5 Tips for a liver cleanse
December 13, 2016
THE LIVER IN A NUTSHELL
As much as we promise ourselves we won’t over-indulge during the holidays, most of us are guilty of a bit of seasonal gluttony. Our liver works overtime to inactivate alcohol and process rich, fatty foods. The truth is, keeping your liver free of toxins as much as possible will benefit you in more ways than one. It performs over 400 functions in the body. It sifts through everything that comes in, uses what it can and gets rid of what it can’t, so it’s important to keep things coming in that your body can use.
When your liver is overwhelmed you may feel sluggish, tired, you may gain weight, suffer headaches frequently, have odd digestion, have a dull pain in your right side and your skin may be discolored. That’s when your liver could benefit from a little extra help.
5 TIPS FOR A LIVER CLEANSE?
1. Cut out alcohol
Alcohol is a toxin and your liver will use a large amount of energy trying to get rid of the alcohol so it can purify your blood. During this process, it can use up a good bit of metabolic energy, which often leads to weight gain, sluggishness and fatigue.
2. Flush It with water
Your liver likes to be clean. Water contains natural minerals when it comes from a healthy source, so use spring water or use a water filtration system that removes the carbon and chlorine particles when possible. Add a squeeze of lemon to your water to add alkalizing and cleansing properties. Lemon and all citrus fruits contain Vitamin C and minerals that boost bodily functions and enhance the cleansing process, sweeping out wastes.
3. Eat the best foods possible
You don’t need to count calories to care for your liver but you do need to eat high-quality foods. This means eating organic fresh foods such as leafy greens packed with magnesium, chlorophyll, Vitamins A and C, along with fresh vegetables and fresh fruits when possible. Buying organic is important, but is especially important for your liver since pesticides, herbicides and fungicides toxify the liver. These foods provide pure nutrients for your liver to cleanse and rebuild the blood to provide you with more energy and a healthy body. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and sulfur, boost liver detoxification and cleansing. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, apples, onions, garlic, and squash are good choices.
4. Eat the right fats
Eat healthy fats like almonds, coconut, walnuts, hemp, chia, and flax, along with pumpkin and sunflower seeds, olives, and avocado are all the best sources of fat for your diet. Avoid animal fats that lead to artery-clogging inflammation and avoid vegetable oils (like corn and soy) at all costs.
5. Choose the right supplements
It’s also important to choose your supplements selectively. B vitamins and selenium are important since they help metabolize substances in the body that help keep your liver healthy. Herbs such as milk thistle helps cleanse your liver. Milk thistle has over 2,000 years of history as an important medicinal herb for treating liver and gallbladder disorders. Several studies have shown that it may be beneficial in treating or preventing liver damage caused by alcohol, drugs or toxic chemicals. The active liver-protecting compound in milk thistle, silymarin, (a group of flavonoids; silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin), may help repair liver cells damaged by alcohol and other toxic substances. Silymarin also protects new liver cells from being destroyed by these toxic substances.
Take care of your body and eat whole foods, no junk, and be sure you exercise and get some fresh sunlight whenever you can.
