Treat Your Liver Right

Do you ever think about your… liver?

I know, right? I don't. Honestly, it seems kind of weird to be thinking about.

But that is kind of the beauty of your liver. If it's doing its job, you never have to worry about it.

And let me tell you… you want your liver to be doing its job. Because it's an important one.

For example, your liver is responsible for removing toxins from your blood, digesting fat, making proteins that fight off infections, and helping balance hormones and cholesterol. And that's just the tip of the "liver iceberg."

But that's enough to prove my point — your liver is important.

So here are a few ways you can make sure you are taking care of your liver. That way, it can take care of you.

Healthy Weight
This comes as no surprise, but keeping your weight in check will put less stress on your liver. To be blunt, the more of you there is… the harder your liver has to work. Same goes for your heart… lungs… really everything.

So be sure to follow a healthy eating plan. Add more vegetables and fruit to your diet. Choose whole grains and lower fat dairy products more often. Select leaner cuts of meat and include beans, lentils and tofu in your diet more often.

Eating Out
Who doesn't love a great meal at their favorite restaurant? Well, just be sure you are making the right choices. Try to pick the meals with lower fat choices and lower sodium too. But this doesn't only go for restaurants… the same goes for cooking at home.

Be Physically Active
Try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day. This doesn't have to be going "all out" on the treadmill. You can take a brisk walk or ride a bike instead. And also try to limit your inactivity with stuff like watching television or playing video games.  

Avoid Alcohol
This one is pretty obvious. If there's one thing people think of when it comes to damaging their livers… it's booze. So limit it. Alcohol may cause other types of liver disease.

As I'm writing this out… I'm realizing these are all great things to do no matter what. If you want to stay healthy these are all common sense things you may already be doing (I hope you are.)

But it just goes to show that what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

The "goose" being your liver of course, haha. I hope these tips have helped.