If you’ve been reading HEAL for a while now, you probably know that I like to talk about how there is a reason for everything. Symptoms you experience are not normal and are not something you should just ignore.

• Get bloated after meals? Something isn’t agreeing with you.
• Heartburn? You might have low stomach acid.
• Barely eating or exercising a ton and not losing weight? Something more is going on.

A lot of my clients that come to me are actually under-eating, exercising like crazy and still not losing weight. With some tweaks, we have them eating different (and more) foods and sometimes adding in some supplements and all of a sudden the weight falls off.

Two of the more obvious reasons for not losing weight are portion control and  gut health, but something we haven’t talked a lot about is your liver.

Your liver is the main detoxifying organ in the body. Over time, everyday things that are tough to resist, like sugar, alcohol and starchy foods, along with chemicals from personal care products, can take a real toll on your liver.

Here are some signs that your liver might need some help:

• Inability to lose weight
• Constipation
• Pellet poops
• Low energy
• Foggy brain
• Achy muscles
• Low tolerance to alcohol or sugar
• Dark circles or bags under eyes
• Bad breath
• Hormonal imbalance

Here are some liver-loving foods to eat more of:

• Apples
• Beets
• Bitter foods (dandelion greens, arugula, endive)
• Lemons
• Garlic / Onions
• Cauliflower/Broccoli/Brussels Sprouts/Cabbage

Here are the everyday nutrients to focus on that your liver needs more of:

• B Complex (meat, fish, sweet potato, spinach)
• Vitamin C (leafy greens, any colourful fruit or veggie)
• Magnesium (nuts and seeds and leafy greens)
• Glutathione (garlic, onions and cruciferous vegetables are precursors to glutathione)

Last, but not least, here are some supplements you can try. You can grab them online here, or at a local health food store:

• DIM
• Calcium D Glucarate
• Liver-GI Detox
• Alpha Lipoic Acid
• NAC
• Milk Thistle