I talk a lot about the liver because it is a very important organ in the body. It helps to keep us ‘clean’ by clearing all the toxins that come our way and in this day and age there are a lot of toxins.
Do you feel sluggish or even exhausted during the day? Are you struggling with your digestion and gut health? Are you oversensitive to perfumes and smells? If you have said ‘yes’ to any of these questions you may find that your liver is overloaded with toxins.
To ‘detox’ your liver you have to look at food, and more specifically the nutrients within that food needed to support detoxification on a daily basis. Yes, we need to detox our liver every day.
Toxins are found in the food we eat, the air we breathe, our environment, toxic cleaning products and our cosmetics. So our bodies are in a constant state of toxic overload!
How can we safely and gently detoxify our bodies on a daily basis?
Eating more herbs, consuming more nutritional supplements and choosing more clean organic whole foods, fruits and vegetables, are all things that we can incorporate into our daily lives. Also using natural non-toxic cosmetics and cleaning products.
Detoxing is about resting, cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside out. By eliminating toxins and nourishing your body, detoxification can help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimal health.
The liver has over 500 functions in the body. Consequently, your liver is constantly ridding your body of waste, metabolizing hormones, and assisting in digestion
Several amino acids are important for improving detoxification and eliminating chemicals from your body. Cysteine and methionine in particular help to prevent oxidation and bind to heavy metals, such as mercury, to help flush them from your system.
An incredibly powerful and important antioxidant needed for detoxification is glutathione. This antioxidant works to decrease toxins accumulated from smoke, radiation, auto exhaust, chemicals, drugs, and many other carcinogens.
Since your liver is your main detoxifying powerhouse, it is important to eat foods that optimise the health of the liver and supply you with many of the vitamins and minerals mentioned above.
Here are 7 foods that cleanse the liver:
1. Garlic: Contains sulphur compounds that are essential for supporting the liver and activating liver enzymes that are responsible for flushing out toxins and waste from the body. Garlic also contains selenium, an important mineral and nutrient that assists in detoxification and supports the thyroid gland.
2. Citrus: lemons, limes and grapefruits are all natural sources of vitamin C and contain many potent antioxidants. Like garlic, citrus fruits have the ability to boost the production of liver detoxification enzymes.
3. Broccoli: Along with other brassica vegetables, such as brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli contains sulphur compounds, just like garlic, that help to support the detoxification process and the health of the liver. In fact, these fibrous veggies can help flush out toxins from your gut, and they contain compounds that help support the liver in metabolising hormones, so can be helpful in menopausal symptoms.
4. Avocado: This incredible fruit contains glutathione, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps to protect the liver from incoming waste and toxins. It also assists the liver in eliminating chemicals from your body and protects against cellular damage.
5. Leafy vegetables: The bitterer, the better! Your liver loves bitter, so load up on rocket, mustard greens and chicory. These leafy greens contain numerous cleansing compounds that neutralise heavy metals, which can slow down the liver’s ability to detoxify. Plus, they help to stimulate bile flow.
6. Turmeric: this incredible herb contains a lot of antioxidants that help to repair the liver cells, protect against cellular damage and assist in detoxification. Turmeric is particularly good at helping the liver detox from heavy metals and assist in hormone metabolism. Turmeric also boosts the production of bile and improves the health of the gallbladder and reduces inflammation.
7. Walnuts: these nuts contain high levels of l-arginine, glutathione, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which help to detoxify the liver and support toxin elimination. Plus, they are great for fighting inflammation and supporting the health of the brain.
A simple and delicious way to include many of the above liver-loving foods is to juice them. If you don’t have a juicer, you can make them into a smoothie using a blender. Lets start adding these foods like the Antioxidants Nutrition Bars to our daily menu and help that poor liver.
For the best natural toxin free cosmetics I would recommend Tropic. www.wyndhamtropic.com