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Healthy Living for Young People

Did you know liver disease affects 1 in 4 Australians?
Living well while you’re young helps to keep your liver healthy.
Enter our competition below and tell us how to flip your mindset and win prize pack worth $200!

Flip Your Mindset and Keep It Healthy!

Eat Well

It is very easy to reach for something nearby when you’re hungry without thinking about the health consequences in the long term. Things that are high in fat, sugar, salt, and oil puts extra stress on your liver to filter these things out. Eating well and good nutrition are important steps in supporting healthy growth and development. It can also decrease the risk of liver disease.

Flip your mindset and make healthy eating fun and simple for you, family, and friends.

Get Moving

Being active helps improve your overall health and is great for your liver! An active lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight decreases your risk of fatty liver disease, by decreasing the body’s demand on the liver.

Flip your mindset and think outside the box about how you can get your body moving. It doesn’t have to mean sports or going to the gym, but it can be as simple as walking, cleaning your bedroom, and even using a standing up desk!

Lessen Your Stress

Lessening your stress and feeling well is good for your mental health. There are a lot of great benefits: it improves our immune system, nutrition absorption, lower blood pressure, and relaxes muscles.

By flipping your mindset, managing stress, taking time for yourself, and connecting with people is good for your mental health and also good for your liver.

Re-think Your Drinks

There can be a lot of hidden sugar in drinks, fruit juices, boba milk tea, energy drinks, flavoured milk and soft drinks – you name it.

Flipping your mindset doesn’t just mean switching to water, but it can also mean finding other healthier alternatives, and knowing what is in your drinks. 

 

 

 

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Why is healthy living important for your liver?

Your liver has over 500 jobs that keep you healthy. One important thing your liver does is filtering the good things in your blood that your body can use, and getting rid of the things that are no use or harmful. Another important thing your liver does is helping with digestion, which include breaking down fat and sugar from our food, and making and storing vitamins and minerals.

Living with a liver condition can stop our liver from working its best and keeping us healthy.

There are many things that can damage your liver such as viruses, unhealthy food and drink, lack of exercise and stress.

Living well while you are young helps to keep your liver healthy!

Why does it matter for young people?

In Australia (2022):

The majority of children and young people aged 14-17 don’t get enough physical activity, and don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.

For people living with a chronic liver condition (such as autoimmune hepatitis or living with hepatitis B or hepatitis C) or a chronic condition, such as diabetes, it is important to start healthy habits at a young age. Unhealthy food and drinking habits, inactive lifestyles, and stress and anxiety can negatively affect your liver health.

Having positive healthy habits improves your quality of life whether you have a chronic condition or not. More young people need to be aware to flip their mindset for healthier living.

How do I flip my mindset?

If  you think you’d like to flip one of the things you do to a healthier habit, you are already headed in the right direction towards a healthy liver.

However, it is easier said than done. For some people, it is easier than others.

Purchasing healthy ingredients or equipment to exercise can seem expensive. Learning a new sport or mustering up the energy to exercise can seem daunting. Not having the time because of school or work can also stop us from flipping our mindset.

There are many ways you can be creative and have fun. Here is a list of some things you could try:

  • You don’t need to do it alone – get your family, partner and friends to join you! Things are easier when you can support each other in making healthier choices for your liver.
  • If you are living at home with family, work together to make healthier choices for everyone at home.
  • Set goals and timeframes on your phone, journal or planner and track your results to see your progress!
  • Exploring and learning new things like new cuisines or sport. You might find things that you wouldn’t have thought of before and end up enjoying it!
  • Find ways to make them routine and regular.
  • Take small steps rather than big steps – when changing things, keep them realistic and achievable.
  • Keep things simple – no need for complicated recipes! There are many simple healthy recipes on the internet.
  • Do some more research – like what ingredients are in your drink, or learning what benefits you get from your food and exercise.
  • Give yourself time to manage stress and take time for yourself.

Check out our resources for more information and tips for improving your liver health!

Fatty Liver Disease

Did you know that around 1 in 3 Australian adults have fatty liver?

If fat in your liver is more than 10% of the liver’s weight, you have fatty liver disease. Having too much fat in your liver overtime can result in liver damage.

You are more likely to get fatty liver if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, have type 2 diabetes, and are overweight or obese.

The good news: if you find out early, you can reverse the damage done to your liver.

Some ways to manage and prevent fatty liver is having a healthy lifestyle (eating and drinking healthy, and leading an active lifestyle).

Alcohol-Related Liver Disease

Drinking too much alcohol regularly can result in alcohol-related liver disease. There are no safe levels of drinking – avoiding alcohol is best for your liver.

Persons under 18 years of age and women who are pregnant, and people with chronic liver conditions should not drink alcohol.

Futher information and support

If you find it very difficult to make changes for healthier habits, there are many health and community organisations that have excellent resources and services for young people, particularly for individuals with mental ill-health and substance addiction.

Call the LiverLine 1800 703 003 for information, support and referrals related to liver health. The information you provide is private and confidential.

Anglicare – Children and Young People

https://www.anglicarevic.org.au/our-services/children-and-young-people/

Youth Central

www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/advice-for-life/health

Headspace

www.headspace.org.au

Alcoholic Drug Foundation

adf.org.au/insights/guidelines-for-low-risk-drinking/

References

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2021) Mental illness, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 06 December 2023.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2021) Nutrition, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 06 December 2023.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2023) Physical activity, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 06 December 2023.

 

 

This campaign has been supported by a grant provided by The Flora & Frank Leith Charitable Trust.

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We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands where we work - the lands of the Woi-Wurrung Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations. We express our gratitude to them for their continued care and curation of these lands and waters. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

LiverWELL observes and honours the Kulin Nation's intrinsic connection to land, sky and water, and the creator Bunjil. LiverWELL is committed to being led and informed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on bridging health outcomes for communities and improving liver health.