The liver isn’t the most glamorous part of the body, but it is a hard worker. Among its many jobs are detoxification, protein synthesis, and the production of biochemicals needed for digestion. It’s not glamorous, but it’s very important: You can’t live without it. If you want to be healthy, keeping your liver functioning as it should is mandatory. To be honest, the liver has never been at the top of my list of health concerns. But after looking around a bit, I decided that maybe it deserves a little more attention, a little more care. But what can you do for your liver?
Since detox diets are often so restrictive, they are near impossible to complete. Many of these diets involve fasting, which deprives your body of much needed nutrients and slows down your metabolism. Fasting can become addictive for some which obviously prolongs the time your body is being deprived of essential nutrients. WebMD states, “most natural liver detox diets have little science supporting them… are very restrictive and can cause harm….”. Liver detox diets are not suggested for anyone but healthy adults. Detox diets are not recommended if you suffer from any chronic condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, or if you are a child, teenager, senior or a pregnant or breastfeeding woman.
The body goes through a natural detoxification process all on its own if fuelled properly. You can promote a healthy liver by eating natural foods that are proven to help with this process, which also will help with your liver detox. Here is a list of some common foods and exactly how they can help.
Apples The pectin helps your body excrete heavy metals by attaching to them.
Artichokes These edible plants promote the production of bile, which helps pass toxins through the bowels.
Beets An important type of vitamin B, called folate, is found in beets. When consumed on a regular basis, folate helps to naturally cleanse the liver.
Bitter leafy greens These may not sound as appealing as some of the other foods on this list but leafy greens such as endive, chicory, and dandelion help to stimulate bile flow.
Cruciferous vegetables Although they sound like uncommon foods, these vegetables include cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel Sprouts and broccoli. They breakdown toxins in the body by producing phtochemicals. They also fuel the liver to produce the enzymes required for natural detoxification.
Garlic This tasty herb contains allicin, which helps rid the liver of substances such as food additives and mercury. Garlic pills are an alternative way to consume this helpful food.
Other fruits Fruits, such as strawberries, prunes, grapefruit, blueberries, oranges, cantaloupe, pears, etc., that contain antioxidants are essential to maintaining overall health. A minimum of three servings per day is suggested.
So, you can maintain a healthy liver without torturing yourself. From this list of foods, I’d even say the process might be enjoyable. Healthy liver. Happy you. Win. Win.
As someone who has more prescription medication than she would like, Natalie MacBride has decided to explore some alternatives to healing with drugs: healing with food. If you’re interested in the possibilities of getting healthy more naturally, check out her site Natural Healing with Food.
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