these three tips are directly from Swaranjit Bhasin, MD, a radiologist in Modesto, CA in the Kaiser system. the most common cause of liver disease is now NAFLD, caused by poor metabolic fitness (eating too much sugar/carbs, not moving enough, not sleeping enough). he recognized that he was diagnosing an unprecedented number of patients (including TEENAGERS) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which happens when your liver is overwhelmed with glucose and fat, and does not process either properly. fat builds up on your liver. fat on an organ is called viseral fat and associated with myriad poor health outcomes.
the good news is, you can prevent and even reverse this disease! nutrition is the most important piece.
these metabolic health tips are good for ANY disease that is related to metabolic dysfunction - which includes Alzheimer's, PCOS, type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, kidney disease, and more.
you can listen to Dr. Bhasin talk about NAFLD and his passion for metabolic health here:
1. eat fewer carbohydrates and sugars.
if you are a snacker, eat fruit or nuts instead of items that come packaged in bags and boxes (they are usually full of added sugar, preservatives, and other ingredients that spike your insulin and blood sugar, and don't make you feel full).
if you are willing, cut back on snacking or quit it altogether and focus on eating quality meals.
do not drink sugar sweetened beverages, or at least reduce your intake. your blood holds roughly 6 grams of sugar at a time - consider this when you consume a drink like Coke which has ~50 grams in a single serving. be careful with "coffee" too - if it has a sugary name, it's mostly sugar, not caffeine.
2. eat quality oils, and do not eat processed oils or seed oils.
DO EAT: olive oil (salad dressings and low heat cooking), avocado oil, coconut oil, ghee (clarified butter), butter, duck fat, and other animal fats. these are all excellent sources of quality fat that helps keep you full between meals as a slow-burning fuel (like big logs in a fire).
DON'T EAT: canola, vegetable, peanut, or other seed oils. these are highly refined, do not have good nutritional value, and actually cause inflammation in your body. they jam up the machinery your body uses to make energy!
3. fast!
if you currently eat all day long until you go to bed, shorten your eating window to 12 hours.
if you already eat within a 12 hour window, play with skipping meals, or cutting your eating window a little shorter, like to 10 hours.
this forces your body to use alternate forms of fuel. you carry much excess fat on your body that can be mobilized to feed you when you skip meals, but if you have not done this in a long time (or ever!) it will be uncomfortable at first. if you are already eating in ways that nourish your body and don't spike your insulin (i.e. you eat lots of whole foods, enough fat, and plenty of protein) you won't feel very hungry even if you miss a meal.
