating 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables every day. Keep drinking at least 2.2 liters of fluids a day. Eat 1-2 portions of fermented foods every day. Add more exercise to your daily routine - at least 20 minutes (you can break this up into 10-minute chunks if you find it easier to schedule it in). WEEK 4 By Week 4, you’ll be feeling the benefits of a healthier diet and daily movement. You’ll feel more energized, you’ll be sleeping better, and, although you won’t be able to see this, you’ll be reducing the fat build-up in your liver. This week is about consolidating your new healthy habits and taking your liver detox one step further, by adding concentrated antioxidants and supplements, and using intermittent fasting to boost your detox capacity and fight inflammation. Antioxidants & supplements As we’ve seen, antioxidants are essential to help protect your liver and your body from oxidative stress. The good news is that all plant foods contain some antioxidants,
Recipes in this e-book you are already eating a healthy dose of free-radical-fighting nutrients. To add even more, and give your liver another boost, you can add nature’s original superfoods: fresh herbs and spices. Here are some easy ways to top up your antioxidant intake: Omega 3: sprinkle sea salad or toasted nori sheets on your meals; include chia seeds in your smoothies or overnight oats; sprinkle hemp seeds on your soups. Milk thistle: drink a few drops of tincture mixed with water first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Turmeric: use turmeric powder to make a turmeric latte or turmeric smoothie; add a piece of fresh turmeric to chickpeas to make hummus. Matcha green tea: a great alternative to coffee. Add it to desiccated coconut and prunes to make energy balls. Cacao: process it with nuts and prunes to make chocolate energy balls. Add it to a banana, plant milk, oats and peanut butter to make a delicious breakfast shake. Mix with a little coconut cream and plant milk to make a warming drink. Fresh herbs: finely chop mint, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, chives, oregano, and sprinkle onto your meals. Colorful vegetables: eat a simple raw salad as a starter - grated carrot, grated beetroot, massaged kale, baby spinach, finely sliced cabbage, simply drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon juice, with a spoonful of toasted seeds. Eat dandelions or take a good quality dandelion supplement. Intermittent fasting When people think of fasting, they think of eating nothing for days on end. That is one type of fasting, but it’s not the kind I’m advocating here. Ultimately, you can intermittently fast simply by changing when you eat breakfast and dinner. Intermittent fasting can be your secret weapon when it comes to health. Not only does it reduce inflammation, prevent premature aging, and help you lose weight, it also reduces liver inflammation. In an animal study published in the journal Nutrition, scientists gave two groups of mice either a high fat or a high fructose diet for 8 weeks. Half of these mice were then put though an intermittent fasting routine for 4 weeks - without changing their diet. Interestingly, despite carrying on with the pro-inflammatory diets, the mice that ate intermittently had less liver fat and fewer inflammatory markers than mice that ate normally. If it can have that effect without any dietary change, imagine how beneficial it can be combined with your healthy diet! So, why does intermittent fasting have this effect? It comes down to giving your body some time out of the “fed” state. For around 3 to 5 hours after you eat, your body is busy digesting food, breaking it down, absorbing it, eliminating it… that’s one of the reasons many people feel sleepy after a meal.
These days, we’re encouraged to eat every 3 to 4 hours, which means we’re always either eating or digesting. With intermittent fasting, you give your body time in the “fasting” state - this happens around 8 to 12 hours after you eat. At this time, your body is no longer busy digesting, and it can get on with rejuvenating, detoxing and healing. There’s no right or wrong way to intermittent fast. Some people do 20/4 - which is when you eat within a 4-hour period but fast the rest of the time. Others do 16/8, which is much easier to incorporate into your day. Here, you would eat your meals between 10am and 6pm, or between 12pm and 8pm, or whatever time frame suits you, and fast the rest of the time. A great place to start is simply to give your body at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day. So, if you usually have dinner at 7pm, delay your breakfast till after 7am. Week 4 recap Keep up with the sleep routine, food diary, home cooking and exercise. Keep eating 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables and at least 1-2 portions of fermented foods every day. Keep drinking at least 2.2 liters of fluids a day. Include 1 or 2 extra antioxidant foods every day. Leave at least 12 to 14 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day. Maintaining your healthy liver In this époque of fad diets and extreme workouts, it might not be too popular to say that there is no one size fits all model. To stay healthy, you just need to follow common sense, listen to your body, and find your health groove. Now that you know what creates NAFLD, you know how to avoid it. This 28-day plan is simply the beginning. So, how do you maintain your healthy liver long-term? Simply by: Avoiding the worst offenders: added sugar, refined carbohydrates, excess fats, and environmental toxins. Drinking in moderation - excess alcohol leads to fatty liver. This means having no more than 5 to 7 glasses of wine a week, and not drinking every day. Including foods that support your liver: cruciferous vegetables, allium foods, antioxidants. Eating an abundance of vegetables and fruits to make sure you’re giving your body all the fiber and vitamins it needs for optimum health. Supporting your body’s detox pathways: drinking plenty of water, eating plenty of fiber, having regular massages. Sticking to a daily routine that includes gentle exercise and core workouts.
Using toiletries and cleaning products made from natural, toxin-free ingredients. Adding an element of fun to your lifestyle - this is probably the most important ingredient. Without fun, without a little relaxation from time to time, life becomes a drag - and it would be a sad thing to live a life where there is no enjoyment. You don’t have to be perfect all the time, but you’ll find that the longer you stick to this healthy lifestyle, the more second-nature it will become, until it is so effortless you don’t even notice it any more. Listen to your body - how does it feel after certain foods? This is where keeping an eye on your food diary can really help. You will learn to identify the foods that make you feel great, and those that your body doesn’t deal with too well. For example, some people struggle to digest certain grains or beans, while others struggle with nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). Start forming a relationship with your body so that you can give it what it needs to thrive. Of course, there will be days when you might deviate from it a little - birthday parties, outings with friends, family barbeques, the occasional take-away. That’s fine. I’m a big fan of the 80/20 rule - stick to a healthy, anti-inflammatory, plant-based diet, but allow yourself a little leeway some of the time. After all, rules are there to be broken from time to time - otherwise, where’s the fun?
the is a good explanation and way out of this dilemma follow this link for a 112 page solution that i all i have to say here
it will make you wiser as to the ramifications of Fatty Liver
https://blueheronhealthnews.com/members/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NonAlcoholicFattyLiverDiseaseSolution.pdf
here is part of the process no doubt it will be hard to follow a strict regime however if you have ab idea of which direction to go in it may help to get your Fatty liver in a better place
Week 1 recap Eat as you normally would, but go organic and add 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables every day.
Keep a food diary of what you eat and when you eat, as well as how you feel physically and emotionally. Focus on setting up a proper sleep routine and getting at least 8 hours sleep a night. Start adding exercise to your day with a 7-minute workout in the morning (at least 5 days a week) and a 30-minute walk during the day or last thing at night. WEEK 2 Now that you have a clear vision of where you are, it’s time to remove the trigger foods and dive into cooking from scratch. I know this might sound scary, but with a little planning you’ll see that home-cooking is quick and easy. This week, you’re going to change your diet. However, make sure you don’t get into “diet mentality” -
This is not about restriction. Yes, you are removing certain foods from your plate, but you will replace them with other foods - with ingredients that support and nourish your body and your liver, rather than stress it out. If you get hungry, eat. Just make sure you choose snacks and meals that support, rather than hurt, your liver. Removing liver-stressors As we’ve seen in the previous section, certain foods boost the fact content in your liver, increase inflammation and damage your gut microbiome. It’s time to remove these foods from your life. Go through your kitchen cupboards, fridge & freezer, pantry, and desk drawers and get rid of the following foods: Foods with added sugars (biscuits, cakes, ready meals, fizzy drinks, chilled desserts, icecream, sweets…) Foods with gluten (bread, pasta, crackers, wheat flour…) Foods with artificial ingredients (if you can’t pronounce it or don’t know what it is, then it isn’t natural and doesn’t belong on your plate) Foods with trans-fats (processed foods, meat products, desserts, ready-to-bake foods, crisps, chips, donuts…)
You might also want to take a look at your bathroom shelf and kitchen cleaning products and see what toxins may be lurking there. If you’re regularly using products that contain chemicals your body has to work hard to eliminate, you are adding stress to your liver. Make sure you replace these products with natural, toxin-free alternatives. You can find these in your local health food shop, or online. If you can, invest in a good quality water filter and either a HEPA filter or some house plants to purify your home environment. The more toxins you can remove from your environment, the more you lighten the burden on your liver. Restocking your cupboards Now you’ve made space in your kitchen, it’s time to fill those cupboards with ingredients that will allow you to create quick, tasty meals that support your body, help your liver detox, and reduce hepatic fat build-up.
Here’s a snapshot of my pantry. You don’t have to go and get all these ingredients at once, but it gives you an idea of the kind of ingredients you need to begin cooking up healthy and delicious meals. Spices & Herbs Grains Legumes Oils & Seasoning Turmeric Cumin Ras el Hanout Rosemary Oregano Mint Mild curry powder Black pepper Smoked paprika Black rice / brown rice Quinoa Millet Amaranth Polenta Brown rice pasta Buckwheat noodles Gluten-free oats Oat bran Chickpeas Black beans Kidney beans Borlotti beans Red or brown lentils Black eye beans Split peas Mung beans Adzuki beans Coconut oil Olive oil Avocado oil Tamari sauce Apple cider vinegar Plum vinegar Himalayan pink salt Baking Healthy Treats Nuts & Seeds Buckwheat flour Rice flour Gluten-free flour Coconut flour Ground almonds Prunes Apricots Desiccated coconut Coconut flakes Maple syrup Cacao butter Cacao powder Vanilla powder Cinnamon Tahini Peanut butter Almond butter Pumpkin seeds Sunflower seeds Chia seeds Flax seeds Hemp seeds Almonds Hazelnuts Brazil nuts Cashew nuts
Healthy alternatives Here is a quick guide to replacing common trigger foods with healthier alternatives: Inflammatory food Healthier replacements Breakfast cereals Sprouted granola with buckwheat, sunflower seeds, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, coconut flakes, raisins. Chia bowl (chia seeds mixed with hemp milk, topped with berries and toasted seeds). Smoothie with greens and gluten-free oats. Bread and crackers Breads made with ancient grains or sprouted grains (amaranth, quinoa, spelt, buckwheat, kamut). Sourdough bread made with gluten-free grains. Paleo bread (usually made with almond and coconut flour). Gluten free oat crackers (check the label for added sugar). Cheesecake Home-made cheesecake made with fermented cashews or silken tofu. Coconut yogurt with granola and fruit. Coffee, cappuccino, latte Organic coffee with plant milk (almond, oat, hemp or coconut). Chicory root coffee alternative. Green tea or herbal tea. Processed meats (ham, spam, sandwich meats) Organic and grass-fed meats or turkey. Marinated tofu. Tempeh. Cookies, biscuits, cakes, sweets Homemade trail mix (mix toasted almonds, cashews, walnuts, with raisins, goji berries and cacao nibs). Homemade energy balls (blend dates or prunes with nuts, seeds, and coconut oil). Crisps Kale crisps. Vegetable crisps (beetroot, carrot, zucchini, parsnip, etc.). Rice cakes (with hummus or peanut butter). Toasted nuts and seeds. Dips Guacamole (mashed avocado with peppers or tomatoes, lime juice & paprika). Hummus (blended chickpeas with tahini, olive oil and garlic). Salsa (tomatoes, minced red onions, olive oil and crushed garlic). Chocolate bars, energy bars Home-made energy bars (with oats, apricots, dates, seeds, nuts). Handful of nuts with a piece of fruit. Dark chocolate. Energy drinks, fruit juice, fizzy drinks, lemonade Kombucha. Green tea. Coconut water. Water infused with lemon, mint or berries. Sparkling water with crushed berries and lemon juice. Sparkling water with lime juice. Farmed fish Wild-caught fish. Nori sheets with sushi rice and vegetables.
Inflammatory food Healthier replacements Junk-food burger Organic grass-fed burger. Bean burger. Sourdough bun or sprouted grain bun. Fries Sweet potato wedges. Celeriac fries. Parsnip fries. Fried chicken Baked or roasted chicken. Tempeh strips. Marinated tofu. Ice cream Blended frozen banana (easiest healthiest ice cream EVER). Cashew nut ice cream. Coconut ice cream. Mayonnaise Blend together soaked cashews, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Blend together avocado, olive oil and fresh herbs. Microwave popcorn Stove-top organic popcorn. Toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Cow’s milk Almond milk. Hemp milk. Oat milk. Coconut milk. Hazelnut milk. Rice milk. Milk chocolate Organic raw dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao). Home-made dark chocolate truffles. Milkshake Chocolate smoothie (banana, plant milk, cacao powder). Peanut smoothie (banana, plant milk, peanut butter, vanilla powder). Fruity smoothie (banana, plant milk, frozen berries). Tropical smoothie (banana, plant milk, mango, pineapple). Pasta Zucchini noodles. Carrot noodles. Buckwheat noodles. Bean pasta. Peanut butter Peanut butter made from 100% peanuts. Sprouted almond butter. Sprouted cashew butter. Pumpkin seed butter. Tahini (sesame seed paste). Pizza Sourdough pizza with vegan cheese. Home-made pizza on gluten-free sprouted tortilla. Cheese Organic fermented cheese. Vegan organic cheese (like Miyoko). Ready-made microwaveable porridge Homemade porridge with gluten-free oats. Chia bowl topped with berries or toasted seeds. Quinoa flake porridge. I
Inflammatory food Healthier replacements Salad dressings Olive oil, lemon juice and Himalayan pink salt. Coconut aminos. Apple cider vinegar. Gluten free tamari sauce. Olive oil, fresh herbs (basil, mint, oregano, etc.), lemon juice, crushed garlic. Table salt Himalayan pink salt. Sea salt. Tamari sauce. Black salt. Sugar and artificial sweeteners Maple syrup. Rice syrup. Manuka honey. Organic stevia. Yogurt, cream Coconut kefir. Coconut yogurt. Oat cream. Effortless home-cooking The main reason most people don’t home-cook is time. Unfortunately, this means we fill up on processed foods which, as we’ve seen, are packed with ingredients that boost fatty liver. The easiest way to avoid those ingredients is to cook your meals from scratch. Yes, it seems daunting, but you can do it. Diane was a convenience food addict. She had no desire to cook when she got home from work, and her evenings would be punctuated by the ping of the microwave. The first thing she said to me was “I can’t cook and I don’t want to.” Even though she was motivated to change her diet, she struggled with the idea that she would have to create something from whole ingredients. Everyone can cook. I think that programs like MasterChef and The Bake-off have made us weary of getting into the kitchen, too focused on “failing” or thinking that we have to create something out of this world. The opposite is true. The most important thing about home cooking, especially when you’re pressed for time, is quick, simple, and tasty. No need to make a soufflé - a salad will do!
My advice to Diane was to start small. Firstly, to change her mindset. She’d been telling herself all these years she couldn’t cook, and believed it so strongly that she’d not even made the simplest dish in over a decade. Every time her mind threw up the thought “I can’t cook” she replaced it with “I am learning to enjoy cooking.” Then, I asked her to research recipes made with the ingredients listed in this e-book, finding those that can be made in under 20 minutes, and those that can be made in advance. It was a joy to watch her progress. By Week 3, she’d given up ready-meals entirely. On her day off - a Wednesday - she had cooked up a large pan of quinoa and mixed it with beans and choppedvegetables, then stored it in jars in the fridge: lunches for the next few days. She’d then made a large vegetable stew, rolled out some energy balls, and prepped some overnight oats ready for breakfast. At the weekend she made a big pot of soup (for her lunch and dinner for the next few days) and a butterbean dip to snack on. This preparation meant that meals were either ready to go, or were ready in under 10 minutes - simply heated up and with a handful of watercress or rocket or steamed cauliflower added. For Diane, this was a revelation. After years of buying microwave meals, she rediscovered a love of cooking from scratch. Take a look at the recipes in Part IV, and wander the internet for recipes that include cruciferous vegetables, allium foods, and antioxidant-rich foods. Make a list of the meals you’d like to eat. Then, take the schedule you wrote up in Week 1, and book in your cooking during the moments of spare time and energy you identified. For example, you can batch-cook grains and curries so you’ve got enough for several meals - this is perfect for when you’ve come home from work tired and just want to heat something up. You can make up salads in jars or containers ready for your lunches. You can make chia puddings or overnight oats in advance so you have breakfast sorted for the next two or three mornings. You can pre-make hummus, dips and salad dressings - these keep in the fridge for around a week, so you always have the makings of a quick and easy meal. If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of this, just remember - it doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to taste good and be healthy. If you use ingredients that you like, the end result will be tasty. The more you cook from scratch, the easier and more instinctive it will become, until it is as natural and effortless as taking a shower. Once you start, you’ll wonder what you saw in ready meals in the first place.
Hydrate This week, you’ll also hone in on hydration. This will support your kidneys and help them flush out any toxins that are processed by your liver. Every single one of your billions of molecules is made up of over 90% water. You need water to live, yes, but you also need it for optimum health. In fact, it is one of the key nutrients you need in the fight against disease. Why? Because water doesn’t just quench your thirst, it is the medium for most of the chemical reactions that occur in your body, and plays a role in many critical functions: Your brain needs water to make hormones and neurotransmitters. Water helps deliver oxygen all over your body. Water acts as a shock absorber for your brain and spinal cord. Water helps digestion by forming saliva and stimulating bowel movements. Water flushes body waste. When you’re detoxing, it is even more essential to drink enough water. All the water-soluble toxins and waste materials eventually find their way to the kidneys, where they are removed and flushed out as urine. So you’ll want to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water to help your kidneys do their job properly. What’s more, water is essential for proper digestion and regular bowel movements. The last thing you want is to be constipated, because all the toxins that end up in your colon can be reabsorbed, thereby undoing all your, and your body’s, hard work. Exactly how much water you need depends on your weight, height, where you live and how active you are. However, general guidelines by the Institute of Medicine suggest 2.2 liters of water from drinks or 2.7 liters of total water, from drinks and food. Tips to stay hydrated: Drink a big glass of water first thing in the morning. This is when your body needs it most. It’s just woken up from a 7-8-hour water fast, and this is the time your blood has the highest concentration of toxins. Drinking first thing helps to dilute and eliminate those toxins. Fill up a big bottle or jug with filtered or spring water, add a slice of cucumber, squeeze of lemon, fresh mint, and drink it throughout the day. Make sure you drink after a workout. Muscles are made up of 79% water, so it’s important that you replenish what you lose through sweat. Depending on the intensity of the exercise, you’ll need about half a liter of water for every hour. Have a big cup of herbal tea mid-morning and mid-afternoon - use this time as a moment to relax and unwind. Always have a (re-useable) water bottle with you - this way you never have to be thirsty. Add soups and smoothies to your menu to top up your fluid intake. Be aware of your hydration needs - if your urine is dark yellow, it’s a sign you are dehydrated. You want to aim for light colored urine that doesn’t have a strong smell. Week 2 recap Keep up the evening routine, exercise, and food diary. Empty your kitchen cupboards of liver stressors. Fill up your cupboards with wholesome ingredients. Start cooking from scratch and batch cooking so you always have home-cooked meals. Eat at least 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables a day. Drink at least 2.2 liters of water or herbal tea a day.
This week, you’re going to feed your gut bacteria and support your digestive system. This will help it to eliminate the toxins that your liver processes, and will also help rebuild the gut microbiome, which also helps the liver to heal. To do this, you’re going to focus on extra fiber and probiotic foods. Adding probiotic foods Every day, have at least one or two servings of fermented foods. Mix it up so you get some variety. Remember, you have over 7000 different species of bacteria in your gut, so the more variety you can give them, the more they will thrive. Kombucha - This is probably the easiest probiotic to add to your diet. Just drink a glass or two every day. When you buy kombucha, check the label to make sure it is raw, unpasteurized, and does not contain any artificial additives or added sweeteners. Sauerkraut - You can find this in health food shops. Make sure it is raw and unpasteurized, otherwise it won’t contain beneficial bacteria. Sauerkraut is wonderful on top of a salad, added to a hummus wrap, or piled on top of a rice cake with smashed avocado. Kimchi - Like sauerkraut but with an Asian twist (ginger, chili and garlic). Complements stir-fried dishes, or can be enjoyed added to salads. Kefir - You’ll find coconut kefir in health food shops. Add it to smoothies, pour it on granola or fruit, or drink it on its own. Miso - Try white miso in dressings and marinades, it has a mild savory sweet flavor that lifts ingredients out of bland and into tasty. You can also use miso paste to make Asian noodle dishes. Dark miso has a more pronounced savory flavor - a little goes a long way! Tempeh - Delicious marinated in tamari sauce, ginger and garlic, and fried in a little coconut oil. You can also cut it into chunks and add it to stews and curries for extra protein. Pickled vegetables - Crunchy, salty and tangy, picked vegetables are great as a side to any meal, or added to wraps and salads. Increase your exercise You’ve now had two weeks of early morning workouts and daytime walks. It’s time to increase the pace a little. Remember that exercise doesn’t just fight inflammation and help you lose weight, it also melts away the fat in your liver. See working out as a complement to your new healthy diet. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t have to be a chore. Find an exercise that you enjoy and do that - the trick to making exercise an effortless part of your every day is to love it. If you’re dragging yourself to the gym, it’s all too easy to give up because ultimately, you’re not really enjoying it. If, however, you love to dance and enroll in a dance class, you’re much less likely to give up because you’re doing something you enjoy. 70 BlueHeronHealthNews.com Here are a few ideas to help you include more movement in your day. Aim to do an extra 20 minutes of exercise a day, on top of the 7-minute workout and 30-minute walk: When you watch TV, use the ad break to do a round of push-ups, crunches, triceps dips, or planks. Dance to your favorite song when you get home from work - make it a celebration of having the evening to relax. Try an exercise class - yoga, pilates, tai chi, qigong, aerobics, Zumba… Go swimming. Subscribe to a fitness channel or download an exercise app and follow a new class. Join a walking or hiking group. When commuting to work, get off a stop early or park your car further away. Get up from your desk every 45 minutes. Spend time gardening. Get an elliptical machine or stationery bicycle, use it 10-15 minutes a day (you can do this while watching tv!). Go for longer walks in nature at weekends. Week 3 recap Keep up with the sleep routine, food diary, home cooking and exercise. Keep eating 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables every day. Keep drinking at least 2.2 liters of fluids a day. Eat 1-2 portions of fermented foods every day. Add more exercise to your daily routine - at least 20 minutes (you can break this up into 10-minute chunks if you find it easier to schedule it in). WEEK 4 By Week 4, you’ll be feeling the benefits of a healthier diet and daily movement. You’ll feel more energized, you’ll be sleeping better, and, although you won’t be able to see this, you’ll be reducing the fat build-up in your liver. This week is about consolidating your new healthy habits and taking your liver detox one step further, by adding concentrated antioxidants and supplements, and using intermittent fasting to boost your detox capacity and fight inflammation. Antioxidants & supplements As we’ve seen, antioxidants are essential to help protect your liver and your body from oxidative stress. The good news is that all plant foods contain some antioxidants,
Recipes in this e-book you are already eating a healthy dose of free-radical-fighting nutrients. To add even more, and give your liver another boost, you can add nature’s original superfoods: fresh herbs and spices. Here are some easy ways to top up your antioxidant intake: Omega 3: sprinkle sea salad or toasted nori sheets on your meals; include chia seeds in your smoothies or overnight oats; sprinkle hemp seeds on your soups. Milk thistle: drink a few drops of tincture mixed with water first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Turmeric: use turmeric powder to make a turmeric latte or turmeric smoothie; add a piece of fresh turmeric to chickpeas to make hummus. Matcha green tea: a great alternative to coffee. Add it to desiccated coconut and prunes to make energy balls. Cacao: process it with nuts and prunes to make chocolate energy balls. Add it to a banana, plant milk, oats and peanut butter to make a delicious breakfast shake. Mix with a little coconut cream and plant milk to make a warming drink. Fresh herbs: finely chop mint, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, chives, oregano, and sprinkle onto your meals. Colorful vegetables: eat a simple raw salad as a starter - grated carrot, grated beetroot, massaged kale, baby spinach, finely sliced cabbage, simply drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon juice, with a spoonful of toasted seeds. Eat dandelions or take a good quality dandelion supplement. Intermittent fasting When people think of fasting, they think of eating nothing for days on end. That is one type of fasting, but it’s not the kind I’m advocating here. Ultimately, you can intermittently fast simply by changing when you eat breakfast and dinner. Intermittent fasting can be your secret weapon when it comes to health. Not only does it reduce inflammation, prevent premature aging, and help you lose weight, it also reduces liver inflammation. In an animal study published in the journal Nutrition, scientists gave two groups of mice either a high fat or a high fructose diet for 8 weeks. Half of these mice were then put though an intermittent fasting routine for 4 weeks - without changing their diet. Interestingly, despite carrying on with the pro-inflammatory diets, the mice that ate intermittently had less liver fat and fewer inflammatory markers than mice that ate normally. If it can have that effect without any dietary change, imagine how beneficial it can be combined with your healthy diet! So, why does intermittent fasting have this effect? It comes down to giving your body some time out of the “fed” state. For around 3 to 5 hours after you eat, your body is busy digesting food, breaking it down, absorbing it, eliminating it… that’s one of the reasons many people feel sleepy after a meal.
These days, we’re encouraged to eat every 3 to 4 hours, which means we’re always either eating or digesting. With intermittent fasting, you give your body time in the “fasting” state - this happens around 8 to 12 hours after you eat. At this time, your body is no longer busy digesting, and it can get on with rejuvenating, detoxing and healing. There’s no right or wrong way to intermittent fast. Some people do 20/4 - which is when you eat within a 4-hour period but fast the rest of the time. Others do 16/8, which is much easier to incorporate into your day. Here, you would eat your meals between 10am and 6pm, or between 12pm and 8pm, or whatever time frame suits you, and fast the rest of the time. A great place to start is simply to give your body at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day. So, if you usually have dinner at 7pm, delay your breakfast till after 7am. Week 4 recap Keep up with the sleep routine, food diary, home cooking and exercise. Keep eating 2 portions of cruciferous vegetables and at least 1-2 portions of fermented foods every day. Keep drinking at least 2.2 liters of fluids a day. Include 1 or 2 extra antioxidant foods every day. Leave at least 12 to 14 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day. Maintaining your healthy liver In this époque of fad diets and extreme workouts, it might not be too popular to say that there is no one size fits all model. To stay healthy, you just need to follow common sense, listen to your body, and find your health groove. Now that you know what creates NAFLD, you know how to avoid it. This 28-day plan is simply the beginning. So, how do you maintain your healthy liver long-term? Simply by: Avoiding the worst offenders: added sugar, refined carbohydrates, excess fats, and environmental toxins. Drinking in moderation - excess alcohol leads to fatty liver. This means having no more than 5 to 7 glasses of wine a week, and not drinking every day. Including foods that support your liver: cruciferous vegetables, allium foods, antioxidants. Eating an abundance of vegetables and fruits to make sure you’re giving your body all the fiber and vitamins it needs for optimum health. Supporting your body’s detox pathways: drinking plenty of water, eating plenty of fiber, having regular massages. Sticking to a daily routine that includes gentle exercise and core workouts.
Using toiletries and cleaning products made from natural, toxin-free ingredients. Adding an element of fun to your lifestyle - this is probably the most important ingredient. Without fun, without a little relaxation from time to time, life becomes a drag - and it would be a sad thing to live a life where there is no enjoyment. You don’t have to be perfect all the time, but you’ll find that the longer you stick to this healthy lifestyle, the more second-nature it will become, until it is so effortless you don’t even notice it any more. Listen to your body - how does it feel after certain foods? This is where keeping an eye on your food diary can really help. You will learn to identify the foods that make you feel great, and those that your body doesn’t deal with too well. For example, some people struggle to digest certain grains or beans, while others struggle with nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). Start forming a relationship with your body so that you can give it what it needs to thrive. Of course, there will be days when you might deviate from it a little - birthday parties, outings with friends, family barbeques, the occasional take-away. That’s fine. I’m a big fan of the 80/20 rule - stick to a healthy, anti-inflammatory, plant-based diet, but allow yourself a little leeway some of the time. After all, rules are there to be broken from time to time - otherwise, where’s the fun?