How to protect your liver during the New Year holidays: expert advice

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova!

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.

This week before the New Year, we decided to discuss the most pressing topic – how to survive the New Year holidays without harming your health with temptations?

Inessa Tsarkova

The holidays are approaching and it’s a time for fun, gifts and treats. How can we enjoy, relax and unwind without harming our body and especially our liver?

After all, the biggest burden falls on him during the New Year’s holiday with endless treats.

First of all, it is important to realize that the liver is one of the most important organs for our health. Second, take responsibility for his well-being into your own hands.

What functions does the liver perform?

Interestingly, the name of the organ comes from the word “oven”. And this is not a coincidence. Since ancient times, stoves in huts were the center of all life processes. He was the main helper in preparing meals and heating the house. They also washed and treated themselves in ovens; Its ashes were used to wash and bleach fabrics, and even to prepare healing ointments and potions. Likewise, our liver performs many important functions in the body.

— Like a stove, it has the ability to “heat”, as it can accumulate energy in the form of glycogen, takes an active part in carbohydrate and fat metabolism (as a result of which energy is produced), and also produces energy. a lot of heat, because the metabolic processes in it are as intense as possible.

“With its help, our body “washes itself”: the liver, passing blood through itself, actively neutralizes and then removes the poisons and toxins it contains. Harmful substances may come from outside (e.g. drugs, chemical additives from foods, harmful substances from household chemicals and personal care products, alcohol, toxins from air and water). Many substances are also formed in the body that need to be neutralized and removed: waste hormones, products of protein metabolism (ammonia, acetone, ketone bodies that are toxic to our body), as well as poisons and toxins produced by pathogenic microflora and parasites. .

– The liver can be “saturated” with nutrients: in it, as in a large laboratory (or oven), proteins, enzymes and other biologically important substances necessary for the body are synthesized (prepared) (including albumins, globulins, blood coagulation factors, glycogen, cholesterol) ).

— The liver also knows how to store, preserve and, if necessary, deliver fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, K, B) and trace elements (e.g. zinc, iron, cobalt). , copper).

— Synthesizes the bile components necessary for the digestion of food (for the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins and the activation of pancreatic enzymes).

— Bile is also essential for maintaining healthy microflora and neutralizing pathogenic bacteria, fungi and parasites.

“It also helps the body maintain acid-base balance.

However, for the liver to do all this, the gallbladder and intestines must work well. Otherwise, the same toxic substances will accumulate and destroy the organ, leading to inflammation of the organ, fibrosis and subsequent oncology.

The liver suffers great damage due to high blood sugar. This happens not only when a person eats sweets a lot and often, but also when he moves little. As a result, if we spend less energy when the muscles are not working, the number of mitochondria in the cells decreases significantly. Cells no longer need sugar to produce energy and release it into the blood. But the liver “takes” it from there and turns it into fat. With excessive accumulation of fat in the liver tissue, fat hypotosis develops and it begins to poorly cope with its functions.

How do you protect your liver?

To protect such an important organ during the New Year holidays, try to follow seven simple but important rules.

number 1

Limit the amount of alcohol (or better yet, eliminate it altogether). Have two or three glasses of dry quality wine. It is better not to drink strong, sweet and carbonated drinks, cocktails and energy drinks. You can reduce the harmful effects of alcohol if you also drink clean water (ideally three times the amount of alcohol consumed).

number 2

Eliminate foods containing chemical additives (“E” and trans fats), industrial sauces, foods with a long shelf life, canned goods, smoked, salted, dried and fried foods.

number 3

Replace industrial desserts with homemade desserts made from healthy ingredients. You do not need to eat them with your main meal, preferably two to three hours later.

number 4

Minimize your medication intake (the best alternative is natural therapeutic grade essential oils). And try to reduce your intake of hormones and antibiotics from meat products by buying them from farms or by boiling and straining the broth beforehand.

number 5

Avoid complex combinations in meals and reduce the amount of animal protein. Make them as simple and monosyllabic as possible. Include more berries and fruits, fresh vegetables (especially green leafy and root vegetables) on the holiday table.

number 6

Vegetable oils are good for the liver (get more avocados, nuts and seeds, MCT oil) and bitterness (bitter herbs, arugula, onion, garlic, radishes, ginger, turmeric, cloves).

number 7

It is important not to overeat and replace meals with dancing, outdoor games and walks in the fresh air.

Prepare your holiday table with light vegetable snacks with a minimum amount of unprocessed animal protein (some lightly salted or cooked fish, seafood, boiled eggs) and plenty of greens (lettuce, spinach, bok choy, seaweed). Prepare healthy and delicious dressings for vegetable salads, replace boiled potatoes and white rice with avocado, zucchini or cauliflower. Make roasted vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes) as a side dish.

Healthy recipes for the New Year’s table

Here are some “classic” recipes developed for the New Year’s table.

Healthy salad dressing “Hazelnut mayonnaise”

You will need: 200g hazelnuts (pine or cashews are best), 3 large cloves of garlic, 1/2 raw carrot, 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 200ml water, your favorite natural spices (black pepper ), cumin, dried herbs, coriander, turmeric) and optional pink Himalayan salt.

Blend everything in a blender until smooth and creamy.

PP salad “Olivier”

You will need: 3 cucumbers, 3 raw medium carrots, 2 medium avocados (can be replaced with raw zucchini or zucchini), 100 g of fresh frozen peas, any greens (green onions, dill, parsley) to taste and garnish – “Mayonnaise with nuts” ”.

PP “Black caviar”

Soak 100 g of chia seeds in 300 ml of water for 10-15 minutes, add 3 tablespoons of dry ground seaweed (e.g. nori or wakame leaves), 1 teaspoon of linseed oil, 1 teaspoon of naturally fermented soy sauce (must have). glass and contains only four ingredients: wheat, soy, water and salt). It will also be very tasty to add ground hazelnuts (but you can do without them).

This caviar can be used in salads or made into rolls wrapped in nori, lettuce, or bok choy. Or just spread it on flax bread and garnish with herbs and bell pepper slices.

PP salad “Herring under a fur coat”

It can be made healthier if you use avocado or zucchini instead of boiled potatoes, boiled beets without adding eggs, and raw beets instead of carrots. The taste of eggs can be replaced with grated carrots with “Hazelnut mayonnaise” with the addition of black Himalayan salt, and herring with wakame seaweed soaked with the addition of soy sauce and linseed oil. Likewise, sweeten with “Hazelnut mayonnaise”.

New Year’s Eve is a time of miracles and magical transformations. Look inside, listen to yourself, feel what your soul really wants and what your body needs. Let your life be transformed in the new year, filled with care for yourself and your loved ones, change this world for the better!