April 19th is World liver day, this year’s theme is Food is medicine. In this blog, dietitian Bally Parekh shares how combining small wins can help you to look after your liver.
Your liver does a lot of important tasks. Some of the key ones include:
- storing and providing energy for your body
- storing vitamins and minerals
- helping digest your food
- helping your immune system
- helping your gut stay healthy
- getting rid of toxins
Find out more about the 500+ jobs your liver does for you.
When we eat too much sugar, fat and salt the liver must work harder to process and filter them.
If the workload becomes too much, your liver quickly starts to find ways to cope. One of these can lead to a build-up of fat in liver cells, this causes damage. If left unchecked, it can cause permanent inflammation and scarring, making it harder for your liver to do all its jobs.
Find out more about the stages of liver disease
But before it gets to that point, there are changes we can make to help reduce, slow down, or even treat the damage.
Changing what we eat can have big effects. We know about taking things away: checking labels and reducing foods high in fat, salt, and sugar, or ditching fizzy drinks and takeaways.
But what can we swap and add into our diet, which can have a big win?
The Power of Fibre
Your liver, gut, and brain are more connected than you might think. Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria, many of which play a role in liver health. A fibre-rich diet supports these bacteria, improving digestion and reducing inflammation in the liver.
Fibre also helps look after bacteria in your gut that affect brain function, helping to improve mood and energy levels.
Fibre is found in a wide range of foods, We like to say think of a rainbow of colours through the week, with 1-2 servings at each meal.
Protein Pals
Your liver is responsible for processing the proteins you eat. It breaks them down into amino acids, these are the building blocks that your body uses for repair and regeneration.
When there is build-up of fat in the liver, we often use protein to help us extract that fat and reduce some of the inflammation that has been caused.
Unlike fat and carbohydrates, it is very hard for your body to convert protein into fat stored in your liver. So most of the time protein only gets used for the positives. Double win!
Getting protein from a variety of sources is important. This ensures your body gets a full range of the amino acids needed for growth, repair, and long-term health.
Plant based foods also offer additional benefits, including fibre and essential nutrients.
If you have a liver condition, talk to your medical team if you are thinking about using protein supplements and if getting enough protein is something you find difficult ask to be referred to a dietitian.
Supporting Liver Health Beyond Diet
A combined approach produces the most effective results. Almost like closing in on our enemy from every angle.
New research has shown that the amount and quality of our sleep is very important. Your liver follows your body’s natural rhythms, meaning that disrupted sleep patterns can affect how well it works.
Prioritising good sleep habits can help support liver health in the long run. But this can be difficult. So what can we do to make small wins?
Sleep wins
You could aim for similar sleep times each day and build habits around this. For example, aiming to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. This can help your body start to learn your natural sleep time.
The extras:
- avoid large meals two hours before bed,
- make your room as dark as possible, or use a sleep mask
- turn off electronics
- try some mindfulness to help you unwind
- have a warm shower or bath before bedtime
Different things work for different people. Take your pick and see what works for you. It takes some practice, so make small changes over time for the win.
You can probably guess what the last piece of the puzzle might be – and you’re right. It’s going to be exercise and activity.
Regular exercise and keeping active helps prevent fat buildup in your liver by improving the way your body uses excess sugars and fats. It also helps to keep your muscles and bones strong and healthy.
Activity wins
Short exercise snacks of 5-10 minutes spread over the day, or continuous movement for longer can support liver function and overall well-being.
Find out more about eating drinking and keeping active
Small Changes, Big Impact
Looking after your liver doesn’t have to mean making drastic changes overnight. But combining small changes, can help us prevent excess harm.
Could you use the power of fibre and protein to improve your health?
Could you add in a bedtime routine to improve the quality of your sleep?
Where in your day could you add in some extra activity?
Everyone’s journey is different. There may be times when you need to work with healthcare professionals, such as dietitians and physiotherapists, for more tailored, targeted support.
However, using these approaches to think about prevention, rather than focus on cure, can be a big win.
Small changes, big impact!
Bally Parekh is a freelance dietitian with a specialist interest in supporting people living with liver disease. Bally will be running a course at the end of April aimed at front line support workers and other professionals working with people living with alcohol associated liver disease. You can find out more here or contact Bally by email: Bally.Parekh@alcoholchange.org.uk
