In the last several posts, we have discussed:

I have even given you several recipes to get your body ready for a detox:

Liver Detox

Liver detoxes or cleanses are the second category of detoxes to be discussed here. There are many liver detoxes and liver cleanses.  Choosing the right one for your needs can be tricky.   You must know the reason you have for embarking on a liver detox, and then flush the details out (pun intended).  Do you want to lose weight?  Do you have fatty liver?  Were you told that you have kidney/gallbladder stones?  Does your liver feel inflamed, congested, or in pain?  Again, choosing to do a liver detox depends upon your need and the purpose of each particular liver detox program.

Most liver detoxes have a similar purpose – to cleanse, nourish and strengthen the liver.  Toxins that accumulate in the liver from medications, poor food choices, environment exposures to pesticides, and chemicals, just to name a few.  Even mold exposure and metals the body accumulates, need to be cleanse from the liver in order for the liver to function properly.  These toxins eventually build up causing liver damage, disease, fatty liver, and other illness.

Most liver detoxes eliminate toxifying foods and substances from the diet, and help cleanse the system of drugs, alcohol, medications,  and processed foods.  They also require liver supporting and nourishing foods, such as artichokes, berries, beets, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cabbage, kale, and dandelion root and greens , as well as liver nourishing supplements like artichoke extract, milk thistle, and dandelion. (Remember my Wild Dandelion Berry Smoothie recipe? https://veronicashealthyliving.com/wild-dandelion-berry-detox-smoothie/ ?)

Are Liver Detoxes Worthwhile?

Yes!  I recommend doing a liver detox at least twice a year, especially at the change of seasons.  There are many benefits to a liver detox.

Liver Detox Benefits

  • Energy
  • Feeling of Lightness and sense of well-being
  • Weight loss
  • Improves your immune system
  • Strengthens hair, skin, nails
  •  Prevents and eliminates liver stones
  • Brain function
  • and more…

A liver detox, if done properly can return your liver to a healthy state, give you optimal weight, and restore energy levels.

Cautions

A correctly done liver detox happens in three phases.   And the most important phase is phase I.  It is here, in Phase I that you are preparing your body to detoxify and eliminate toxins.

Phase I – eating nutrient-rich foods, specifically geared toward helping your body open up detox pathways in preparation for Phase 2.  During this phase, your body is breaking down toxins into water-soluble chemicals so they can be neutralized by the body, and eventually eliminated.

Phase II – This is where you add in specific minerals, nutrients and supplements geared toward detoxifying toxins, and recycling nutrients to make them more effective at detoxifying the body.  This Phase is inefficient without the proper nutrients and supplementation, and is the phase where the liver can become overloaded, overworked and eventually bring on a fatty liver and disease.

Phase III – is the elimination of toxins from the body.  Bile production is cranked up, and high fiber foods, supplementation and binders encourage strong elimination whereby the body can rid itself, once and for all, of damaging toxins and metals.

If the detox is attempted before the body is ready, and you are trying to rush the process, then some uncomfortable symptoms may develop:  headache, aches and pains, nausea and vomiting.  Sometimes, depending on how toxic you are, there may be symptoms even when you do everything correctly.

In conclusion, once you have done your research, and have decided to take on a liver detox,  and have followed the steps to prepare your body, then know that you are doing something good for your liver and your body.

 

Do you need a detox?  Go here to take the Are You Toxic? Quiz

https://forms.gle/eKsCyuSCgeYdVh726

 

Wild Dandelion Berry Detox Smoothie