The Many Functions of the Liver

As we continue to learn about the digestive system in class, I continue to be amazed at how important each of our organs actually is. But nothing amazes me more than the liver. I know I talk about the liver all the time, but I came across this list of the liver’s functions in my Anatomy & Physiology textbook and I thought it was worth sharing. Use this as a reminder of how important it is to put healthy, real foods into our bodies so that our liver doesn’t have to work too hard. When the liver is overworked, we are more susceptible to weight gain, sickness, and many other health issues.

Carbohydrate Metabolism: The liver works to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. When blood sugar is low, the liver breaks down glycogen to glucose and releases the glucose into our bloodstream. When blood sugar is high (such as right after we eat a meal), the liver converts glucose to glycogen and triglycerides and helps us store these.

Lipid (Fat) Metabolism: Liver cells store some triglycerides. They also work to break down fatty acids to create energy (ATP). The liver creates lipoproteins, which are responsible for transporting fatty acids, triglycerides and cholesterol to and from body cells. The liver also creates cholesterol (remember, over 80% of our cholesterol is made within the body and only 15-20% actually comes from diet).

Protein Metabolism: Liver cells prepare amino acids (proteins) to be used for energy production.

Processing of Drugs & Hormones: The liver can detoxify certain substances such as alcohol, and it excretes drugs. It also chemically alters or excretes thyroid hormones, estrogens and aldosterone. Any over-the-counter or prescription medications we take must be processed by the liver, as they are foreign to our body.

Synthesis of Bile Salts: The liver creates bile salts, which are transported to the small intestine. Bile salts are necessary for the emulsification and absorption of fats.

Storage: The liver is the primary storage site for vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K, and for the minerals iron and copper. The liver stores these nutrients until they are needed elsewhere in the body.

Phagocytosis: The liver is responsible for killing off aged red blood cells and white blood cells, as well as some bad bacteria in the body.

Activation of Vitamin D: The liver, along with the skin and kidneys, is crucial in the activation of vitamin D. The vitamin D absorbed from the sunshine through one’s skin is inactive, and the liver must be involved in the activation process in order for someone to receive the vitamin D’s benefits.

Are you as impressed as I am with the liver? It’s the second biggest organ we have (the skin is the first), so let’s try to take care of it by reducing things like alcohol, smoking, and medications, and by increasing our intake of fresh, whole foods and plenty of water!

5 Important Supplements

In the September issue of Whole Living magazine, I found a quick article on five key supplements that most women can benefit from. However, I think both women and men can benefit from these! I happen to agree completely with the five they chose, and I think it’s a good reminder for all of us on what we may be deficient in, and why it’s important to supplement in certain areas.

Vitamin D

I’ve talked about vitamin D before here. It’s SO important, and there are constantly new studies coming out linking low vitamin D levels to higher cancer rates and increased heart attack risk. Even if you think you’re getting enough from the sun, you may not be. To prove my point, I take vitamin D supplements and I live in a state that boasts of sunshine over 300 days per year! I got my levels tested a few months ago and while they were in the “acceptable” range, they were on the lower end. Lluckily I have a doctor who believes as strongly in vitamin D as I do, so she immediately gave me supplements. I strongly encourage people to get their vitamin D levels tested, and when you compare your level to the “optimal” range, aim for the high end. The more the better! If you live in a climate with longer winters, supplementing with vitamin D3 is absolutely crucial.

Calcium

Many people are able to obtain enough calcium from whole foods. Despite what you may think (due to huge marketing efforts), dairy is not the only source of calcium. In fact, leafy greens have just as much calcium as cow’s milk! Other great sources include sesame seeds (more calcium than milk), blackstrap molasses and yogurt. Calcium is important for healthy bones. If supplementing with calcium, make sure you buy the form calcium citrate because it best delivers the minerals to the body.

Magnesium

Magnesium helps to regulate our neurotransmitters and support mental health. Some doctors even prescribe magnesium supplements for those suffering from insomnia, claiming it’s a natural anti-anxiety mineral. For those with muscle spasms or pain, magnesium helps to relax the muscles. It’s good to take with an evening meal, because it does help people fall asleep more peacefully.

Vitamin B

Vitamin B is necessary for strong immunity. Whole food sources of B-vitamins include leafy greens and meat. If someone is deficient in B-vitamins, they may start to feel depressed, fatigued or just down. B-vitamins help enhance mood and boost energy, and for this reason are best when taken in the morning. This way they’ll provide energy for your day without disrupting bedtime!

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

I’ve talked about fish oil before as well, but again it’s good to reinforce the importance of fatty acids in the diet. Don’t worry, they WILL NOT make you fat! They actually lower triglycerides and reduce inflammation, which is the cause of many health issues. And, since our brain is made up of mostly fat, they support brain health as well. Omega-3s can be taken in the form of capsules or actual fish oil. I recommend the capsules… trust me, drinking straight fish oil is not fun!

As always, I recommend talking to your doctor before starting supplements. They can test your levels and help you determine which supplements you’d benefit from.

The Major Minerals, Part 2: Calcium & Phosphorous

Before we get into these minerals, I want to ask a favor of you guys. Please click on the link below and sign Jamie Oliver’s petition to improve the quality of food in America’s schools and to help improve cooking skills in our country. It’s super easy and fast, and it’s obviously a great cause, so if you can take a few seconds to do it, that would be great! Thanks!

Jamie Oliver’s Petition

Let’s continue with the major minerals… (see yesterday’s post for sodium and chloride).

Calcium

Calcium’s main function is to help build strong, healthy bones. We’ve been hearing this since we were kids. But did you know that calcium also protects against high blood pressure and colon cancer? It is a powerful mineral that works with other nutrients to perform very important functions in the body. Vitamin D is one nutrient that helps regulate blood calcium levels when dietary intake is too high or too low. If we are not consuming enough calcium-rich foods, the vitamin D will let our bones know that they must release some of their stored calcium into our blood. So, if we are low in Vitamin D we could be also hurting our blood calcium levels. Read more about vitamin D here.

The best food sources of calcium are dairy, kale, turnips, collard greens, cabbage, sesame seeds, and blackstrap molasses. Dairy is so heavily marketed to us as the best source of calcium, but I always tell people not to worry too much if they don’t tolerate milk well or their kids don’t like drinking it. There are so many other great food sources of calcium and many actually contain calcium that is more bioavailable to us than the calcium found in milk. Sesame seeds are great on anything from salads to stir fry, and blackstrap molasses can be added to hot cereals or teas. Kale is my personal favorite calcium source – we eat it in everything! I love how strong and hearty it is, because it hold up well in many types of recipes.

Signs of a calcium deficiency include muscle spasms, muscle cramping, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis.

Phosphorous

Phosphorous works with calcium in the mineralization of bones and teeth. It is necessary for all growth because it is a part of both RNA and DNA. Phosphorous is also needed for healthy metabolism. It activates enzymes and B-vitamins used to break down our food and create energy.

Since calcium and phosphorous work together, they are both very important parts of our diet. Having one without the other is not enough. Foods containing phosphorous include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, garlic, legumes, almonds and cashews. Signs of deficiency are things like muscle weakness and bone pain.

Tomorrow: Magnesium and sulfur.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

We’ve spent the past couple of weeks in my nutrients class learning about fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. It’s important to understand how these different types of vitamins work inside our bodies, so I am going to give quick overviews of each – fat today, water tomorrow.

The four fat-soluble vitamins are vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. ADEK: pretty easy to remember.

Fat-soluble vitamins are obtained from our food. They travel through our digestive tract and then are absorbed first into the lymph, then into the blood. They require bile for absorption. Bile is produced in the liver but stored in the gallbladder, and is made up of water, cholesterol, and other bile acids and pigments (note: you NEED cholesterol to produce bile and absorb these 4 important vitamins!).

Many fat-soluble vitamins require protein carriers to help transport them once inside our blood. These vitamins are stored in our fat cells and are not readily excreted. Rather, they remain stored in our fat cells for weeks, months or even years. The positive aspect of this is that if we go through a period of poor nutrition, whether it be because we are sick or on vacation or just too busy to prepare nutritious food at home, our body can dip into the stores of vitamins A, D, E and K and use them to support our health. The downside of these vitamins being stored for longer periods of time is that it may take months or years for a deficiency to show up. If we are not obtaining enough vitamin E from our diet, or not absorbing it properly, our body will just dip into our stores and we may not know for months or years that our current diet is not supporting our health properly. Also, because fat-soluble vitamins are stored for so long, risk of toxicity can be higher.

The last thing I want to point out before giving some information on the four vitamins is this: in order to store these vitamins, we must include fat in our diets. The no-fat diet trend that has been around for a while now is (in my opinion) bad because people who eliminate fat from their diets completely will be unable to absorb and store fat-soluble vitamins, and will eventually become deficient and create a body that is out of balance. I’m not saying we should all overdose on high fat foods; however, it is okay, and even GOOD, to eat some fat with your vitamins – olive oil, butter, nuts, etc. This will help ensure you are able to fully utilize these vitamins. Don’t be afraid to make your own salad dressing with some olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. The fats are good! If you stick with the highly processed, store-bought fat free dressing, you may be denying yourself some important vitamins.

Here is a basic overview of each of the fat-soluble vitamins:

Vitamin A: Helps with vision, maintenance of the cornea, health of skin cells, bone and tooth growth, reproduction and immunity. Top food sources include calf liver, chili peppers, dandelion root, chicken liver, carrots, dried apricots, collard greens, kale, sweet potatoes, parsley, spinach, mustard greens, mangoes, cantaloupe and broccoli. Signs of a vitamin A deficiency include night blindness, dry eyes, and impaired immunity. One test my teacher told us about is the light switch test: Go into a room that is dark but not too dark, meaning you can still make out shapes, etc. Turn on the light switch and then immediately turn it back off again (so the light is only on for a flash) and notice how quickly your eyes readjust to the shapes in the dark. If they adjust quickly and easily, you have enough vitamin A in your diet. But if they take longer to adjust and you are blinded for a few seconds, you may be deficient.

Vitamin D: This is an important vitamin for bone health in that it stimulates the absorption of calcium. It also has anticancer properties. Food sources of vitamin D include fortified foods (milk, cereals, etc. – however, I recommend sticking with whole food sources), and also natural food sources such as cod liver oil, cold-water fish such as mackerel, salmon and herring, butter and egg yolks. The best source is, of course, sunshine! But remember that even an spf 2 sunblock will prevent vitamin D from being absorbed through your skin, so you must be outside with no sunblock for 15-30 minutes (depending on your skin type) before applying sunblock. Signs of vitamin D deficiency include rickets in children, and lack of bone strenth and joint pain in adults.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E is used as an antioxidant in our bodies – it stabilizes cell membranes and protects the fatty acids from lead, mercury, and other toxins such as chemicals and drugs. Food sources of vitamin E include seeds, nuts, whole grains, asparagus, avocados, berries, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. Cooking and processing of foods greatly reduces their vitamin E content. Signs of a vitamin E deficiency include nerve damage, muscle weakness, poor coordination, involuntary movement of the eyes, and anemia.

Vitamin K: The main function of vitamin K is the synthesis of blood-clotting proteins and bone proteins. Top food sources include kale, green tea, turnip greens, spinach, broccoli, lettuce cabbage, watercress, asparagus, oats, green peas, whole wheat and green beans. Gut bacteria can also produce vitamin K, so a deficiency is rare. However, deficiency symptoms would include easy bruising, appearance of ruptured capillaries and hemorrhaging.

Tomorrow we’ll tackle the water-soluble vitamins and in the meantime, get your vitamins A, D, E and K… and don’t forget the fats!

A Few Quick Things...

Just a few quick things today at PWN, because I’m taking a mid-week break from school and work to head up to Copper Mountain and ski with my cousins. Weekday skiing is a rare occurrence for me, so I cannot wait! No lift lines, no traffic, and lots of fresh snow – it should be a pretty great day.

So here are a few things I’ll leave you with:

• Yesterday a couple of my classmates presented on soda and sports drinks. We all know they are loaded with sugar, but their information was still shocking. One 20-oz. Coke contains 67 grams of sugar. That is the equivalent of 32 little sugar packs, like the ones you put into your coffee or tea!!! Can you believe it? People usually put one or two into a big cup of coffee, but Coke has 32! Wow. I do not drink soda at all – I don’t enjoy it enough to make it worth it, so I just made the decision to give it up completely about a year ago. But this was still so eye-opening.

• I had a question from a PWN reader yesterday about where to find the gluten-free grains I talk about every once in a while: teff, amaranth, quinoa, brown rice, steel-cut oats and millet. I get all of these at one of Denver’s health food stores – either Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage. I find that buying in bulk saves a lot of money and is easier for storage because I can just fill up my glass canisters. Teff is the only grain I am unable to find anywhere in bulk, so I buy Bob’s Red Mill prepackaged teff. You can probably get the oats and quinoa at a regular grocery store in the organic section, but for the rest you’ll have to go to a health food store.

• Another question from a PWN reader: Should kids be taking vitamin D? This depends on the kid and on the city you live in. If your kids are getting real sunlight every day (without sunscreen on – even a thin layer of low-spf sunscreen is enough to block vitamin D) then they are probably getting enough vitamin D. But if you live in a state that has long winters or lots of rain, your kids may need to supplement vitamin D. The doctor I work for only gives her two daughters vitamin D when we’ve had a snowy streak in Denver, or when they are feeling a cold or flu coming on. It’s probably good to just keep some on hand for times like this. Dr. Mercola sells a vitamin D spray, which would be really easy to give to kids – you just spray it under your tongue and let it sit for 20 seconds, then swallow it.

That’s all for today! I’m attempting a new nut butter this week and hope to share it with you on Friday… so check back!

Eggs

What kind of eggs do you buy?

There are so many options. Regular white eggs are a bargain at under $2 a carton. There are brown eggs, but you have to read the cartons to figure out what’s going on: some are organic or cage-free, some are omega-3 fortified, and then there are some labeled free-range. These brown eggs tend to be pricier, but how do we know which ones to choose?

The first thing to know is that the color of the egg depends on the breed of chicken. Their genetics determine the pigment that will be deposited before the egg is laid. Most of the time, chickens with white ear lobes produce white eggs, and chickens with red ear lobes produce brown eggs. But this is not always the case, and there are blue or green eggs that can also be laid. The main point here is that just because an egg is brown does not mean it is necessarily healthier for you.

Organic eggs come from chickens who are fed organic feed, meaning it is not treated with any pesticides or fertilizers. But, organic does not mean free-range. They can still be caged. It also does not indicate whether chickens are fed corn or grass or something else; just that no chemicals are added to their feed. This means these chemicals will not be passed onto us, which is a good thing.

Caged chickens

These could be considered free-range chickens:

Free-range or cage-free eggs come from chickens who are allowed to roam and are not kept in cages their entire lives. However, this is not very closely regulated. Chickens could be cage-free but kept in a barn all day. Or maybe they are packed into one tiny area so even though they are not in cages, they have very crowded living situations. Also, free-range or cage-free makes no indication of what these chickens are fed. Some eggs are labeled “organic free-range,” which is a better choice.

Free-range grass-fed chickens

Recently I bought farm fresh eggs from Denver’s year-round indoor farmer’s market. These eggs come from grass-fed chickens who are allowed to roam freely their entire lives in large, grassy outdoor spaces. Grass-fed chicken eggs are much more nutrient-dense than other types of eggs. They have about 4 times more vitamin D than the original white eggs you buy in the supermarket, and one thid less cholesterol. They have less saturated fat, more vitamin A, more vitamin E, more beta carotene, and double the amount of healthy omega-3 fats. The color of the yoke from a farm fresh grass-fed egg is indicative of the health of these chickens and all the nutrients they receive. These chickens are in the sunshine all day and get plenty of vitamin D, which is vital to health (read about it here).

My Nutrients teacher took a picture of an organic cage-free egg from a local health food store, and then took a picture of one of her farm fresh grass-fed eggs, and brought them in for us to see. The yoke of the organic cage-free egg was much more pale and dull than the bright, orange-yellow yoke of the farm egg. I tried a similar experiment at home. My camera is broken so these are all taken with my iphone, so the quality isn’t the best but you can sort of tell the difference.

Eggland’s Best cage free eggs

Eggs from a local Colorado farm's grass-fed chickens

Find out if there are any local farms that produce eggs from grass-fed chickens in your area. Often they sell their eggs at independent grocery stores or farmer’s markets. Other times you may have to meet them somewhere in the city to purchase your eggs. If this is not possible, try to buy grass-fed, organic, free-range eggs whenever possible. They are rich in nutrients and taste so much better!

Another tip: many people eat only the egg whites, because they want to avoid the fats found in the egg yokes. However, an egg is a whole food, and like all whole foods, must be eaten as such in order to get all of the health benefits. The nutrients in the whites work with the nutrients in the yoke to properly digest and absorb into your body. Without both components, some nutrients will be lost. If you are on a low-fat diet, I recommend just eating half the egg (white and yoke), rather than the entire white and no yoke. Also keep in mind that the fats in the egg yoke are wonderful fats that our bodies need and utilize to be fully balanced. It’s the processed foods and sugars that make us gain weight, not something from a food as perfect as an egg!

Vitamin D

I have gotten so many great questions from you guys and they are ALL important and will be addressed here. You’ve asked about which vitamins are best to take during this flu season; the health differences between honey and agave; dealing with toddlers who are picky eaters; benefits of drinking water (and how much to drink); healthy eating on a budget; how to make sure babies are getting enough iron; and even a question about vitamins that are good for men’s health! My male readers may be a small group, but they care about nutrition just as much as the rest of us!

There is so much valuable information to be shared and I am excited to be a part of that for you. Today I am talking about Vitamin D, because it pertains to all of us: women, men and children. It’s a great vitamin because it is one of the only ones that our bodies can produce naturally. But there are too many people with a vitamin D deficiency. I believe that with a little more information and awareness on how to ensure you are obtaining sufficient levels, many health issues can be avoided. This is especially important for your little guys and gals because their bodies are always changing and adapting, and they need the proper vitamins to support that. A recent study revealed that 20% of children 11 and under do not get enough vitamin D.

Basically, you need to obtain vitamin D from natural sunlight. You could try drinking 10 glasses of orange juice and/or milk a day or eating salmon for dinner six days a week, but that’s just not realistic. There are also vitamin D supplements, which work fine for people unable to get daily sunlight, such as the elderly or those in certain climates. However, the easiest, cheapest, and best source is the sun. Great news, right? Just 10-20 minutes per day and you are fully loaded with your vitamin D!

Here’s a quick overview of how it works:

1. You need to expose at least 10% of your body to natural sunlight five days per week.

2. The sunlight is turned into vitamin D in the skin.

3. The vitamin D enters the liver to get modified into 25-hydroxy vitamin D (this is the type that is measurable in your blood by doctors).

4. Vitamin D then moves to your kidneys where it is modified into its active form, 125-dihydroxy vitamin D.

5. 125-dihydroxy vitamin D tells your intestines to absorb calcium efficiently and regulate blood calcium and phosphorous for healthy and strong bones.

Vitamin D is essential for proper calcium absorption. You can eat yogurt and cheese and drink milk all day long, but if you are vitamin D deficient, you will be calcium deficient too. Some common diseases that are directly linked to vitamin D deficiency are osteoporosis, high blood pressure, rickets, cancer, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and some autoimmune diseases. One of my readers did ask if we should all be taking vitamin D supplements during the flu season. In some studies those infected with the flu virus also tested deficient in vitamin D. But bottom line is you need it for overall health, not just now but all the time.

The problem is, people are so concerned about sunscreen these days that they are actually intentionally blocking the vitamin D out. Even an spf 4 sunblock is enough to prevent the rays from hitting your skin and creating vitamin D. I’m not suggesting you go out and fry yourself. Trust me, my mom has red hair and freckles. I know how harmful the sun can be! But don’t be afraid to have your morning tea on your back patio and soak up a few rays before applying your daily moisturizer with spf 45 that you’re so reliant on to keep your skin wrinkle-free and youthful. And it’s okay to send your kids out to play for 10 minutes before turning them into little white ghosts. They NEED the direct sunlight! For those of you at work inside all day, try taking a 10 minute walk over your lunch break or eating outside a few days a week.

If you are concerned you are not getting enough vitamin D, I recommend getting tested and then speaking with your doctor about a quality supplement to take if needed. There is a wide range of supplements, so get informed prior to making a decision.

So take some time today to enjoy the fall sunshine, and you no longer have to think of the sun as a big evil animal in the sky. It’s there to help you stay healthy!

By the way, as I am typing this I am looking out into a snowy backyard here in Denver… guess I have to eat salmon for dinner!