Tag Archives: Digestive Process

How to keep a healthy kidney and liver

January 18, 2011 0 Comments

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The liver and kidneys are remarkable pieces of organic engineering, working to eliminate undesirable substances. When the body is not firing on all cylinders, it tends to store toxins instead of eliminating them.

Your liver is like a chemical processing plant, converting everything you eat, breathe and absorb through your skin into life-sustaining substances. It plays a vital role in the digestive process as it is responsible for producing bile, a substance stored in the gallbladder that aids the breakdown of fats. Your liver also processes digested food and disperses it throughout your body.

The liver also acts as an excretory organ, filtering toxins from your blood and converting them into waste, which is excreted into the bile produced for this purpose or blood and expelled in the form of feces or urine. A diet high in fats, sugars and alcohol, along with environmental toxins such as pesticides and nitrates, can seriously affect your health by interfering with the liver’s functions. Fortunately, your liver has amazing powers of regeneration and a liver detox can work wonders for your whole body.

The liver is the largest organ inside your body and has an enormous amount of blood flowing through it every minute. It consists of two main lobes that appear flat and smooth, but which are actually made up of many thousands of microscopic cells.

These liver cells are separated by spaces that act like a filter or sieve through which the unfiltered blood flows. Liver cells play an essential role in ridding the blood of unwanted substances. They ingest and break down toxic matter such as dead cells, micro-organisms, and chemicals, such as nitrates or preservatives, drugs and other debris from the blood stream.

To prevent your liver from becoming overworked, it is important to limit your intake of toxins such as:

Alcohol: Excess alcohol causes the liver to metabolize fat less efficiently, so that it is stored in the liver and other organs instead. As a result, the liver becomes fatty and inflamed and functions less efficiently. Avoiding alcohol is the best way to prevent liver damage, but drinking responsibly can also help.

Medication: Many prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies can damage your liver. Ask yourself if a medication is really necessary and, if not, try an alternative remedy.

Environmental: It is impossible to completely avoid toxins such as pesticides and food additives, but you can limit your intake

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Are there healthy fats?

January 18, 2011 0 Comments

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Without fat in our diets, we will die. Without the right fats in our diets, we will live poorly. Fat has been blamed for everything from heart disease to obesity. But lumping all fats together and labeling them as bad is a mistake. Fats are absolutely essential to good health.

Consider for a moment the role fats play in body function and make-up. That miracle of complex circuitry enabling you to read and understand this article, the brain, is 60% fat. The heart burns fat for the majority of its energy. The lungs, eyes and nerves all have components built of fats, without which they could not function. We owe our soft skin and shiny hair to fats.

And the digestive process relies heavily on fats. Fats slow the movement of food through the digestive tract, allowing nutrients to be more fully absorbed. Some vitamins, like A and D, can only be absorbed if fat is present. Unlike carbohydrates, especially sugars, fat will not cause a spike, but provides an even level of energy to the body. Besides, fat makes food taste better and helps you feel fuller longer.

All of the three types of fat, saturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated are necessary components of a healthy diet. The best sources for healthy fats are natural, unprocessed foods. Also, it is recommended that no more than 30% of your total calories come from fats, with a maximum of 5% coming from poly-unsaturated fats, which are the Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids.

The modern diet of developed countries provides an excess of Omega 6 fatty acids, which are found in high concentrations in processed foods. To bring the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet down to the optimal 2:1, from the average 20:1 in the American diet, one must avoid processed foods and consume foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. Grass-fed beef, wild caught salmon, organic eggs, and walnuts are good choices. Restoring the ideal balance is important because the excess Omega 6 fatty acids cause inflammation in the body, and this inflammation can lead to disease.

Another reason to avoid processed foods is that they often contain trans fats. These are fat molecules that have been rearranged through a process called hydrogenation. Trans fats have been linked to health problems such as cancer and heart disease, and should be avoided entirely. If the ingredient list says hydrogenated anywhere, do not buy it. Because if a manufacturer can manipulate the trans fat content in a serving to .5 grams or below, they can list it as zero!

Besides hydrogenation, heat and chemicals used in processing can damage fats, causing them to become harmful when consumed. Poly-unsaturated fats, like flaxseed oil, which is an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids, are the most easily damaged. For this reason they should never be used for cooking. Olive oil, a mono-unsaturated fat, and coconut oil, a saturated fat, are better to cook with because they resist damage that can create toxins. Look for “extra virgin” or “cold pressed” oils when shopping.

Finally, you can up your intake of “good” fats by consuming avocados, olives and raw nuts and seeds. Making these natural food choices, and avoiding processed foods, will ensure you are consuming enough of the right kind of fats.

Sources:

Healty fats: Choosing the right fats for your diet, helpguide.org

Power for healthy living, Al Sears, MD

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