Good Food, Good Health – Healthy Liver Function From Good Childhood Nutrition
As a nation, I believe we are now realizing the responsibility we have for nutrition and our children. There are far more stories about obesity increasing on the whole across all ages, but worryingly in children, it has steeply increased over the past decade.
With the waistlines of our children increasing, we are greatly adding the risk of future diseases and ill health to them in adulthood, so much so that health officials have said that if the trend carries on as it is, the next generation is more likely to die before their parents!
So, as parents we need to develop a sensible healthy diet plan of good food for our children, introducing new fresh foods regularly and making the meals and meal times fun.
Fast food really should be kept to the odd treat, and crisps, biscuits, and carbonated drinks also to a bare minimum, as these are the foods that are causing the upturn in weightier children. A child’s liver function soon gets slowed with an excessive fat build-up which can lead to liver damage.
If the liver is damaged through fatty degeneration – saturated fat – cholesterol regulation is hampered, it fails to produce enough ‘good’ HDL and allows levels of ‘bad’ LDL to increase leaving a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes later in life.
We always say ‘you are what you eat and that eating a varied diet of good food for good health is what everybody should be aiming at, along with moderate exercise and drinking plenty of fluids.
By doing this we are giving our body the best help we can to achieve the full range of nutrients and vitamins needed to perform at its optimum.
Other factors have been included that can greatly affect our health and well-being including lack of sleep, living environment, geographical position, pollutants, genetic conditions, etc,
A diet of good nutritional food is critical for us all at all ages, but studies have shown that during childhood, and especially the younger years, a diet of good food really can make all the difference.
A study carried out at Bristol University showed that women with longer legs tended to have healthier livers researchers said and that it suggested liver damage was more susceptible by ladies with shorter legs.
The key they say seems to be childhood nutrition. Eating healthily is beneficial in the early stages of life, enabling the body to grow consistently and evenly and with this good liver function and growth are encouraged.
Recently there have also been several studies showing the health of babies can be greatly increased by pregnant mothers eating a good varied nutritional diet, and by cutting out smoking and alcohol.
They found taller people generally have larger livers which is the body’s detoxifier and enables the body to remove a greater amount of harmful substances from the blood.
A build-up of ‘toxins’ in the liver can make it become ‘sluggish’, and that can be detrimental to the body to maintain good health and well-being.
A healthy liver is vital to good health and eating nutritional food helps new liver cells form and can even repair some damaged cells.
So therefore liver performance is greatly enhanced or affected by the diet we eat.
It is easy to add helpful detoxifying foods to your diet just by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables; if you are getting your five-a-day then you are well on the way. Include protein from lean meat, fish twice a week, grains, and nuts – preferably not salted.
The way we cook our food is also important – overcooked and a lot of the goodness is lost, so lightly boiled, steamed, stir-fried and grilled are the best ways to keep the vitamins and nutrients at a maximum in the food.
We believe that our daily required amount of vitamins and nutrients can be achieved through eating a healthy varied diet, but during or after illness when lack of appetite often occurs, taking a supplement can help, but as always you should seek medical advice first.
So make our motto ‘good food for good health’ yours, and eating a good varied diet of healthy food can only help in attaining good health and well-being for yourself and your children.
Sandra & Ted
