30 Dates with my Liver #10: Going Global

Not sure if you can afford the time and money to travel the world? Well you and your liver can still make an impact in our out-of-balance world sitting EXACTLY where you are right now. Check out the inspirational badass Ellen Gustafson on TED as she talks about obesity and starvation, and how we can kill both birds with one stone.

The 30 Project, which she launches in this video, poses an ingeniously simple insight: we have 1 billion people hungry in the world, and 1 billion people obese-in our increasingly connected globe, this imbalance can be corrected for the benefit of all.

As you and your liver ought to know my now if you’ve been keeping up with this blog, it’s tough to eat nutritiously in America. On every other corner is a fast food restaurant, and if you watch TV, you’re bombarded with mouth-watering images of sweets, fries, and other incentives to send yourself to a super-sized coffin (to match the liquid-candy “diet” soda you just ordered).

So treating your liver right isn’t just about avoid a sugary slow-suicide. It can actually help change the world. So go global with your liver from where ever you’re sitting right now. Check out the 30 Project or Ellen’s other baby, The FEED Foundation, to do your good deed of the day.

30 Dates with my Liver #9: Meeting the Friends

So let’s get hypothetical. Metaphorical. Transformational.
As in, transforming your body from the toxic burden it holds (just ask NPR) to the kind of heavenly body that can ante up for the 2100 Challenge.
Hypothetical and metaphorical-we’re talking about who your date, the liver, would be friends with. I’m talking about the guy who makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you see other special someones. The king of Valentines Day. The heart.

The heart and liver go way back. In fact, the heart is one of your liver’s best buds. They’re partners, so to speak, in circulating and purifying your blood. 25% of the blood the heart pumps goes to the liver-that’s 2 quarts a minute!
To ensure a healthy happy relationship with your liver, it’s important to get along with its friends. So what can you do for your heart? Get it pumping!

Here are some awesome challenges that keep your heart healthy and your liver happy!

http://www.twohundredsitups.com/

http://www.hundredpushups.com/week4.html

http://www.twohundredsquats.com/

I just did 200 squats just now! That Zumba has been doing my quads good and getting the heart pumping. Next, push ups!

30 Dates with my Liver #8: Walnut Encrusted Mahi Mahi

Words can do no justice to the dinner I made tonight…and of course I was too hungry to pause in time to take a picture, so here’s a shadow of the deliciousness my liver-detox inspired this evening.

If only I could copy and paste the memories in my taste buds…until they figure out that technology, try this magical recipe yourself-or a variation (I threw in some stuff I imagine wouldn’t be in most kitchens). This serves 2 people, and only takes about half and hour!

Ingredients:

For the Fish

-Annie’s Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette (sooo good)
-mahi mahi (I got it only because 2 fillets were on sale for $4-try this with other fish! I will soon!)
-walnuts (just a handful)
-oat flour (I got Arrowhead Mills to see if I could bake with it…experimented with this 1st, and success!)
-flax seed, 1 tablespoon
-A few leaves of Boston or butter head lettuce (this part is just for looks)

For the Veggies
-1 zucchini
-2 green onions (whole shoots, white and green parts)
-a broccoli stalk
-raspberries (handful)
-large lemon (1/2)
-rosemary sprig
-3/4 inch of fresh ginger root
-tablespoon or so of olive or other cooking oil

Putting it all together

First off, marinade your fish in the shiitake sesame oil (just pour a few tablespoons in a small container and make sure your fish gets nice and coated). Flip it a few times to get really evenly soaked, and give it at least 20 minutes, which should be just enough time to prep you veggies and get them halfway done.

Vegetable dishes don’t seem to make people salivate like the word ‘steak’ does, but I have a feeling that’s because too often, people just steam or boil them and serve them cold. That’s not doing you, the veggies, or your liver any good. Spices and herbs have all kinds of liver-loving, detoxifying and antioxidant rich properties, and when you load your veggies up with them it makes you (and your accompanying liver) want to keep coming back for more of all of the fiber and nutrient-rich awesomeness of veggies.
This improvised jumble of herbs and flavors complimented each other perfectly. The citrus of the lemon lightened the crunch of the rare-cooked veggies to a summery delight. The ginger added an exotic smokiness, and the rosemary rounded it out with a robust, hearty flavor. I imagine you could substitute the zucchini and broccoli, but the raspberries are a must for their mild sweetness that really does something heavenly with the rosemary on your tongue–ok I’m sorry! I really fell in love with this meal tonight. Here’s how you make the rest of it:

1- Slice up the zucchini, onions and broccoli, and dice up your ginger.
2- Put a dollop of oil in a medium saucepan on med-low heat. Add the ginger.
3- Dump all of the veggies in all at once after the ginger has effused into the oil-just less than a minute.
4- Stir these around on low heat and take a minute to flip your fish and see that it’s nice and evenly coated in the marinade.

5- Gather together your walnuts and flax seeds. You’ll need a mortar and pestle too, or some way to grind these guys down.
I suppose worst case scenario you could use cornmeal or bread crumbs, but the health benefits walnuts and flax seed are through the roof compared to those carbs, so consider having them around as staples in your kitchen. They give an incredible nutty flavor too.
6- Grind the walnuts and flax seed to a fine mixture. It’s ok if you still have lil chunks of walnut; they’re so tasty in the final product.

7- Turn back to your veggies and shred the fresh rosemary with your hands as you sprinkle it in. Stir a bit more, keeping things at medium heat. Don’t overcook! You’ll want things to stay bright and crispy so you keep some of the plant enzymes while still letting the flavors cook into your dish.
8- Add the juice of half a lemon to your veggies. Try and really aim for those broccoli florets, they’ll soak it up for a big burst of flavor later.

9- Now back to the fish-flip it one more time, then rinse and dry your hands.
10- Put you ground walnut and flax seed mixture in a small dish that will fit your fillets (you may have to cut them into smaller pieces according to the size of the fish you got), and add a small handful of the oat flour (or wheat or white flour, if it’s all you’ve got). Toss the mixture around till even.
11- Put a medium pan or skillet on medium heat on your stove top.
12- One at a time, dredge each fillet on both sides in the walnut mixture. Put each on the skillet.

13- Stir up your veggies a bit more, and go ahead and add salt and pepper. Real Salt is great, but I love my pink Himalayan salt. Salts that have lots of good-for-you minerals make you feel better about adding this potential bloater to your foods. Add some to the fish as well as it’s cooking.
14- Go ahead and add the raspberries when the veggies taste like they are just about done. You don’t want these to really cook, but warm up a little and maybe burst a kernel or two of their juice to meld the flavors. The all-green veggie dish looks gorgeous with this shade of red.

15- Back to the fish-flip it! You should be able to tell from the side of the fish if it’s cooking through evenly. It will go from bright pink to grey-pink. Fish cooks quickly, so keep an eye out! Flip it again if necessary.

16- Turn the heat off the veggies when they are cooked to taste-aim for a cooked look on the outside of the broccoli, with a nice crunch on the inside. The zucchini should be pretty well done by now, but not soggy or mushy. Raspberries still whole.

17- While you’re waiting for the fish to finish, rinse off your leaves of lettuce and arrange them on 2 dinner plates. Just enough room to place the fish on them when they’re done! Go ahead and put half of the veggies on each plate as well–off of the lettuce of course.

18- When the fish is cooked through with no pinkness, turn off the heat and place the fillets on each of the lettuce leaves. You should now be beholding an incredibly delicious and nutritious dinner for two. Enjoy!

Liver Loves it because…

-The nutrient rich veggies still hold plenty of digestive enzymes
-Walnuts, Flax seed, and fish all in one make for a super-dose of omega-3 fatty acids that will make your skin positively glow
-The citrus from the lemon boosts your vitamin C (keep a slice for the fish two! It’s yummy)
-The protein in the fish and walnuts also help fill you up for a long period of time, unlike the up and down energy levels of carbs…

I’ll definitely be trying this again soon, and I promise to take pictures next time! Love to hear how this recipe goes for anyone else!

30 Dates with My Liver #7: Falling in Love All Over Again

You know those moments when you thought you knew everything the one you love, and then you discover something about them that makes you feel like a school girl again?

I felt just that way today when I came across this article, 8 Foods that Fight Fat, on Care2.com. It turns out that the liver is a main site for flushing out the fat in what you eat and burning what you’ve got stored up. Yet another reason to make sure your liver is in tip-top shape-so it can do its job of making you look fabulous.

Liver: Fat Fighter

According to Ann-Louise Gettleman, PhD, CNS,

“One of bile’s other main duties is to help our bodies break down the fats we need and to assimilate fat-soluble vitamins. Without bile, we couldn’t convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, nor could we use calcium. But when our bile becomes overly congested with the toxins it’s trying to filter out, it simply can’t function properly. It becomes thick, viscous and highly inefficient in breaking down fats. The result: You are more likely to gain weight and to have greater difficulty losing it.
Cleansing the liver helps it produce better, more efficient bile. That helps your body flush toxins and break down fat more effectively. It also makes more energy-giving nutrients available to your body and reduces strain on your digestive and immune systems. Your elimination improves, and your colon is relieved of unnecessary burdens. The net effect: You look and feel better, and it becomes far easier for you to achieve and maintain your ideal weight.”

8 Foods to Love Your Liver & Fight Fat:

1) Leafy Greens! (awesome in your morning Green Monster Smoothie!)

2) Beans, beans, the magical fruit

3) Garlic

4) Cayenne

5) Tumeric (A good excuse to eat lots of delish Indian food)

6) Cinnamon (A little goes a long way to metabolize sugar!)

7) Flax seeds and Flax seed oil (also makes your skin look great with Omega-3 fatty acids)

8 ) Onions

Check out the original articles for more info, or in the meantime, keep these items on your shopping list! Recipes with the above ingredients to come…

30 Dates with my Liver #6: Defining The Relationship

There comes a time for Defining The Relationship (DTR) at some point in every partnership. In real relationships this is a crucial and sometimes painful moment. “Hey, so, I noticed your toothbrush in my bathroom…and we’ve only hung out twice. You realize we’re just friends, right?”
Or the more OCD, “We have officially been on 21 and a half dates-including this one-and in that time you’ve paid for my meals 72% of the time. I just wanted to let you know I’m updating my facebook relationship status and calling my mom in Vancouver to tell her I’m going steady.”

Relationships with livers are a bit different, but the clarity and commitment are just as important. This liver detox has been chugging along pretty lamely so far, with me exhibiting some classic commitment-phobia moves early in. Just like a girl in re-bound mode, cagey and bouncing from brief fling to fling, flirting sweetly with the one guy who presents a chance at a healthy new relationship only to keep standing him up on dates, I have been bad to my liver. I swear in the morning I’ll behave, eat nutritiously as I down my green smoothie, but by evening I’ve polished off a sugary piece of peach cobbler or 2 snickers bars and a 40.

So. I’m ready to commit to my health, and a big part of that is defining what that means. Just saying to myself “I’m eating healthy today!!” gives me lots of pep in the a.m., but without the substance of guidelines, the inch I give myself becomes a mile and it’s all downhill from there.

So for the next 25 days of this liver-loving extravaganza, here’s the game plan:

AVOID
-Alcohol
-Soda
-ALL fried food
-Refined sugar and sweets
-Bread
-Pasta
-Rice
-Cheese
-Milk

EAT!
-Green smoothie every morning
-Lots of fruits and veggies, raw or steamed as much as possible
-Raw nuts and seeds
-Sprouts
-Up to 3 eggs a day (poached or soft boiled)
-Lots of herbs and spices

ALSO
-Lots of water with lemon
-Green tea
-Liver Detox supplements with lots of liver-luvin’ herbs like milk thistle & artichoke leaf
-Fiber

Curious about where this list came from? Well, my Liver Cleansing Handbook for one, which I picked up at a local health food store, and also the suggested diet from the liver-detox kit. Steaming and eating more raw veggies is a good policy during a liver detox so that you get the full benefit of the nutrients and enzymes that can be lost in cooking.
Eggs have a bad reputation from their cholesterol levels, but they also contain lots of protein and taurine, cysteine and methionine, which the Handbook tells me is needed to regulate bile production by the liver.
And the no wheat and grains? While these can be a part of a liver-detox, I’m interested to see if the no-gluten thing affects my digestion at all, and the Eat Right for your Genes guy has been telling me all kindsa stuff about how you should only incorporate carbs into your diet when you’re in the right spot, and frankly, I’m on the wrong side of the scale of my BMI at the moment.
Fun stuff, eh? Happy healthy eating!

30 Dates with my Liver #5: Bonding over a Good Book

So, it turns out my liver and I have a crazy similar taste in books. We just have so much in common-like wanting to be healthy and disease-free in the remaining years of our lives. So Feed Your Genes Right has been a great read for us to bond over. I read, eat the life-lengthening food, my liver enjoys the nutrient-rich benefits.

You hear genes being blamed for everything these days-fat genes, heart attack genes, depression genes. This book is all about how we are all predisposed to one thing or another by our genes, but that the foods we eat are all we need to avoid having the worst actually happen. It’s like building up genetic flexibility; if you’re not flexible you won’t be able to yoga your DNA into a position that misses the bullet of Alzheimer’s.

Take the Quiz from the book to see how at risk you are, or read the book at Google books.

This very cool book introduces you to basic science again so you can feel smart about eating right AND what a mitochondria is. Then there are 12 basic guidelines to eating right, and more for what kind of nutritional/vitamin plan you might go on to avoid the genetic predispositions to disease in your family. Meal plans, how-to’s, this awesome reference book holds your hand through it all.

30 Dates with my Liver #4: Getting over the First Fight

Last night, me and my liver got in our first fight. To anyone who has endured an insomniac night after having wronged a loved one, you know how I feel…

I know what you’re thinking, only date four and trouble already brewing?! But let’s remember that my liver and I have a history, and these 30 days are supposed to be a special time of uninterrupted nutritious and detoxifying harmony. Instead…well let’s just say things got ugly. Details to follow.

All kidding aside, your relationship with your body really is just like a relationship with someone you care about. I didn’t realize that this was true until I saw the same unhealthy patterns of behavior I’ve had in relationships in the way I acted last night. Like, EXACTLY. In the past I usually just chalked up such episodes to being in the wrong relationship.

Now I’m realizing-what if it’s just me?

So. The fight. Really, trouble starting brewing early on in the day. I had a gorgeous To-Do list all planned out and had been hitting every mark. My Green Monster Smoothie had jump-started my day with delicious clean energy and I was just polishing off a shopping list of items at the mall when I got a call from one of my all-time favorite people asking me to join for dinner and comradery in Houston. I was torn. Slam dunk my day of accomplishment by doing the culminating items on my list-painting portraits all night? Or treat myself to a night of good food and company in Houston, even though I knew I was broke?
It’s rare that decisions are actual moments where you get to sit and consider both sides, weigh consequences, and can pinpoint from that moment if the correct decision was made. This was one of those rare moments, and I chose wrong.
Not that I didn’t have a fantastic time. Wrote my indulgent blog on liver-friendly drinking while enjoying a glass of wine myself at a favorite watering hole. Ended up splitting a fabulous ahi tuna salad at Baba Yega’s over some dazzling conversation.
But somehow, the tide turned. Maybe it was a glass of wine too many after almost no alcohol in weeks. Maybe it was the continuation of having already made one permissive and decadent choice about the entire day.
But suddenly I was eating cookies.
Gluten free, sure, but the chocolate was real.
Then I was at the House of Pies, my tongue burning on my first steaming-hot bite of gooey pecan-fudge.

At that point my liver would have been fine. I’d wake up in the morning, feeling groggy and full but content, and still ready to metabolize the heck out of my next green smoothie. Instead, those same horrible habits that get me in trouble in relationships turned against myself.

“Well I’ve already been bad tonight…and I know I won’t let myself do this again…so I better just be REALLY bad while I can!”

Yes, this passes for logic when night-time cravings appear and sugar has touched my palette. So what made this a fight and not just a day of not checking everything off my to-do list?

-2 huge cookies
-1 slice pecan fudge pie
-1 package fresh raspberries
-1 package smoked salmon
-1 almond snickers bar
-1 peanut snickers bar
and
-1 40oz of Shiner Bock

And this was all after dinner. You can kind of see the sad, munchy attempt to stay semi-healthy with the omega-3s in the salmon and raspberries (my driving back to Galveston snack and a great combo for real meals…) but it definitely goes downhill at the Snickers bars…I mean good God, when’s the last time I ate candy? All that sugar kept me up till 6 am, when I finally passed out after getting some of that jittery energy out with some yoga.

Whew. Like with all mistakes, it does feel better to get it all out and see that it’s not really that big of a deal. At the same time, I would have enjoyed each and every one of those little transgressions from my strict routine if I’d had them separately, over time. Savored the devilish yumminess of it all. Instead, I gorged, had a sugar-hangover the next day, and deeply regretted doing things that I was doing for pleasure in the moment of doing them.

Moral(s) of the Story

Choose happiness over pleasure.

Was that confusing? Long-term happiness beats out the short-term pleasures we get from a sugary bite of pie or saying that snarky-remark in the moment which makes us feel like an ass the next day.

Strive to maintain awareness.

From the impulse to trash my to-do list to the moment my brain turned into a big stomach between my ears, the loss of awareness at key points led me to regret my actions the next day.

Be clear about your relationship with your body.

A key problem here was that I lost track of the key to what I want from my relationship with my body, liver especially. I want to commit to my health. This means no screwing around with toxins and binge nights. If I can’t commit to my own well-being, well, then what? Which leads me to the eureka insight from this whole affair:

Can coming to terms with my unhealthy behavior patterns actually prevent them from happening with other people?

I never understood till last night how my still unhealthy relationship with my own body affects my relationships with others, with projects I work on, and with the whole world. As crappy as I felt today, both physically and emotionally for screwing my detox up, I’m glad I had the opportunity to discover this connection. Understanding just how vital committing to my health is to these other areas of my life is going to bolster my drive to eat well and live well in the future.

30 Dates with my Liver: #3 A Drink a Day

Drinking daily isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of ways to treat your liver well. In fact, many Americans are used to routinely abusing their liver over a night-or week- of overindulging in our 2nd favorite drug (the caffeine in coffee and soda being #1 of course). However, anyone familiar with the French Paradox knows that it’s possible to drink, and drink well, while engaging in an exemplary healthy lifestyle.

The difference lies in the difference between drinking “well” and drinking A LOT, as most of us in the good ole’ US of A tend to want to do. The French Paradox centers on the fact that the French eat tons of rich buttery food, drink red wine by the gallon, and yet still maintain silhouettes worthy of Vogue magazine. The difference between their style of eating and drinking and ours, however, is fundamentally different. Those gallons of wine are consumed over a long period of time, and enjoyed in moderation. In fact, scientist now site resveratrol, a life-lengthening antioxidant found in high levels in red wine, as one of the keys to the health and beauty to many Europeans.
The key is quality over quantity, and in moderate daily doses-as in, a glass or two a day-red wine and it’s heady hit of flavonoids and resveratrol not only give you a pleasant buzz, but extend your years as well.

Beer Drinkers
Not a wine drinker? Not to worry, research has shown that dark beer has a similar dose of flavonoids and, when drunk in moderation, can improve overall health. I think the best thing about this advice is that is doesn’t forbid those who love that crisp calming brew from partaking, just from going overboard. After all, if you’re with the right company, drinking to get drunk shouldn’t be necessary. A few of my favorites:
-Guiness (of course)
-St. Arnold’s Elissa IPA
-Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout

Another plus? Dark beer often has a higher alcohol content.

Not a beer or wine drinker? Some keys to keep in mind to stay kind to your lovely liver:

-AVOID DIET DRINKS LIKE THE PLAGUE.
-Choose juices or soda with citrus (lemon or lime) in your mixed drinks
-Have to have your 7 up or sprite? Ask for a PRESS. Any good bartender knows this is 1/2 soda and 1/2 of the sweet stuff, so you can cut calories and liver toxins in half, if not all the way.
-Stay away from Red Bull and anything else that looks like it could have come out of a nuclear power plant. If you need extra energy, that means that your daily diet is lacking in nutrients and healthy calories, since our bodies are made to give us enough energy to hunt down a mammoth and drag it home to the cave. Before downing that glowing goo, rethink your regular eating habits.

Cheers!

30 Dates with my Liver: #2 Morning Monster

Date #2 might seem a little early to be cooking up breakfast, but let me tell you, I really love my liver.
That’s why stumbling upon the Green Monster Movement and the huge subculture of green smoothie lovers was so exciting. If there’s anything livers really crave, it’s nutrient dense foods, and a green smoothie mixes greens like spinach, kale, or celery with fruit for a powerhouse of raw and easily digestible nutrients.

In fact, all of the lovely fruits and veggies (including some of the fun stuff like ground flax seeds) from our grocery trip yesterday can be mixed in basically any combination for a super-tasty super-beneficial drink to replace your cup of java. What kind of benefits you may ask?
My new favorite blogger LandAnimal explains how her green smoothie addiction has given her:

-tons more energy &

-set off a chain reaction of positive eating choices.

Supercutie and nutritionist to the stars Kimberly Snyder breaks down exactly why green smoothies are so great.
Recipes are all over the place online, and it seems like blending almost any greens and fruits will help pre-digest so that by the time the green stuff gets to your stomach, your body (and liver!) get to soak up astronomical amounts.

TIPS:

-microwave your spinach in a bowl of water for 5 minutes before blending. This helps release the iron in the leaves for a super-punch of this essential mineral.

-try a protein powder mix to add extra oomph to your smoothie, especially if you’re going the vegetarian or vegan route.

-have a low calorie smoothie if you plan to eat as well, or bulk up a 200+ calorie smoothie as your whole breakfast.

I’ll let you know how the green smoothie in the morning effects me over these next 30 days. In the meantime, cheers!

30 Dates with my liver: #1 Grocery Shopping

I love my liver. I love what it does for me: cleaning out my body, flushing my fat, making sure I don’t turn yellow with brown spots and a little green around the edges.
So, in an effort to show my liver just how much I care, I’m taking some time to get to know my liver. As you can probably guess from my detox-happy previous posts, I’ve just begun an exciting 30 day liver detox with herbal supplements to complement the liver-friendly foods I’ll be eating. So for the next 30 days, I’ll be wining and dining with my liver in mind, figuring out some little things I can do for long lasting liver health-for a longer lasting life!

I decided to begin on the kind of mini-date you might go on to get to know someone better before committing to the pressures of a candle lit dinner or some such (an eating-out guide to liver detox to come!).
I want to stress that the liver detox I’m embarking upon is nowhere near as strict as the fast-detox I just finished. Really, this is more of a liver-spa than a body cleanse, and since the liver is where the cleaning happens, the two go hand in hand.

So with my Liver Cleansing Handbook stashed in my purse, I hit the aisles, looking, as the handbook tells me, for “the kinds of food your ancestors ate.”

Organic fresh fruits and vegetables:
Put some color on your plate!
-Greens (Collard, mustard, cabbage, spinach, parsley)
-red & green peppers
-tomatoes
-eggplant
-beets
-carrots
-oranges
-papayas
-avocado (lots of fiber and good fats)
-peas
-broccoli
-berries
-pears

Raw nuts and seeds:
-flax seeds
-sunflower seeds
-pumpkin seeds
-walnuts
-almonds

Grains and cereal (without chemical additives!):
-Whole grain bread
-Quinoa
-Muesli
-Oats

Protein
-Eggs
-Grass-fed, lean, organic meat
-Lentils
-Black beans
-Lima beans
-Kidney beans

Liver Lovin’ Herbs
-Basil
-Bay Leaf
-Dill
-Rosemary
-Oregano
-Tumeric
-Cayenne
-Ginger
-Peppermint
-Thyme
-Mint

This is a great general guideline for shopping, and hopefully you can even get some of your fresh produce at a local farmers market to send some good vibes to the planet as well. In the meantime, I’ll be working on some recipes to concoct with all this tasty stuff!