Dec. 07--Holiday parties on the calendar often mean a cocktail or two soon to be in hand.
Of course, the option exists to take a breather from booze, but for those planning a bit more drinking this month, consider your liver.
"I'm not the guy who's going to sit in the corner eating carrot sticks, drinking water," said Brad Davidson, author of "The Stark Naked 21-Day Metabolic Reset."
But he finds ways to protect his liver -- a fascinating organ, he notes. It's the second-largest organ in the body, responsible for more than 500 metabolic functions.
"The trick is to do things before and after you drink," he said.
First, if he plans to drink that night, he drinks some green tea.
He recommends one tea bag, at least half an hour before you plan to crack open a beer or order wine.
This can help, he said, because it has antioxidants that may protect the liver from damage caused by alcohol.
"That's my favorite way to support the liver during this time," said Davidson, based in Irvine, Calif. "Help it do its job at a very high level."
Some health experts caution that too much green tea can cause damage in rare cases, so don't try to equal your green tea intake with your alcohol.
Also, Davidson takes milk thistle every night before bed, which does "a great job supporting the liver," he said. He suggests about 300 to 800 milligrams.
Without taking such precautions, he said, "people will wake up in the middle of the night, especially in the 1 to 4 window."
And no, you shouldn't just wreck your body during December with your eye on hitting the gym -- or restricting your diet to liquids -- in January.
"It's a wonderful organ," he said. "The problem is that people will just destroy it, and then they'll go around and do some crazy seven-day cleanse. I think you should love on it every single day."
The One Simple Thing series appears weekly, offering specific and small ways to improve health.
abowen@chicagotribune.com
