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body systems
159
Bile has many functions, and one of its uses is to help digest fats. It is also
a natural laxative because it acts as the liver’s own personal eliminatory
channel.
The liver creates immune substances and also purifies and filters the
blood by neutralizing poisons. During its many chemical reactions, it
produces a great deal of heat that can warm the whole body. If the liver
is pushed and overwhelmed with the work it needs to carry out, perhaps
because of excessive hormonal demands or toxicity, it can become
“
overheated.” This, in turn, will deleteriously affect other organs and
systems. The liver also instigates some hormonal processes and inactivates
others; it plays a major role in the premenstrual phase, menstruation,
menopause, and other endocrine phases for women.
This cleansing, manufacturing, and storage center, through its
influence on nutrient and energy supply as well as detoxification, has a
direct link with the mind and its function. Emotionally, one can feel very
depressed or even angry, sad, weepy, and at worst jealous if the liver is
overextended by one’s daily input. Fortunately, the liver is also very capable
of making us feel happy, joyful, balanced, sprightly, and energized when it
is functioning well. Such drastic differences are often plainly seen before
and after a liver cleanse.
nutrition
When the liver is sick, avoid fatty foods except for extra virgin olive oil,
which is very good for it. Increase your intake of antioxidants, as they
protect the liver— foods like peppers, parsley, chlorella and other algae,
fresh vegetable and fruit juices, garlic, carrots, greens, citrus fruit, and
soaked or sprouted whole seeds, all eaten raw or gently steamed. Choline
(
a B vitamin) is vital for the balanced use of cholesterol by the body;
soybean products are rich in this. Adults should keep their protein intake
to an optimal one to two ounces a day, as Westerners eat far too much
protein, which disrupts liver enzyme activity. Eat foods that contain
sulfur— for instance, garlic, leeks, chives, and spring onions— as they
decongest the liver. Keep your intake of refined sugar to a minimum. Eat
lots of sour foods such as lemon juice, which is thought to initiate
enzymatic releases that detoxify the liver. Avoid cooked spices and test to
see whether raw ones are appropriate for you. Raw spices will have a
more cooling effect on the liver than if cooked. However, if the liver is
very heated and maybe even inflamed, then only use cooling culinary
herbs for flavor, such as mint, thyme, and marjoram. Listen to your body
and take note of its reactions. Eat steamed rice and vegetables and organic
wheat. Avoid consuming coffee, tea, and alcohol— in fact anything that
stimulates, including heating spices like chiles.
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