The High Fat Fad and Liver Health

The High Fat Fad and Liver Health

by Leah Mary Quirk, Soul Natural Alchemy

There’s so many smoke and mirrors to filter through today when it comes to health. It seems our generation keeps coming up with more and more diets, trends and fads regarding what our body needs. The answer should be clear, direct and simple. What our bodies need is the right minerals, vitamins and nutrition found in fruits and vegetables. If we don’t have that our bodies don’t have the proper needs to function well. We get so caught up in all these diet trends that allow us to continue to eat the wrong foods. Today our culture is all about high amounts of fat and protein. Fats are hard on the liver, clogging the organ to run slower and not have the sufficient energy to detoxify and clean up our systems like it is supposed to. Most proteins typically translate to fat. Dairy is also just another form of fat. Animal protein, even if it’s a lean chicken breast contains mostly fat. At first we may feel more energized on this diet because our adrenals are pumping out more to compensate this heavy burden. Too much fat can create insulin resistance preventing the body’s proper absorption of glucose. This is how people become diabetic rather than blaming sugar, it’s an excess of fat in the bloodstream and liver. I tell my clients to think of the consistency of the foods they are eating and what that would look like in their body. Think of fat, picture it with its consistency, qualities and weight in the body. It’s thick and heavy enough to clog the channels, not allowing other minerals to break through and be absorbed. Picture it around your nervous system, how could the nerves give and receive the proper signals through a wall of fat. We have so many fears and rules that revolve around food today. We are told not to do nightshades, starches, cruciferous vegetables and avoid fruits that has too much sugar. Fruits and starches contain the sugar we need! The liver needs the glucose to perform its functions and provide us energy. This is especially useful for people suffering with exhausted adrenals. I fell victim to all these new rules and propaganda yet overtime I realized all that matters is that my food choices are natural and high in nutritional value. People are worried about acidity afraid of tomatoes yet consume alcohol or poor quality oils like corn and canola daily. People are afraid of fruits that have too much sugar yet are eating processed sugar everyday in bread, alcohol or hidden in foods such as sauces as the main ingredient. Eating healthy should not have to be this complicated. Keep it simple, start by asking yourself how many servings of fruits and vegetables am I taking in daily. If that answer is low, start by cutting your fat and protein by 25% and replacing it with fresh vegetables and fruit. Every meal you should be able to look at your plate and see the value. Your plate of food should be fresh, colorful and full of life! One of the best choices you can make for yourself is having as many greens in your diet as you can. If you have been a victim of the high fat/protein trend, greens are your secret weapon at cleaning up and restoring your liver. If you are a person struggling with an autoimmune health condition your liver really needs your support. Our liver is always working for us yet we tend to work against it. I am going to provide you not a diet, but a way of living that is going to benefit your body better than any other trend or fad out there.

The mornings are most important, you do not want to start your day with high protein and fat, consuming a heavy breakfast with eggs, bread and meats. Your liver needs the morning to fully re-coop from the day before, give that organ a break! Start the day with a hydrating beverage like cucumber, celery, aloe, coconut, lime or lemon water. Best choice is a tall glass of warm water with fresh squeezed lemon juice and a spoonful of raw honey. Raw honey is antibacterial and helps to cut through mucous, also providing a boost of energy. Avoid fats in the morning this includes healthy fats like coconut, nuts, seeds and avocados. For breakfast, have fresh fruit or blend a smoothie. By the way, adding yogurt or dairy to a smoothie is one of the worst choices we could make. Fruit is meant to eaten alone for it digests faster and takes a different route than other foods. Mixing fruit with dairy is one of the prime causes of acid reflux, dairy and fruit ferment together creating nasty acidity. Red skinned apples are one of the best choices and very hydrating for the liver. Enjoy the skin as long as it’s organic which contains pectin that gets deep in the tissues to remove toxins. The glucose in the fruits is going to gear up your liver to tackle the day and protect you. For the day, make sure to have one full serving meal of greens. You could have a salad with greens like romaine, kale, spinach, arugula and sprouts. I like to buy several kinds, mix them together and have in my fridge for the week. I cut up radishes, carrots and cucumbers that I keep in a separate container to add to my salad. I like to squeeze a fresh lemon or orange on my salad, sprinkle of sea salt rather than drown it in processed dressing. Another choice could be a plate or fresh, steamed broccoli, brussels sprouts, or asparagus. These are powerful defenses for your liver. You could also make a beverage juicing greens. Now you already had a full serving of fruits and vegetables for the day. Don’t worry so much about efficient protein or fat intake and all the Western dietary rules. Instead look at the choices you are making and think what does this provide my body? Just as when we were kids, we were told to eat our greens. Today, instead of it feeling like a punishment, we should be smiling with pride knowing we are taking the right steps to take care of ourselves. Plus, you are going to feel good, your body will thank you. If you decide to have animal protein and fats, save them for later in the day and try to decrease them by 25%. I’m not saying you have to go crazy vegan, we are not getting into the hype here. Just saying make sure you are consuming as much vitamin and mineral rich foods as you can. If you feel hungry through the day which may be a sign of exhausted adrenals and your blood sugar dropping, try snacking on dates or figs. Squash, sweet and white potatoes are also rich in glucose.

Our Western culture has us eating as a means of pleasure rather than its purpose of keeping us healthy and our bodies functioning right. There is a reason as people, we need to eat. Our bodies are cravings these fresh fruits and vegetables. We are misled with perverted cravings, many of us are living with parasites and bacteria that is really craving the sugars and fats. We have to reclaim our bodies and minds. Once you rid the body of this waste, you will crave the natural sugars of carrot and feel your best after a plate of greens. If you have health problems there is nothing better you can do for yourself than change your diet. The body is a miraculous system that knows how to take care of itself with the God given ability to heal, yet that only happens when we allow it to. I want to quick touch base on a common complaint I hear of people who turn their backs on greens. People complain it causes them to have to go to the bathroom too much. What they don’t see is that the greens they ate are trying to clean out the gut from all the food left behind that didn’t digest before. If this happens to you by increasing more greens that is a good thing! It should make known to you how much toxins and undigested food you have sitting around in your gut and colon. So don’t go back to the meat and potato diet because you spent the afternoon on the toilet after eating broccoli. That is a sign that your diet needs to change and keep up the greens because they are working for you to clear that out!