Liver Detox Time is Now
Suddenly feeling heavier and more irritable than usual? Are your allergies or digestion acting up? These are signs your liver needs detox support. I am often asked about detox diets and cleanses. Some institutions, such as the Mayo clinic and Web MD, pooh pooh detox efforts, calling them at best, a waste of time and money, and at worst, harmful.
While it’s true that our livers, colons, kidneys and skin are detoxifying us all the time, we can help or hinder the process with our food and lifestyle choices. Liver enzymes and toxin-neutralizing actions plus the right gut bacteria, and a healthy colon help us eliminate excess hormones (e.g. estrogen, xenoestrogens), chemicals (e.g. pesticides, paints, formaldehyde), drugs (prescription, OTC and recreational), cleaning compounds (Mr. Clean, Clorox, Windex), and heavy metals such as lead and aluminum. A diet of canned or processed foods, smoking, excess alcohol, sugar, drugs, chemicals and bad fats interfere with our detox abilities.
In a perfect world, where toxin and daily stress levels are low, and fresh, chemical-free whole foods are the norm, our detox systems do their job and things work just like the Mayo clinic says: Our bodies detoxify without any special diet.
But we don’t live in a perfect world. Many of us are breathing in, swallowing, rubbing on and/or medicating ourselves with an overwhelming array of toxins. On top of that, our chemical-laden boxed cereal-Happy Meal-pizza-soda-heavy diet gums up an overwhelmed detox system.
You actually can optimize your body’s detox system with the right nutrition. Now is the time. Your liver is your main detoxification organ and spring is when it steps up operations. The good news is nature provides the perfect tools to help your liver do its own spring cleanse.
First, purge your diet and life of the most common liver challenges. These slow detox and require detoxification themselves: fructose, processed sugars, vegetable oils, fried foods, smoking, pollution, pesticides, unnecessary drugs, toxic body products, and chemicals.
Reassess Drugs. All drugs, prescription or recreational, pass through the liver and slow our detox abilities. Acetaminophen overuse is suspected as a leading cause of liver failure. A failed liver is not helping you detox. Email me for help with pain. I can show you effective, safe options.
Lay off sugar. Fructose, the GMO corn-based sweetener found in everything from soft drinks and candy to breakfast cereals, leads to fatty liver much like alcohol can. If you consume enough, any sugar can fatten your liver (and you), but fructose seems to do this fastest. Cut out refined sugars, especially fructose, high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, sodas, candies and confections, fruit juice, and bakery products.
Cut the vegetable soils. Corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, soy, and canola oils tend to be overly processed, and oxidized (rancid) from time on the shelf, processing, light and heat, as well as contaminated with toxin residues such as hexane. Most vegetable oils are too high omega 6 fats, making them inflammatory and destructive.
Reduce the pesticides. When you breathe or eat pesticides, liver detox slows. Think twice about common Roundup-treated GMO products (corn, soy, canola, dairy), antibiotic and hormone-treated animal products and the dirty dozen produce items.
Exercise. Movement and perspiration enhance all detoxification pathways. Go take a walk.
Nourish your skin. Don’t put anything on your skin you wouldn’t eat. You absorb lotions, creams and make up.
Increase detox nutrients and botanicals. These stimulate and optimize your liver detox enzymes and pathways. Ideally choose organic foods, and when needed, use the appropriate supplements. The following are the main players.
Vitamin C: Citrus, berries, broccoli, leafy greens, peppers, tomato, kiwi, Brussels sprouts.
Carotenoids: Deep orange, red and green vegetables and fruits including carrots, winter squash, cantaloupe, apricots, dark leafy greens.
Magnesium: Dark leafy greens, nuts, avocado.
Vitamin E: Fresh nuts, especially almonds. Avoid synthetic E supplements.
Sulfur: Pastured eggs, meat and seafood, garlic, onions, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower.
Indoles: Cruciferous veggies.
Botanicals: dandelion root and greens, artichokes, lemon, garlic, milk thistle, turmeric (curcumin).
I do not recommend fasts or rapid weight loss without help. Since our fat stores many toxins (not the liver), quick weight loss or fasting can allow shrinking fat cells to dump their debris into the blood stream, leading to unpleasant detox symptoms such as headaches and fatigue.
Spring Liver Detox Special
For the next month, I am offering a Liver Detox Special with personalized support. Let me walk you through your spring cleanse with a 7 to 10 day liver flush plus a transition diet tailored to your needs. With email support, you can ask all the questions you need.
What a Liver Detox Can Do
Optimize spring liver detoxification
Jump start sluggish weight loss
Reduce depression, anger, irritability (signs you need a liver detox)
Improve energy
Reduce PMS signs
Reduce spring allergies
Clear redness & yellow from eyes
Improve digestion, including bloating, reflux, constipation or diarrhea
Here’s what you get:
Morning liver cleanse cocktail recipe & guidelines
Liver cleanse tea recipe & guidelines
Recommendations for a 7 to 10 day liver cleanse, based on your constitution
Appropriate supplement guidelines for your needs
Tools for boosting glutathione (your master detoxifier)
Tasty spring recipes and cooking tips you and your liver will love
Guidelines for transition to a naturally cleansing diet year round
14 Days of personal email check in and support, with me