The Liver is our body’s largest internal organ (size of a football) and is the most hard-working organ in the body. It is the Livers’ responsibility to process nutrients absorbed by the intestine. The Liver also regulates blood composition to balance protein, fats and carbohydrates. It also removes toxins from the blood and breaks down both alcohol and medications.
Fatty Liver disease is a broad term that describes a wide range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat within the liver cells.
Fatty Liver is of 2 types – Alcoholic and Non- alcoholic Fatty Liver.
The former happens as a result of excessive alcohol intake and the latter is because of unrelated reasons like a diet rich in fats and carbohydrates or inactivity. Initially people do not show any symptoms of the disease, but eventually they feel nauseated, tired, bloated and generally sick.
Fatty Liver is, however, reversible and you only need to change your lifestyle.
Non-dietary Remedies
1. Exercise: Physical Inactivity is an important factor in Fatty liver disease. Make sure you exercise for 30 to 45 minutes daily. This helps in speeding up the metabolism effectively and in maintaining proper liver function.
2. Sleep: Sleep helps your body repair and rejuvenate. It is only at rest that the body repairs. Please get into a routine and get your required quota of sleep.
3. Acupuncture, Acupressure and Reiki: All these can help in bringing your body back to normal so please try these but make sure you find good practitioners.
4. Stress: Avoid stress at all costs. Stress is one of the biggest contributing factors of this disease. Take up Yoga, Meditation, Deep Breathing-any strategy to help you reduce stress.
5. Anger Control: Learn how to deal with your anger. This will help enormously. If necessary, learn anger management skills.
Dietary Remedies
1. Alkalinise Your Body: The Liver remains healthy with good nutrition. Focus on alkalinity. Have more of fruits, vegetables, nuts and sprouts.
2. Lemon: Lemon and Apple cider vinegar are two excellent alkalanisers. Have a lemon shot after each meal. It will bring down your acid levels and also help in reducing the fat accumulated around as well as in the liver. These 2 ingredients help in detoxifying the liver.
3. Intermittent Fasting: Intermittent fasting as well as a Raw Food Diet once a week, helps in repairing the Liver as well as improving Gut health.
4. Green Tea: Green Tea contains catechins that help in reducing infiltration of fat in the liver. Basically, it blocks fat storage in the liver.
5. Turmeric, Garlic, Papaya & Amla: These are foods which effectively keep the liver functioning at an optimum level, include these in your diet.
6. Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Eating foods high in Omega 3 Fatty acids may help lower liver fat. So please include Salmon, Sardines, Walnuts, Flaxseeds and Avocado in your diet. Also oils such as Olive, Sesame, Avocado & Ghee.
7. Coffee: A cup of coffee daily can protect the body from a fatty liver. This is because coffee contains chlorogenic acids which is an anti- oxidant and an anti-inflammatory – But no more than 2 cups daily.
8. Avoid Alcohol, Sugary foods, Fried foods, Salt, White Bread, Rice and Pasta and also Red Meat. Basically avoid all Refined, Processed foods. These are all acidic foods.
Note: Please refer to blogs on Inflammation, Alkalinity and Gut Health.