Having my Mum to stay was a little like living with Mary Poppins. Everything was cleaner, tidier and more organised but I'm not exactly sure when all the jobs got done. (The night I got sent upstairs to tidy my room like a sulky teenager was the one exception.)

I have to confess, after leaving Mum at home with little Chloe for the day, I was expecting (…hoping?) to walk into domestic chaos. However, Chloe was happily occupied, the house was immaculate and dinner was on the way. Instead of being able to say 'see! see?

This is why my house is never tidy!' I had to accept the fact that some people are just more domestically gifted than others. Annoying yes, but of course this also makes Mum the perfect guest. So since she left, I've been tiptoeing around trying not to disturb the natural order which has descended over the house. I have however, done a purge in the kitchen.

Out with the cheese, bacon and digestive biscuits and back in with the healthier options. This has not made me popular with the lovely husband. Jasper the dog is also in a huff. Nevertheless, as guests and summer barbecues stack up the odds against healthy eating, I thought I'd better get us back on track.

As we often relax in the evenings with a well-deserved glass of wine however, I've been giving some more thought to the state of our livers. As the song goes, Bermudians love to drink and whilst of course this is a massive generalisation, many of us could benefit from a reality check from time to time.

Now most people know that the liver "detoxifies" but aren't really sure what else it does.

The liver actually takes nutrients from your digestive tract and uses them for building protein and boosting blood sugar.

It makes sure that the cholesterol you eat and the cholesterol your body makes, is used for your benefit (e.g. nurturing nerve and brain cells) rather than becoming harmful.

The liver rearranges amino acids so that you have the specific protein you need, takes iron to the bone marrow to make new red blood cells and synthesises hormones.

In addition, it breaks toxins down to safer substances, eliminates them or even stores them if there are too many in the body. And that just scratches the surface. As a consequence, every part of your body relies to an extent on your liver.

This means that if your liver is toxic, or under functioning, your health will be adversely affected too. Even though the liver can safely store some toxins, if it has to store too many then it can be damaged and your health will suffer as a result.

As well as putting yourself at risk from major diseases, an overloaded liver can also result in weight gain, imbalanced hormones, poor digestion, suppressed immunity, bad skin, headaches, cellulite and nausea.

Further, alcohol and its by-product acetaldehyde, are both toxic to the liver and must be broken down using nutrients (especially zinc) that could otherwise be used to benefit your body. Alcohol also increases the amount of fat in your liver which in itself gives the liver more work to do, but also makes it less able to do its job.

However, the liver is capable of detoxifying some alcohol so it is fine to drink in moderation.

Bear in mind though that whilst the research shows that one or two drinks are OK for most healthy people, this doesn't mean that you should save up your daily allowance and have 14 drinks on Friday night.

The American Heart association recommends no more than one drink daily for women, or one to two drinks for men.

One drink is considered as a 12oz beer, a 4oz glass of wine (that's very small by the way!), 1.5 oz of 80-proof spirits or 1oz of 100-proof spirits.

What happens if you drink more? Putting it bluntly, you raise your risks of the following: alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, breast cancer, suicide and of course alcohol-related accidents. It's not just alcohol though that can cause your liver to become sluggish.

Artificial colourings, preservatives and sweeteners all put an extra burden on liver function. As do salt, sugar and saturated fat. But I'm assuming that by now, you generally know what to avoid, the problem is having healthy alternatives that are tasty enough to become part of your day to day regime.

This salad should take you one step towards livening up an overloaded liver. Whilst all fruit and vegetables contribute to healthy liver function, artichokes are a super-food in this regard. Globe artichokes not only help to reduce triglycerides and bad LDL cholesterol levels, they also help improve the liver's capacity for detoxification, repair and regeneration.

Jerusalem artichokes provide similar benefits and also contain inulin, a complex carbohydrate that is not actually used for energy by the body, but rather, nourishes friendly bacteria in the digestive tract.

As healthy digestive function prevents toxins from the bowel being reabsorbed, this takes a load off the liver.

Note: I prefer the artichokes marinated in olive oil to the tinned variety. Supermart sells a great Waitrose brand that are delicious. Likewise, I think olives in olive oil taste better than those in brine for salads. The excess oil can be blotted off with kitchen towel.

Artichoke and smoked salmon salad: serves 2

2 large slices smoked salmon (Ducktrap Wild Smoked Salmon if possible), cut into thin strips

1 cup grilled, marinated artichokes, roughly chopped

¼ cup black or green olives, pitted and chopped

¼ cup salad onions, chopped

½ cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed (Eden Organic are best)

4 handfuls spinach leaves

1. Prepare all ingredients and blot off excess oil from artichokes and olives with paper towel. Feel the outside layer of the artichokes and remove any tough layers. Artichoke should be tender when eaten, like asparagus.

2. In a bowl, lightly toss together the smoked salmon, artichokes, olives, salad onions and kidney beans in one tablespoon dressing per person

3. Put two handfuls spinach leaves on each plate and top with artichoke mixture

Dressing

Shake in a jar the following ratios ½ extra virgin olive oil, ¼ balsamic vinegar, ¼ apple juice and a little black pepper. Make lots and use for dressing on other salads too.

This makes a great light meal, but if you want to make it more substantial try serving with roasted butternut squash or pumpkin, or reduce the quantity of spinach leaves and serve the salad in whole-wheat pita.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition[AT]gmail .com.