Foie gras, log, capon… Have you really “woken up” in recent days and your liver has taken a hit? Here are our best tips before heading into the New Year.
What is the liver used for?
The liver filters, sorts and neutralizes waste from digestion (additives, drug residues, alcohol, etc.) to render them harmless. It “digests” fats and sugars in particular by secreting bile – a greenish-yellow liquid essential in the digestion of fats and theelimination of certain wastes (mainly hemoglobin and excess cholesterol). But the liver is also involved in many functions of the body: it influences metabolism, blood circulation and hormone content. In particular, it plays a crucial role in the regulation of female hormones and promotes the elimination of estrogens produced by the body.
“The liver plays the role of the body’s garbage collector. It cleans the blood and produces bile with the pancreas to activate transit and evacuate waste towards the exit door of the intestines. It’s an emunctory of the body.”confirmed Charlotte Régnier-Vigouroux, naturopath in Marseille, in a previous interview.
However, sometimes the liver gets tired. This is particularly the case during the end-of-year celebrations, when several drunken evenings and/or heavy meals follow one another. Congested and overworked, the liver then expresses its “fatigue”, through various symptoms: pimples, oozing eczema, greasy hair, canker sores, darker urine, nausea… It may then be (high) time to take care of it.
To succeed in this “express detox”, Alexandra Murcier, dietician-nutritionist, reveals her best advice.
What detox routine should you adopt before the New Year? Here are our expert’s tips
To lighten up quickly and effectively, several good reflexes must be adopted.
- “BDrink plenty of water to compensate for dehydration due to alcohol consumption… and avoid water retention if you have consumed foods that are too salty.” ;
- “Do not drink alcohol between parties: the liver is the organ that allows the elimination of alcohol: to take care of it, you must not overwork your work” ;
- “Consume as little sugar as possible: it also overloads the work of the liver” ;
- “Do not consume unnecessary medications: the role of the liver is also to eliminate them. It is therefore necessary to limit their consumption as much as possible, without stopping an important treatment of course. The right attitude? In case of a slight headache, try to avoid paracetamol and drink more water for example.“, concludes the expert.