Detox Your Liver
Detox Your Liver: Try My 6-Step Liver Cleanse
March 30, 2021
Original article and page source found here.
Every person’s health and well-being depends on how well her body removes and purges toxins. With exposure to environmental toxins, toxic body care products and processed foods, most people are in desperate need of a serious detox! A liver cleanse is a great way to do this.
One of the main ways that the body rids itself of toxins is through the liver. In fact, the liver is one of the hardest working organs in the body. It works tirelessly to detoxify our blood, produce the bile needed to digest fat, break down hormones, and store essential vitamins, minerals and iron.
When liver function is not optimal, we cannot digest our food properly, especially fats. That’s why it’s so important to avoid fatty liver and follow a liver cleanse diet to remove toxins from the body.
What Does the Liver Do?
Some of the essential functions of the liver include:
Processing nutrients absorbed by the intestines so they are more efficiently absorbed
Regulating blood composition to balance protein, fat and sugar
Destroying old red blood cells
Producing essential chemicals to help blood clot properly
Breaking down and metabolizing alcohol and medications
Producing essential proteins and cholesterol
Removing toxins from the bloodstream, including bilirubin, ammonia and others
Storing of minerals, iron and vitamin A
Scientists know that for the liver to take care of the body, it must be able to perform optimally. When many people think of liver disease, they often think of alcohol-induced cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a serious health condition, but contrary to popular thought, alcoholism is not the only cause.
In fact, there are a number of nonalcoholic factors that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver damage, including
Eating uncooked shellfish
Some medications (including acetaminophen)
Chronic malnutrition
Eating poisonous wild mushrooms and exposure to chemicals
Chronic hepatitis B
Risk Factors
Today, we are faced with so many environmental toxins occurring in our homes, places of work and in our food supply. It is essential for our general health and well-being to maintain good liver health.
Below are some of the risk factors associated with impaired liver function.
Low potassium levels
Heavy alcohol abuse
Intravenous drug use
Blood transfusions prior to 1992
Exposure to certain industrial chemicals and environmental toxins
Unprotected sex
Obesity and a diet high in saturated fats, and processed foods
Tattoos or body piercings
High levels of triglycerides in the blood
Prescription medications including acetaminophen
Viral infections
Autoimmune diseases
Signs of the Liver Not Working Properly
If you have recently noticed any of the symptoms listed below, you could be suffering from impaired liver function. It is particularly important to consider these researched symptoms if you identify with one or more of the risk factors mentioned above.
Bloating and gas
Acid reflux and heartburn
Constipation
Skin and/or eyes that are yellowish (a symptom of jaundice)
Inability to lose weight
High blood pressure
Moodiness, anxiety or depression
Dark urine
Rosacea
Chronic fatigue
Excessive sweating
Bruise easily
Poor appetite
Fortunately, you can help improve your liver’s functioning. Through a thorough liver cleanse, you can start to feel better in a matter of a couple of weeks.
Liver Cleanse
Follow this natural liver cleanse to help boost your health and vitality:
1. Remove Toxic Foods from Your Diet
If you are eating a diet high in processed foods, you are putting the health of your liver at risk as these foods basically work against liver health. Hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, convenience foods and lunch meats are notoriously toxic to your system.
Hydrogenated oils, also known as “trans fats,” have higher levels of saturated fat. The chemical structure of the oil itself has been altered to increase shelf life. Consumption of trans fats dramatically increases the risk for heart disease by 25 percent or more. In addition, it is believed that trans fats cause problems with our immune system and can lead to inflammation throughout the body.
Added nitrates and nitrites, commonly found in convenience foods, fast foods and lunch meats, have been linked to serious health conditions. These chemicals are used to preserve foods to make them last longer, inhibit bacteria growth and preserve color. Replace these foods immediately with liver friendly healthy choices. Healthy foods taste great, and, with a bit of creativity, you can create healthful meals for your family that will support liver health.
Roast your own organic chicken breast and turkey breast to replace deli meats for quick lunches and after school snacks. Replace chips and other processed snacks with fresh fruit, carrot sticks, nuts and homemade granola bars.
In addition to eating a healthy diet, it’s important to be sure your digestive enzymes are functioning properly. Problems with liver enzymes can also contribute to liver disease and may be related to other digestive illnesses such as Crohn’s disease.
2. Drink Raw Vegetable Juice
It can be nearly impossible to eat all of the raw vegetables you need to make your liver cleanse effective. However, by juicing a variety of raw vegetables, you can easily get the 4–5 servings of fresh, organic vegetables you need. Even vegetables that aren’t your favorites can be disguised and enjoyed in a fresh vegetable juice!
With impaired liver function, juicing vegetables has the added benefit of making the vegetables easier to digest and more readily available for absorption.
Vegetables ideal for liver cleanses include cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. While that combination may not sound very enjoyable, you can add other vegetables that you enjoy to the mix including carrots, cucumber, beets and greens.
All of these vegetables help to reduce acid levels in the body, helping to create a more friendly pH balance. Experiment with your favorite flavor combinations; you can add fresh herbs including parsley, mint and others to make the juices more enjoyable.
To improve liver health, try my kid-friendly Orange Carrot Ginger Juice. Research suggests that fresh, organic carrots are essential to any liver cleanse. In the liver, the beta carotene is converted into vitamin A to help flush out the toxins in the body while reducing fat in the liver.
The high fiber content helps support a healthy digestive tract, hastening the elimination of toxins in your body. The ginger root helps to soothe the digestive tract, reduce intestinal gas, and has strong anti-inflammatory compounds. The fresh oranges in this recipe not only add tangy sweetness, but also add significant vitamin C, additional vitamin A and vitamin B6.
3. Load Up on Potassium-Rich Foods
Are you getting the recommended 4,700 milligrams per day of potassium? Chances are, you aren’t. Potassium-rich foods help to lower systolic blood pressure, lower cholesterol and support a healthy cardiovascular system, in addition to helping cleanse your liver. If you have been tempted to take potassium supplements, instead add these healthful foods to your diet.
Sweet Potatoes
Surprisingly, it is not the banana that is the richest in potassium. It is the sweet potato. A single medium sweet potato contains nearly 700 milligrams of potassium, not to mention the high fiber and beta carotene content.
A sweet potato only has 131 calories, yet is rich with vitamins B6, C, D, magnesium and iron. While naturally sweet, the sugars actually are slowly released into the bloodstream through the liver, without causing a spike in blood sugar.
Tomato Sauces
Potassium, and the other beneficial nutrients in tomatoes, is significantly concentrated as a sauce, puree or as a paste. As an example, 1 cup of tomato puree contains 1,065 milligrams of potassium, but 1 cup of fresh tomatoes contains only 400 milligrams. When selecting tomato sauce, paste or puree, be sure to choose those made only from organic tomatoes.
To make your own concentrated tomato sauce, slice organic tomatoes in half and roast face