However, your liver helps to show you the way by warning you with these 10 signs:
abdominal bloating, pain or discomfort in the right upper abdominal area under the rib cage (which is where your liver is if you didn’t know), excessive abdominal fat, inability to lose weight, trouble digesting fatty foods, need for your gallbladder to be removed, acid reflux/heartburn, dark spots on the skin (or liver spots), overheating of the body and excessive perspiration, and acne, rosacea or itchy, blotchy skin. You may also need to watch out for high blood pressure, fatigue, high cholesterol and triglycerides, mood swings and depression, sleep apnoea or snoring and fatty yellowish lumps around eyes.
These are all signs that you need to alter your diet, your lifestyle and even take a detox to improve your liver and overall wellness, as they indicate that your liver is blocked or clogged up with unhealthy fat. Your liver can become clogged from alcohol, a diet high in carbohydrates and processed food, and the high levels of toxins you are exposed to every day through your food, water, air, and body and home products. These toxins lodge in other places, such as the bowel, kidneys and especially fat tissue, and reduce the body’s oxygen uptake and creates an acidic, septic, low-energy state, prone to disease.
The first step is to reduce your airborne toxic intake by limiting your use of smoke, gasoline, paint and glue, nail polish and perfumes and cleaners. Reduce your exposure to toxins in food and drink by restricting your use of alcohol, preservatives, dyes, pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metal in large fish, and contaminated water – for this you should invest in a filtration unit. This list is not exhaustive but shows just how much you’re putting your liver through.
Also, switch to non-toxic and plant-based, cleaning and personal care. Remember, your skin is the largest organ in your body and absorbs everything you touch directly into your system so, if you would not eat it don’t use it on your skin. You can make your own skin lotions with organic shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba, olive oil and essential oils.
Finally, work on your diet. Eliminate processed foods, simple carbohydrates and sugar and eat more organic produce. Get checked for hidden food intolerances, and adds more supportive foods to help repair the damage to your liver and other organs. Eat lots of raw fruits and vegetables – this should account for 30-40% of your diet. This is just the beginning of the foods you can incorporate to ensure liver wellness, and there’s a world of information out there to help you. Contact your doctor or dietician or look online.