Almost everyone drinks a glass of alcohol on the weekend or at drinks. You may know that alcohol has many effects on your body, but your liver has a particularly hard time when alcohol is consumed.
The functions of the liver
The liver has several types of functions and the important ones are:
1. Production of energy
2. Production of bile
3. Ensure stable blood sugar levels.
4. Production of cholesterol
5. Storage of some important vitamins and minerals: A, B vitamins, D, K and iron.
Alcohol is actually toxic to our body and must be filtered by our liver. The breakdown of alcohol produces substances that are harmful to the liver. About 90% of total alcohol consumption is processed by the liver. When alcohol is consumed frequently and heavily, this puts the liver at risk of damage. With prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption, you can suffer from fatty liver, an inflammation of the liver.
What happens when you stop drinking alcohol
When you stop drinking alcohol, you notice an immediate difference. This is because your body can recover, becomes fitter, clearer and happier. This effect is often noticeable after just a few days. The benefits of quitting alcohol include:
- You sleep better: alcohol disrupts your sleep; although you fall asleep faster, you sleep more restlessly and less deeply.
- You feel fitter and sharper.
- You improve your resistance: when you drink alcohol your resistance is a lot lower so you can get sick faster.
- Your skin starts to glow: alcohol dries out your body and this is visible on the skin. It becomes duller.
- You can lose weight: Did you know that drinking alcohol makes you produce much more hunger hormone? That explains why, after a night out, you especially crave a greasy snack. Alcohol contains calories; you may not think about this right away, but these are "empty calories.
- You are making your liver healthier!
Tips on quitting drinking alcohol
When you want to stop drinking alcohol, it is important to properly support your liver in doing so. The following tips can help:
1. Your liver loves foods with a bitter taste. These include: chicory, artichoke, endive, Brussels sprouts, onion, radish, garlic, arugula, thyme, nettle and ginger. Tip: Try to include some of these foods on the menu at least weekly.
2. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric and improves digestion in your gastrointestinal system and supports the liver in its detoxification phase. It also ensures proper functioning of the gallbladder. Tip: use turmeric spices more often in your dishes or make a delicious turmeric milk (recipe)
3. Choose organic food whenever possible. Food from the supermarket is highly sprayed. These toxins have to pass through the liver again to be rendered harmless, while your liver already has so many tasks to perform.
4. Drink plenty of water. Your liver eliminates waste and toxins, among other things, by making them water-soluble so that the kidneys can drain them. In this way, you urinate the waste products out again.
5. Add more green vegetables to your menu. Green vegetables contain a lot of chlorophyll (leafy greens) which in turn stimulates detoxification. But drinking a nettle tea is also fine for detoxification.
