What is (nonalcoholic) fatty liver?
Fatty liver is a liver condition where there is a build up of excess fat in the liver cells mainly due to poor nutrition and food choices, but can also result from gut issues and not being able to break down and utilise the food you eat.
It’s normal for the liver to retain some fat. However, if 5 to 10 percent of the liver’s weight is fat, the condition is known as non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or steatosis.
Fatty liver is more common than you would think, affecting an estimated 20 to 46 percent of the western population. As the liver performs many critical functions, it is crucial to help and protect our liver for our overall health and wellbeing.
Prevalence of fatty liver in your 40s, 50s and beyond
The prevalence of NAFLD in the general population increases with age. It is more prevalent in men than women up to age 60 years. Beyond menopause, the prevalence of fatty liver rises sharply in women and exceeds that observed in their male counterparts.
Why is it important to correct a fatty liver?
The burden of NAFLD manifests in increasing levels of advanced liver disease and primary liver cancer in Australia. It’s part of the wide ranging effects of poor sugar balance and it makes weight loss difficult.
How do you know if you have a fatty liver?
The truth is, it’s hard to tell!
It’s a side effect of the SAD (standard Australian diet) which is too high in processed fats and carbohydrates and insufficient in fresh foods made simply at home. So if you don’t eat very well you’re at high risk.
A blood test where your liver enzymes are high might give you an indication.
Or a look at where your fat is located can help too. It’s typically around the belly.
Fatty liver and Menopause
Women in their 40s and 50s want to feel amazing! Rather than being scared by all the negative stories about menopause they want to cruise through it.
If you’re noticing your body and energy changing, not in a good way, then you’re being put on notice that it’s time to up your self-care and rejuvenate your wellbeing strategy.
To look and feel youthful and energetic (in a healthy way) and not put on weight or look like you’re ageing quickly, is possible with some simple strategies that, when combined, add up to make a really big difference.
This is what I consistently help people with in my clinic. The strategies are important and so are the skills for implementing them. I’ll share some of each below:
- Review and update your diet. How much sugar (specifically refined carbohydrate which also includes flour) are you actually eating? On top of that, how much processed fat (industrialised seed oils) are you consuming? A food journal reviewed by a qualified naturopath will help you work out dietary corrections and help you add more nutrient dense food to your diet. It should NOT mean a fun free diet, period.
- Add superfoods to your routine. Some healthy herbs and nutrient rich foods were originally eaten as part of the diet in their native countries and can easily be added into a healthy diet though powders or in some cases herbal teas.
While broccoli powder shouldn’t replace regularly consuming green vegetables it certainly can be helpful in the initial stages of correcting a fatty liver. You just can’t eat enough veggies in a day to turn a condition like this around quickly.
Depending on your situation, other powders that may be helpful include Maca, Liquorice Root, Slippery Elm, Kelp and Marshmallow. - Use herbal teas. Delicious tasting liquorice and fennel combined with peppermint is a wonderful way to support healthy blood sugar balance and overall wellbeing. Dandelion coffee is another great herbal addition. Just remember to have it every day.
- Use quality supplements, strategically. Many people waste money on supplements because of self-prescribing. Save your dollars for a consultation with someone who can recommend the right supplements for you – ones that actually work. Some specific supplements for achieving a healthy liver include NAC, curcumin, alpha lipoic acid and glutathione.
- Sharpen your will power by practicing mindfulness. It’s all well and good to know what to do. It’s a whole other thing to do what we know! Mindfulness practices slowly but surely help you to train your focus and become more disciplined so you can become the person you want to be.
- Harness the power of energetic healing. Energetic healing can come in many forms; from acupuncture and Bowen therapy, to homeopathy, essential oils and Bach Flower remedies. Adding energetic healing to your wellbeing strategy, even for symptoms as seemingly benign as a fatty liver, add an edge that help you to create amazing results. In my clinic I use spiritual healing techniques incorporating essential oils, Bach flower essences, homeopathics, and the Art of Feminine Presence techniques to help shift energetic and emotional blockages. It’s very exciting, what’s possible!
To look and feel youthful and energetic (in a healthy way) and not put on weight or look like you’re ageing too fast, is possible with some small, simple strategies that, when combined, add up to make a really big difference.
Menopause Mantra
When to see a professional?
Not getting help for something as complex and important as your health is false economy. Being sick is REALLY expensive both emotionally and financially, not to mention how much money you can waste buying ineffective or incorrect supplements.
I recommend you start out first with the assistance of a naturopath who is trained to assist you with health and wellbeing in all areas of your life. Naturopath’s are like good real estate agents, we help you to find the right house for you as well as refer you to a good mortgage broker, insurance salesperson and decorator. In other words we help get you well and sort out the other areas of your life too.
Who am I?
I am a natural medicine expert specialising in menopause. I’m passionate about working with the new generation of women who are creating an empowering new paradigm for what mid-life looks like – women as powerful ambassadors for the wisdom of middle age.
I help women who want to transition gracefully through menopause and into the best years of their life to become the steady, calm woman who doesn’t get riled by anything and celebrates all of who she is.
Instead of struggling with weight gain, sleeplessness and chaotic emotions I support women through their amazing transition to reenergise and centre themselves so they can regain healthy weight, soothe their raging emotions and get a full night’s sleep every night. Then they can save the world!
Contact Details
Ready to go but want to discuss it first? Book your complimentary 1/2 hr Path to Healing session with Brenda by clicking here.
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Website: www.qwomen.com.au
Email: brenda@qwomen.com.au
Phone: 0409 774 790
