The Liver

Detoxification
The liver is the most important organ in detoxification, as it is the body's premier cleansing organ. All the blood in the body passes through the liver, which removes toxins, impurities, and debris from the bloodstream.Normal Liver

The liver stores fat-soluble substances; these can include chemicals, which can be stored in the liver for years. Using enzymes, the liver transforms these chemicals into water-soluble substances that can be excreted though the kidneys or the gastrointestinal tract.

Hormones are metabolized by the liver. Estrogen produced by the body and from hormone replacement therapies is broken down. If estrogen is not adequately processed, excess estrogen can result in endometriosis; high blood pressure; PMS; and breast, uterine, and vaginal cancer.

The liver also manufactures bile to digest fats; chemically changes many foods into vitamins and enzymes; converts carbohydrates and proteins into glucose for brain fuel and glycogen for muscular energy; and stores nutrients to be secreted as needed by the body to build and maintain cells.

If the liver cannot perform these jobs well, you may exhibit a number of symptoms. These include gas; constipation; a feeling of fullness; loss of appetite; nausea after fatty meals; an oily taste in the mouth; revulsion to fatty foods; frequent headaches not related to stress; weak ligaments, tendons, and muscles; skin problems; and emotional excesses.

What Can Affect the Liver?
Briefly put, living. What you eat, where you live, and what you do all can affect the liver's performance. If you consume a lot of processed foods, the additives can eventually affect the liver. If you live in an area that is highly polluted, exposure to chemicals in the air and water affects the liver. All of this can hurt the liver's performance.

An impaired liver does not process food or detoxify substances as rapidly or as completely as a healthy liver. If the liver is not producing enough bile, it cannot adequately digest fats. If the liver is detoxifying more slowly than it should, it can result in more toxic substances circulating in the body.

If toxins continue to accumulate, the liver may not be able to work fast enough to clean the blood. It is like being on a treadmill that is going a little too fast: try as you might, you cannot go forward, but instead are swept back into greater toxicity. Instead of being converted into something useful or being eliminated, toxins remain unchanged. They are eventually stored in fatty body tissue and in the cells of the brain and central nervous system. The stored toxins may be slowly released to recirculate in the blood, contributing to many chronic illnesses.

What Do We Do About a Toxic Liver?

On a "self-help" basis, perhaps the best thing you can do is change your diet: Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables; lemon is especially good for the liver, as it contains diluted hydrochloric acid needed for protein digestion.

Steam foods and eat little, light, and early in the day. This means less work for the liver.

Avoid processed foods, fatty foods, alcohol, margarine, and caffeine. All of these substances add toxins to the body, making it more difficult to cleanse the liver.

Walk after meals.

You can also consider taking any number of herbal supplements; there are many herbs that are valuable to the liver and detoxification. Humbart Santillo, in Natural Healing with Herbs lists, among others, cascara sagrada, licorice, dandelion, and beets, as well as carrot juice, as good for the liver. Milk thistle is a more recent addition as a liver-promoting herb, and in Japan and Asia, a particular type of clam, the corbicula clam, is said to be good for the liver.

Other herbalists, no doubt, have their own favorites. Many health practitioners recommend a juice fast, although, if you choose to fast you should consult a health practitioner.

Whatever you do, you should do the best you can to take care of your liver. You'll feel better for it.

The 6 Most Unhealthy Foods You Should Avoid at All Costs

Some people swear by the mantra "everything in moderation," but the truth is, some foods, no matter how good they taste, are better off left alone.

If you need a little motivation to stay away from these most unhealthy foods, consider that four of the 10 leading causes of death in the World are related to diet (diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke). And if you're looking to improve yours, cutting back on these six foods is a great place to start.

1. Soda.

An average can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, artificial food colors and sulphites. Diet sodas have the even-more-unhealthy artificial sweeteners. A major part of the problem is that sodas have become a staple in many people's diets. A study in the journal Pediatrics found that 56 percent to 85 percent of children consume at least one soft drink a day, and 20 percent of adolescent males drink four or more sodas a day.

"Parents and health officials need to recognize soft drinks for what they are -- liquid candy -- and do everything they can to return those beverages to their former role as an occasional treat," says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a U.S. consumer group. In fact, CSPI has recently petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for cigarette-style warnings on soft drinks to warn people of their potential health risks (weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay and more).

You knew it was coming ... French fries contain at least two types of cancer-causing compounds.
2. Potato chips and French fries.

These popular snack foods contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin that is formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures. "I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans," said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis.

When CSPI conducted tests on some popular brands of French fries and chips, they found that the acrylamide in a large order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a glass of water.

"There has long been reason for Americans to eat less greasy French fries and snack chips," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "Acrylamide is yet another reason to eat less of those foods."

But that's not all. These foods also contain trans fats, the artery-clogging fat that's been linked to raising bad cholesterol (and lowering the good kind), and increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.

Doughnuts: A somehow tasty concoction of refined sugar, flour, trans fats and artificial flavors with zero nutritional value.

3. Doughnuts.

Tasty, yes. But break a doughnut down and you'll find nothing more than refined sugar and flour, artificial flavors and partially hydrogenated oil that's loaded with trans fats. They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

"When it comes to health, the only thing good about them is the hole," said Carla Wolper, nutritionist at the New York Obesity Research Center.

4. Coffee Cake and Other Baked Goods.

This category actually includes all varieties of baked goods, including packaged cake and biscuit mixes. What makes these foods so bad is that they almost always contain high amounts of trans fats and a host of other unsavory additives including corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavors and colors. In fact, commercial baked goods typically contain more trans fats than any other food because not only are they often made with hydrogenated oils, they're fried in them too.

If you're not ready to give up your morning treat just yet, opt for baked goods from your local bakery (which is less likely to use hydrogenated oil for a long shelf-life and is likely to use butter instead of margarine, which typically contains trans fat) or make them yourself.

A hot dog now and then can be reasonably healthy if you seek out a nitrite/nitrate-free variety.

5. Luncheon Meats/Hot Dogs.

Processed meats like these (and others including sausages, bacon, pepperoni and other processed meats) contain a carcinogenic precursor ingredient known as sodium nitrite (sodium nitrate is closely related).

"Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply," says nutritionist Mike Adams, author of the Grocery Warning Manual.

And, according to a University of Hawaii study that followed nearly 200,000 people for seven years, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products.

Here's some good news: you can find various varieties of nitrite/nitrate-free meats in any health food store.

6. Canned Soup.

Here we're talking about the traditional, canned soups you find in your grocery store. This may come as a surprise, but most canned (and packaged) soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives like MSG. Just one cup of canned soup can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt (and most people eat more than one cup), which is tons considering dietary guidelines recommend consuming no more than 2,400 milligrams for the entire day.

There are healthy options out there, particularly natural, organic brands, but be sure to read the label. The alternative is, of course, to make your own homemade variety.

An Up-and-Coming Absolute Worst Food ... Don't Try This at Home

This one wasn't popular enough to make the top-six list yet, but it's growing in popularity ... and growing fast. The deep-fried Twinkie, first invented in a Brooklyn restaurant by brothers Clint and Rocky Mullen, is making its rounds to country fairs and carnivals around the country.

Here's how they're made:

• Twinkies are chilled, rolled in flour, dipped in tempura batter and fried for a minute or two.

• The frying process melts the cream center, which becomes infused throughout the cake, giving it a pudding-like texture.

• For the finale, they're sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with chocolate or berry sauce.

If you're not into Twinkies, don't despair. The Mullen brothers also sell deep-fried candy bars--Snickers, 3 Musketeers and Milky Way--to suit even the most discerning tastes.