Give your Liver more time!
Have you ever eaten a big meal late at night and then woke up not hungry? Do you eat breakfast or wait a bit? Each person and day has many variables and the more we observe our organs signals, the better chance we have of staying ahead of our bodies versus falling behind.
Falling behind our body can feel like…
- you are always tired at 3 pm and need a quick fix
- wake up exhausted
- need sugar or caffeine throughout the day for energy
- gaining weight around your abdomen
- wake up every night between 1-3 am
- crave fatty and salty foods often
- no energy for exercise
If you feel like this, my friend, your liver is tired and POOPED! Our liver is a filter and if you have overworked and overstressed it, it isn’t functioning and filtering well. For some of my clients, when their liver is congested they also experience anxiety, depression and moodiness. And if you have been taking unnecessary medications for an extended period of time, these will congest the liver and can cause more health issues.
Here are a few tips & suggestions to experiment with your nutrition & supplements
1. EAT LIGHT for a meal or two: Many people are programmed to eat large meals at certain times of the day. If you are experiencing liver congestion, try to eat light for a meal or two for a day. This will allow the liver to play catch up and also give your digestion a break. For example, if you had a large dinner, try having a light breakfast the next day, then a balanced lunch and if you are not very hungry, try a lighter dinner. Many people are experimenting with intermittent fasting, which is great if you have balanced blood sugar and don’t experience compulsive eating.There are a few different types of Intermittent Fasting, the three I recommend to try for your own body and if you feel safe are:
- The 16/8 Method: It involves skipping breakfast and try your daily eating period for 8 hours, for example from 1 pm to 9 pm. Then you “fast” for 16 hours in between.
- A daily 13-hour fast. After dinner, eat nothing from 6pm to 7am. Water is OK.
- Eat a good breakfast and lunch, and skip dinner.
- If you have tendencies to gain weight from restriction then this is NOT ideal for you, please try under proper supervision.
2. Try to eat early in the evening: Try to have your dinner earlier in the evening so when you go to bed, your liver has a better chance to go into deep cleaning mode while you sleep. The time of the liver is 1-3 am so if you can help your body stay sleeping during that time, you will help your liver get back to normal.3. Add in herbs: Daily herbs can help clear your liver gently versus doing intensive cleanses. You can either add in these herbs as a tea or capsules, Gynostemma, dandelion, tumeric, green tea and ginger. Observe your bowel movements, especially if you wake up in the morning and have the natural urge to eliminate, this is GREAT!
4. Foods for the liver: Rotate these foods into your weekly diet for added liver support: Beets, broccoli sprouts, figs, pumpkin, blueberries, lime, cranberries, leafy greens, spirulina and cruciferous family. Sometimes you may just need a plain salad with lemon and olive oil dressing to help your liver and bile function well.
5. Sleep & REST: It is so ideal to rest and digest for a bit after your meals. This will allow the body to go into your parasympathetic nervous system to get the digestion job done. Also, do what you can to provide yourself a night of deep sleep by monitoring electronic use, dark, cozy room and minimal disruptions.
Summer is here! I am going to be traveling more than I usually do for the next 3 1/2 months, so I may be blogging less. I will be LOVING on my liver in Europe!! Wish me luck:)
Please follow me, I will be sharing my adventures on Instagram, Facebook & Youtube (click on pictures below for my links)
P.S. If you need to dive into your own nutrition process, my library is up and running! You can do your OWN 5-day Jump Start or 3-week RESET! I will be available via email if you need support! Head to the Members Area here!
