Support your body, before the holiday season.

December is the month where the days blend into one, you have longer nights and richer meals. Things are a bit scattered, you are trying to figure out if you are coming or going, while making the rounds through holiday events, work parties and getting together with friends and family. 

It's not a secret that this month usually takes a toll on people, and everyone usually has the mindset to start over in January. What if you could support yourself and your liver through December (in easy and manageable ways), to help yourself feel better through the holiday season? 

Your liver is one of the hardest working organs in the body. It's involved in over 500 metabolic functions, and many determine how well you digest, detoxify, regulate glucose and energy along with balancing your hormones. While also constantly adjusting to your diet, stress levels, environment, and  general overall health.

It processes environmental toxins, hormonal by-products, additives, medications, alcohol… Anything that your body no longer needs. When this system gets overwhelmed this is when you can start to notice things like sluggish digestion, fatigue, break outs or skin issues, PMS symptoms, mood swings, sugar cravings - just to name a few things.  Shout out to the liver, for doing all that it does! 

Digestion is an area where the liver plays a huge role. It produces bile (nearly a litre every day) which helps break down fats, absorb fat-soluble vitamins, and removes waste products from the body. When bile flow slows down, our digestion can feel heavy, sluggish, and bloating can become more common. With holiday meals often being richer, fattier, and more frequent, helping to improve bile flow can make a significant difference in how comfortable you feel after eating.

The liver is also central to your energy regulation. It stabilizes blood sugar by storing glucose and releasing it steadily through the day, helping us avoid major dips. When the liver is nourished and functioning well, you tend to feel more energized, have fewer afternoon crashes, and fewer sugar cravings. 

The liver is also deeply tied to the immune system. A large amount of immune activity is connected to the gut–liver axis, and the liver’s Kupffer cells help neutralize pathogens and inflammatory byproducts that move through the bloodstream. When the liver is taxed, inflammation can rise easily, and our resilience can drop.

So here is what we can do. 

Fibre

I know everyone is all about reaching their protein goals but we need to talk about fibre goals as well. Especially when it comes to the liver. One of the easiest ways to do this is to eat more fibre. Fibre is important! When your body is able to eliminate, regularly and efficiently, your liver actually has less work to do. Fibres help bind waste, metabolic byproducts and excess hormones to be carried and removed from the body as opposed to being recirculated. Combining both soluble and insoluble fibre can help your body keep things moving along and the extra burden off of the liver.  These foods can be 

Soluble fibre : dissolves in water to form a gel like substance.

Insoluble fibre : traps and holds onto water pulled from the intestines. 

 Foods like chia pudding, ground flax, well-cooked vegetables, beans or lentils (if tolerated), and fiber-rich fruits such as berries along with apples and pears all support this elimination process. 

There are many foods that naturally strengthen the liver’s detox and metabolic pathways.Garlic and onions are rich in sulfur compounds that help the liver break down and process toxins more efficiently.Beets can help stimulate bile flow, making fat digestion much smoother. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts help support the liver’s Phase II detoxification pathways, which are especially important when your body is processing larger or richer meals. Turmeric and ginger can help balance inflammation, and apples provide pectin. 

Hydration

Its easier to stay hydrated during the summer time because we are hot, sweating, and typically more active, and often underestimate how much water we need in the winter. However when we are dehydrated, we make our liver work harder through all of its processes. 

Having adequate fluid intake helps bile stay thin, to flow easily and properly, supports the movement of fibre through the intestinal tract and helps our detoxification pathways stay working their best. 

This can look like :

Starting your morning with warm lemon water, keeping herbal teas nearby throughout the day, or adding quality salt or electrolytes when you’re busy, stressed, or spending time in the sauna or gym can make a noticeable difference. Never underestimate the power of eating your hydration through the wintertime. This can look like soups stews and stocks that are also easy on the digestive tract and give us that extra hydration we are looking for. 

Sleep

Sleep may not be the first thing you think of for liver health, but your liver is very active at night, processing nutrients, hormones, and going through its detoxification tasks that daytime  demands don’t always allow space for. When your sleep is cut short or becomes fragmented, the liver loses valuable time to perform these functions. Prioritizing deeper, high-quality rest can go a long way. As someone who used to struggle with insomnia, I know this is easier said than done sometimes. However, creating a routine and sticking to it, can help the body wind down and feel safe. The routine can look like creating distance from screens before bed, keeping the bedroom slightly cooler, taking a magnesium-rich bath, or sipping teas like chamomile or passionflower can all help encourage a more restorative sleep cycle. 

As always, health isn't about perfection. Supporting the liver isn’t about perfection either.  It is about creating enough steadiness in your system that the holidays don’t knock you off center. These practices help regulate digestion, hormones, mood, and energy — all things we rely on even more this time of year. A nourished liver helps you feel grounded, resilient, and present through the celebrations ahead or anytime throughout the year.