10 Ways to Regularly Detox Your Liver for Optimal Health
The humble liver is a vital organ in your body, performing over 400 functions! The liver acts as a filter, by sifting through every single thing that comes into your body. It uses anything healthy and gets rids of anything toxic that isn’t required. The liver works to break down proteins, remove damaged blood cells and it also holds a vast amount of your energy, daily vitamins and iron.
The more stress and strain we put on our liver, through our lifestyle and nutrition choices, the more work it has to do to remove these toxins.
If you’ve overwhelming and burdening your liver, you’ll feel sluggish, have digestive issues and you may gain weight to name just a few symptoms.
It’s so important to care for your liver and regularly detox it, to ensure that you’re enjoying optimal health. Here are 10 realistic and natural ways to regularly detox and care for your liver.
1 - Take a break from alcohol
Alcohol is clearly one of the biggest toxic strains on the liver. Your liver doesn’t determine between ‘healthy’ alcohol like red wine and the more serious stuff. It simply doesn’t like any of it! The best way to start cleansing your liver is to take a break from alcohol altogether. Give yourself at least a few weeks to kick the booze. If you choose to drink again, introduce alcohol slowly and set some guidelines around your limit.
2 - Do a complete body detox program
One of the most efficient ways to detox the liver is with a complete body cleanse. Our 14 day cleanse walks you step-by-step to safely and effectively detox your body, with a strong focus on detoxing your liver. When choosing a detox program, aim for organic ingredients with a naturopathic and scientific foundation to ensure you’re taking safe, healthy steps to cleanse your body and liver.
3 - Flush it out with plenty of water
Your liver really benefits from clean filtered drinking water. Aim to drink water that has been filtered, and try adding lemon to your water for a boost of liver loving Vitamin C. the minerals in lemons will boost the cleansing process and help sweep out waste.
4 - Eat organic foods with a focus on a plant based diet
One of the most effective ways to support your liver and achieve optimal health is through your nutrition. Aim for a mostly plant based diet, rich in organic vegetables and some fruit. Some of the best vegetables for liver health are carrots, ginger, black walnuts, garlic, beetroot and any dark leafy green.
5 - Support your liver with high quality B vitamins
Not all vitamin supplements are made equal! Choose a high quality Vitamin B supplement, made from plant based sources to further support your liver health. B vitamins and selenium help the liver by metabolising substances in the body that work to support the liver detox process.
6 - Go sugar-free
Quitting sugar is one of the best ways to speed up the detox process on the liver. The liver is the only organ that can break down fructose, so when we overburden it with a high sugar diet, it has to work overtime to remove the toxic build up. Try going sugar free and limiting the amount of processed foods that often have hidden sugar in them.
7 - Add herbs to your meals
Herbs are a powerful way to help detox the liver. Some of the best herbs for liver health include dandelion root, milk thistle, organic turmeric and peppermint. Add them to your meals or sip on peppermint or dandelion root tea.
8 - Quit processed or packaged foods
Just as important as it is to eat organic wholefoods, it’s vital that you remove any processed or packaged foods from your diet where possible. These foods are filled with unnatural preservatives, trans fats and other nasties, that simply overwhelm the liver with added toxins. Aim for whole foods where possible to ensure you’re reducing the strain on the busy working liver.
9 - Get moving regularly
Regular exercise can help speed up the detoxification process in the liver and help carry out more toxins. Aim for regular daily movement, mixed in with short high intensity bursts.
10 - Practice daily dry skin brushing
Daily dry brushing can further support your kidneys and liver in detoxing. Dry brushing is simply using a large dry brush and creating circular motions on your body. This helps to clear toxins from your lymphatic system, improve circulation and support the liver.
Remember to love your liver, because it’s the only one you’ve got! You can kick start your detox and support your liver with our 14 day cleanse.
Image source: https://stocksnap.io/photo/XUBW66MBRQ
