Unclog Your Fatty Liver, Get Slim Fast: Expert’s Simple ‘Bitter Foods’ Hack Could Change Your Life
Detox a fatty liver with bitter foods to shed pounds and rev energy, says expert Ann Gittleman
If you’re looking for a feel-good way to shrink your waist, “then let’s show your liver some love,” suggests Radical Metabolism author Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D. Turns out, the organ is responsible for over 500 metabolic functions—which include processing every bite of food we eat, every medication we take and every chemical we inadvertently absorb. So our livers are bombarded, “and often the organ can’t keep up.” Gittleman estimates 80 percent of us have a congested, sluggish, fatty liver. “It leads to weight gain, fatigue and many other issues we mistakenly blame on aging.” So she’s on a mission to share strategies (as simple as eating more bitter-tasting foods, like grapefruit and arugula!) that turn things around. How well do they work? After Penny Burciaga learned a fatty liver was one of her many health problems, she tried Gittleman’s approach. “I thought my body resisted losing fat,” recalls the Idaho native, 51. “But I lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks!” Read on for Penny’s inspiring story and to learn how much you stand to benefit from a fast and easy liver detox.
What the liver does: Detoxing, fat burning and more
Something you might not know: The liver is connected to your heart and digestive tract by two main blood vessels that act like conveyor belts, delivering a constant stream of compounds—nutrients, medicine, toxins, damaged cells, used hormones and more—that the organ must then filter, sort, repackage and store or ship off. “The liver impacts every body system and does many things it never gets credit for,” says Gittleman. That’s especially true when it comes to keeping us lean. “It’s the main fat-burning organ. It’s also crucial to balancing blood sugar. And thyroid hormones literally don’t work until the liver activates them.”
Good news: Though your liver might be mucked up right now, the organ can fully regenerate itself—and it responds like gangbusters to a little TLC.
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How you get a fatty liver—and how to fix it
We’ve been given the impression that wine and cocktails are the worst thing we do to our livers, yet most of us don’t drink enough for it to be a big factor. The real problem: the 300 pounds of refined sugar and refined flour the average person eats in a year. One of the liver’s most exhausting jobs is turning excess carbs into fat for storage; it gets overwhelmed, can’t push the fat out fast enough, “and the fat gets stuck inside the liver,” Gittleman explains. These fatty deposits clog the organ, “which prevents it from properly performing other key functions, like breaking down fat so it can be used as fuel.”
What happens if you give the liver a quick break from refined carbs? It starts unclogging itself immediately, with significant improvement evident in mere days, per Swedish research published in the journal Cellular Metabolism. So that’s step one of Gittleman’s liver detox: Skip sugar, flour and processed junk, instead making protein, healthy fat and veggies your staples. “Even if that’s all you do, you’ll feel better and start losing weight,” she says.
What bitter foods can do for your liver and waistline
Thanks to a breakthrough 2018 study in the journal Nature Communications, we now know that bile—a fluid made naturally by the liver—not only aids in digestion but also flips a “switch,” turning cells that normally store fat into cells that burn fat. “When bile concentration in the blood reaches a certain level, it turns up the body’s thermostat and increases fat burning for energy,” says Swiss researcher Kristina Schoonjans, Ph.D., who worked on this study.
And since we naturally make less and poorer quality bile over the years, Gittleman says boosting our bile is vital as we age. The key: eating bitter foods, which stimulates bile production, “and, in turn, increases metabolism by 53 percent,” says Gittleman, citing Harvard research. She recommends aiming for a serving of bitter foods like arugula, cabbage, orange peel, grapefruit, lemon, ginger, oregano, vinegar or coffee at most sittings.
That’s all there is to it. Skip junk and add bile boosters. How long do you need to eat this way? “Try it for two to four weeks, so your liver is refreshed before the holidays,” advises Gittleman. “Then just stick with the basic principles as often as you can. You’ll be amazed by the difference. When your liver is healthy, you can handle some indulgences while still losing weight!”
Fatty liver diet success story: Penny Burciaga, 51
As Penny neared her 50th birthday, health issues piled up: a fatty liver, fatigue, joint pain, back pain, gallbladder trouble. Her sleep apnea became so severe, it led to memory loss. Working for a wellness company at the time, “I heard that Ann Louise specializes in menopausal weight gain and liver and gallbladder issues,” shares Penny. “So I got her book.”
Penny was soon trading processed food for liver-friendly options like lemon water, vinegar, eggs with goat cheese, berries, nuts, big salads jazzed up with bitter veggies and bunless burgers. She also added a supplement made with bile extract. (Click through to learn more about the Bile Builder supplement Penny took and use code BILEB20 for 20 percent off.)
“Right away I had enough energy to get outside and go for walks in nature,” she recalls. She found her cravings eased more than ever before. And after years of struggling to get her body to respond to diets, “I lost a pound every day or two for a month straight.”
After an initial detox period, Penny began allowing herself freedom to enjoy anything she wanted at one meal per week. Her progress continued, so she kept experimenting to see what works for her body.
One trick that helps: “I avoid eating for 3 hours before bedtime so my body can focus on restoring itself instead of digesting food while I sleep.” Penny loves how it makes her feel—and a 2018 study in the journal Nutrients confirms the gentle form of intermittent fasting gives the liver time to self-clean, and it often works better than traditional fatty liver treatments.
Her health improving, Penny added hiking and exercises to build strength to her regimen. Her efforts have been so successful, she even had a scan that shows she’s gained 11 pounds of muscle! Her energy keeps ticking up and pounds keep coming off. All her health issues have begun to resolve—and she gets special scans that show her liver and the rest of her body are in great shape. “I don’t count calories,” she says. “I just learned to love food that loves me back.” All told, Penny, now 51, is down 42 pounds and six sizes. For more inspiration, follow @i_am_pennyjoy on Instagram.
Easy meals to unclog the liver and burn fat like crazy
Test-driving Gittleman’s fatty liver diet is a cinch. At each meal, include 6 oz. clean protein, a dollop of good fat, a bitter food (like coffee, citrus, vinegar, arugula, ginger or oregano) and healthy seasonings. Add a serving of fruit and 1 cup starch (beans, potato, brown rice) daily. Drink lots of water plus coffee and herbal tea. You can also consider a bile-boosting supplement (such as Bile Builder, UnikeyHealth.com) Learn more at AnnLouise.com.
Liver-booster coffee
Blitz a dried-out orange peel in a food processor. Blend 1⁄2 tsp. peel powder, 8 oz. coffee, 1⁄4 cup whey protein, 2 Tbs. coconut milk, dash of ginger and optional stevia.
Spiced Chickpea Salad
Toss 1⁄2 cup chickpeas, 2 tsp. olive oil and any spice blend; roast at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Serve over a large salad with vinaigrette or tzatziki sauce.
Easy Chicken & Mashed Potatoes
Mash 1⁄2 cup boiled potatoes with 1 Tbs. each butter and yogurt. Season and enjoy with grilled chicken and two servings of veggies.
Bonus recipe: Easy shrimp bake
This liver-friendly meal is delicious and a cinch to whip up.
Serves 2
- 1⁄2 lb raw shrimp, peeled/deveined (fresh or thawed)
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 Tbs. oregano
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1⁄2 block feta cheese
Toss shrimp, 1 Tbs. olive oil, 1 tsp. garlic, oregano and dash salt; set aside. In baking dish, mix veggies, remaining oil and garlic. Top with feta. Bake at 425ºF 15 minutes. Add shrimp. Keep baking until shrimp cooks through, 5–7 min.
Additional reporting by Kate Arcell
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