When was the last time you thought about your liver? If you are like most people, this amazing organ does not command much of your attention. But if you are interested in living as healthily as possible, attending to your liver can have big payoffs.
Named after the Old English word for “life,” the liver is a critically important part of your body. The array of functions it performs is staggering. These include:
- Controlling blood sugar
- Regulating fat storage
- Producing proteins
- Cleansing the blood
- Metabolizing fat
- Producing energy
However, if toxins clog and overwhelm the liver, it will cease to perform its functions correctly. If the liver cannot cleanse the toxins from the body effectively, those toxins can trigger an immune response that not only can burden the immune system but possibly trigger autoimmune flares.
These flares can present themselves in many different ways such as insomnia, difficulty waking, afternoon sluggishness, frequent headaches, irritability, and skin issues. You may also find that weight control becomes much more difficult as a result of a backed-up liver. Blood sugar control, fat storage and metabolism are all critical factors in weight management, and your liver is a key player in this delicate balance. A toxic liver cannot keep up with its metabolic functions if it is unhealthy.
Other symptoms of liver overwhelm are food allergies, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, skin conditions and digestive problems such as heartburn and bloating.
What Causes a Toxic Liver?
Every day our bodies are bombarded by many different toxins, and it is primarily the job of the liver to handle this toxic load. These toxins can come from pesticides and chemicals used in the production of our food, environmental substances such as impure water and pollution, medications, artificial sweeteners, high amounts of animal fat and even caffeine and alcohol.
Cleansing the Liver
While there is no escaping all exposure to toxins and poisons, there are some things we can do to not only lighten the load on our liver but also to cleanse and detoxify it.
- Get Sufficient Exercise: When your circulation is enhanced, all of your organs perform better, including your liver. Moderate exercise and deep breathing will stimulate your circulation and blood flow, and this in turn will deliver nutrients and oxygen to all parts of your body. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.
- Reduce Toxin Exposure: Try to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins whenever possible. Moderating your use of strong cleaning chemicals, avoiding tap water and getting plenty of fresh air may help. Using natural personal care products will also reduce the toxic load on your liver, as these tend to be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream.
- Eat Clean: Cleansing the liver involves avoiding the offenders such as artificial sweeteners, overly processed foods, chemical additives, pesticides, excess animal fat and medication (if possible). It also involves adding in foods that are believed to help to cleanse the liver.
The Healthiest Superfoods For Your Liver
Liver health is vital for various issues and reasons in your life. Regardless of the reasons you choose to focus on your liver health, there are some superfoods that can help.
Phytonutrient Plants. Phytonutrients are something that may seem new to you. If you aren’t sure what it is, keep this in mind. Phytonutrients refers to most leafy greens and green edible plants. Spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, beet greens, and other related hearty greens are all phytonutrients. These help to protect your liver while also helping to cleanse it during a detox or during food changes. Keep in mind, any detox can break down the liver and so can foods high in sugars. By adding these types of plants to your lifestyle and diet, you can help flush the liver safely.
Garlic. Garlic is a cleansing spice that has medicinal properties. It also happens to be a superfood. This superfood is naturally full of compounds that can help break down toxins and remove them from your system without doing heavy damage to your organs like an over-the-counter chemical liver cleanse may do. It also helps when you are coming off an addiction, such as alcohol, that could have already caused some damage. The garlic can help mend the damage caused.
Turmeric. You may experience inflammation when you are cleansing your liver or trying to get it healthier for various aspects of your lifestyle. Turmeric can help with that. You can either take the powder mixed with warm nut-based milk in a drink known as golden tea. If that is too bitter for you, you can try to take the powder in a capsule form. Either way will deliver the anti-inflammatory superfood into your liver and help to calm down the area during the cleansing period.
Milk Thistle. Milk thistle is a superfood that is generally found in capsule form and sold at most health food stores. It is used to not only treat liver issues, but to also help repair liver damage. This is an ideal superfood supplement to take as needed, even on a daily basis, for liver health.
If you are looking for more tips and support, join me over on my group page, The Village – A Natural HEALing Community, to get tons of information and tips to help you take your HEALTHY EATING and ACTIVE LIVING to the next level.
HEAL GOOD. FEEL GOOD. DO GOOD.
