Your liver performs over 500 different functions, and many of them are involved in digestion. It stores glycogen, which is the energy source that our cells need. A natural detoxifier, it cleans the blood from poisonous substances and secretes bile for the digestion of fat.
For women, in particular, the liver plays an even greater role by deactivating estrogen for recycling. Digestive disorders are common amongst women as a result of a congested liver. Furthermore, many menstrual symptoms are also related to a congested liver, so if your PMS is particularly bad, this could be a pointer to an underlying liver issue.
Daniel Gagnon, a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild, executive director of the Botanical Research and Education Institute, and owner of Herbs, Etc., said, “When people have liver imbalances, they get frontal headaches and sinus pain. They may awake in the morning with a coated tongue and filmy teeth. When they eat fat, they keep burping it up, because it takes such a long time to digest.”
So if you keep popping up meds to alleviate your PMS symptoms or to improve digestion to no avail, you may want to turn your health-conscious efforts to the liver.
Improve digestion by improving your liver
Now that you are more aware of the important role your liver plays in digestion, here are some tips you can try to boost your liver and improve digestion.
- Eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables.
- Steer clear of junk food, processed food, and fatty foods.
- Exercise regularly.
- Reduce your alcohol intake.
- Drink plenty of water – add lemon for extra benefit.
- Add ground flaxseed into your meals.
- Reduce intake of refined sugar and synthetic sweeteners.
- Eat more garlic and broccoli to boost your liver health.
- Avoid eating large meals and consume smaller more frequent meals instead.
- Eat more raw nuts.
- Try to eat your vegetables raw or close to raw.
- Avoid eating within three hours of sleep.
- Maintain a healthy weight and lose any extra weight.
By following these tips, you can better support a healthy liver, which can help improve your health overall.