If you have high cholesterol, diabetes, are obese or are a heavy drinker (alcoholism), your liver is at risk.   If you have these conditions, you will most likely have fatty liver.

Fatty liver, or steatosis, is a term that describes the buildup of fat in the liver. While it’s normal to have some fat in your liver, more than 5 to 10 percent of your liver weight is fat in the case of fatty liver.  Fatty liver is a reversible condition that can be resolved with changed behaviors. It often has no symptoms and typically does not cause permanent damage.

Excess fat can cause liver inflammation. If your liver becomes inflamed, you may have a poor appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, weakness and confusion.

As I have genetic high cholesterol, my liver is at risk of being fatty and inflamed.  To reduce putting the stress on my liver, I have reduced my meat intake and increased my fruits (especially grapefruit, which cleanses the liver) and vegetables intake.  And of course, I drink extra packets of Izumio hydrogen water everyday to help bring down my cholesterol reading.  Hydrogen is an antioxidant that zaps free radicals  from the body and it nourishes the liver and kidneys.

My latest addition to nourish my liver  is beet root.

One of the most common and effective natural liver detoxifiers is the beet. Beets have been used to fight liver toxins and to increase the overall level of health of individuals for many years, and they can be easily integrated into one’s diet to keep the liver working at an optimal level.  Beets also purify the blood.

Beets are beneficial to one’s health for many reasons as they are a high-antioxidant vegetable that contains a number of important substances, including: betaine, betalains, fiber, iron, betacyanin, folate, and betanin.

Pectin, which is a fiber found in beets, can also help clean the toxins that have been removed from the liver, allowing them to be flushed out of the system instead of reabsorbed by the body. Because of this property, many medical professionals encourage individuals to eat beets raw without juicing them, so that these fibers can be ingested as completely as possible. This is not difficult, as they can be baked, grated, or roasted as well as eaten alone or incorporated into other dishes.

I like tossing a few chunks of raw beet root into my fruit smoothie.

My smoothie today consists of apples, oranges and beet root.

Beetroot is a good source of silica needed for the utilization of calcium in the body and for healthy skin, hair, nails and bones.

Who should eat beetroot?

• Anyone with high cholesterol or wishing to reduce their risk of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes
• Anyone wishing to support their body’s detoxification system and increase liver cleansing
• Those wishing to reduce the risk of cancer, particularly colon cancer
• Menopausal women or women wishing to promote menstruation
• Those with constipation

Apart from having a choke-full of vitamins, minerals and cleansing properties, beet roots are nature’s Viagra!  Seriously!  The ancient Romans used them medicinally as an aphrodisiac and it’s backed by science.  Beets contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.

Nuff said, right?  Beet roots are a health powerhouse, taste good, prevent cancer, detoxify the liver and increase one’s libido!  Sign me up!  Beets will be a staple in my fridge from now onwards!