Is it time for a liver hack?

The liver is your primary fat burning organ. Therefore keeping your liver healthy is essential for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. One of the challenges I often see in my clinic and with clients is that certain lifestyle habits can prevent or slow down how effective the liver is working for us. This can lead to weight loss resistance and a feeling of stuckness in reaching your health goals. So, how well is your liver working for you? Here are 11 liver hacks to assist liver function, and help you burn fat and stay healthy. 

Liver Hack #1: Hydrate with clean, filtered water

This seems pretty straight forward, yet so many people are chronically dehydrated. Make sure you’re avoiding tap water, as the EWG has found most tap water to be toxic. You can check the quality of your local tap water here on the EWG site. We recommend filtering water with something like a Berkey.

Liver Hack #2: Avoid these things

• High fructose foods. Studies show that a high fructose diet is worse for you than even calories, because it will shut your metabolism down and make it difficult for you to burn fat. Avoid all high fructose corn sugars frequently found in: soda, cakes, candy, baked goods, canned fruit, juices, sweetened yogurts, salad dressings. Read ingredient labels and avoid all processed high fructose sugars. 
• Bad fats. Bad fats consist of things like the bad oils, consisting of mostly vegetable oils like canola, safflower, sunflower, corn and cottonseed oils. These are found in a so many packaged foods, breads, cereals and pasteurized dairy products, including generally found in pasteurized milks, crackers, 
• Alcohol. It doesn’t matter how many hours you are fasting or how clean your diet is otherwise, the liver will prioritize processing alcohol over burning fat. So as long as alcohol is in your system, you have shut off all fat burning capabilities. Also, alcohol damages the mitochondria in the liver. 
• Toxins. Toxins encourage the body to store fat and block the mitochondria and our cells from functioning optimally. Toxins like preservatives, nitrites and dyes are commonly found in packaged and processed foods. Additionally, environmental toxins like heavy metals (mercury, aluminum, lead, etc) and mold are unfortunately too common in many homes and workplaces. Read everything you need to know about toxins. The goal here is to look around you and minimize your toxic exposure and if necessary, do a deep detox of toxins that might be interfering with your health. A high toxic load is all too often the root cause of many patients’ health struggles. 

Liver Hack #3: Exercise

Not just any type of exercise, intensity matters. If you want to heal your liver, focus your efforts on “vigorous physical activity”, like HIIT training, 3x a week. A study from Japan of 1,149 patients with fatty liver disease found that 5 cycles of HIIT training 3x a week for 12 weeks resulted in significant improvement. If you’re part of my Reset Academy, I lead a weekly workout on Saturdays that is perfect for this.

Liver Hack #4: Go Keto

A study done on obese patients with fatty liver disease found that a low carbohydrate diet improved liver fat metabolism and shifted the gut microbiomate to absorb more B vitamins and folate from the food the person was eating. It also helped with overall gene expression of the liver. Doing a carnivore diet can also be very helpful here! I had a great interview with Maria Emmerich on which is better for you, a Keto or Carnivore diet?

Liver Hack #5: Increase folate and vitamin B rich foods

The liver is the primary organ responsible for storage and metabolism of folates. Low serum folate levels have been observed in patients with obesity and diabetes. Lean into folate rich foods like leafy green vegetables, beets, broccoli, nuts and seeds asparagus, brussel sprouts, avocados, beans, citrus fruits. B12 is also found in grass fed meat, poultry and eggs. 

Liver Hack #6: Use castor oil packs

Castor oil packs can assist the lymphatic system flowing out of the organs. When you put a castor oil pack over the liver and gut, you open the lymphatic system so the organs can drain much more efficiently. One study showed that with a 2-hour therapy period, castor oil packs produced a “significant” temporary increase in the number of T-11 lymphocytes cells that increased over a 7 hour period following treatment.

Grab my castor oil packs here!

Liver Hack #7: Do a liver cleanse

I recommend my clients do the Biogenetix Metabolic Clearing Kit (Liver Cleanse) prior to detoxing any heavy metals.There is a 14 or 21 day cleanse option. This can be helpful if you’re feeling very stuck and have tried all the other hacks. 

Liver Hack #8: Do a coffee enema

Coffee enemas are one of the best ways to clear the liver and avoid reabsorption of harmful chemicals and heavy metals. The caffeine in coffee dilates the liver’s bile ducts, facilitating elimination of toxins trapped in the liver. When done properly coffee enemas can also boost glutathione levels up to 700%, speeding up the detoxification process. 

Liver Hack #9: Use a suppository

Xeneplex suppositories contain natural espresso and diminished glutathione to help the body in dealing with toxins like pesticides, petrochemicals, plasticizers, solvents, metals, simulated flavors, counterfeit colors, and mold and contagious aflatoxins in the body.

Liver Hack #10: Use a biohacking tool

Using technology to hack the healing of your body is a popular concept called ‘biohacking’. In my clinic, we use infrared sauna, Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy and Red Light Therapy to support clients efforts and assist the body in moving into a state of healing and health. These devices can also be purchased for your home if you’re not able to find a provider near you.

Liver Hack #11: Take a liver supplement

If you’ve done everything and feel like your liver just needs a little extra support, our go-to supplement is L Liver from Systemic Formulas. L Liver provides nutrition for the liver and gallbladder including softening, restoration, and rebuilding of the liver.

Research:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191001132712.htm

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28460180/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5954622/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5946225/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/87483/

https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30054-8

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10227151/