Do you ever consider your liver? It's an organ. In your body. Without it, you could not survive.
I never used to think about my liver. I have a cousin who had a liver transplant several years ago. He abused his body to the point that his liver stop functioning. He was fortunate. I grew up believing the only things that would ever damage my liver would be excessive drugs or alcohol. An education in nutrition taught me how very important my liver is and how I do a tiny little bit of damage to it everyday.
Now I think about my liver very often; especially when I eat rich foods or drink alcohol. I think about how much harder it needs to work. I am always looking for ways to cleanse it; quickly and easily. I want it to serve me well; for the rest of my life.
Allow me to introduce you to your liver:
Your liver is a large, meaty organ that sits on the right side of your belly. It weighs about 3 pounds, and is reddish-brown in color and feels rubbery to the touch. Normally you can't feel the liver, because it's protected by the rib cage.
Your liver has two large sections, called the right and the left lobes. The gallbladder sits under the liver, along with parts of the pancreas and intestines. Your liver and these organs work together to digest, absorb, and process food.
Your liver's main job is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it to the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. As it does so, the liver secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. Your liver also makes proteins important for blood clotting and other functions.
If you don't care for your liver, it will become overwhelmed with garbage and will begin to pump out garbage. If you feel sluggish and tired all the time, or suffer from sickness and disease, you might need to make love to your liver.
Think of your liver as a filter. What does a filter do? It collects dust, dirt and foreign or unwanted objects. Over time, that filter gets clogged. It loses its ability to trap potentially hazardous particles quickly and efficiently. This also makes it difficult for anything pure to pass through the filter. If it is neglected or not cleansed regularly; the filter eventually stops working completely. Now you have even bigger issues.
Each time you eat unhealthy or fatty foods, drink excessively, or introduce foreign or chemical substances into your body (toxins, medications, recreational drugs, etc.) your liver is working overtime to protect all your other organs. Eventually, the liver gets clogged and cannot process everything quickly enough. It becomes enlarged, infected, diseased. Worst case scenario; it just quits.
This is why it is crucial to pay attention and cleanse your liver. Treat it well and it will return the favor.
Make love to your liver every day with these cleansing foods:
1. Garlic
Just a small amount of this pungent white bulb has the ability to activate liver enzymes that helps your body flush out toxins. Garlic also holds high amounts of allicin and selenium, two natural compounds that aid in liver cleansing.
2. Grapefruit
High in both vitamin C and antioxidants, grapefruit increasea the natural cleansing processes of the liver. A small glass of freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice will help boost production of liver detoxification enzymes that help flush out carcinogens and other toxins.
3. Beets and Carrots
Both extremely high in plant-flavonoids and beta-carotene, eating both beets and carrots can help stimulate and improve overall liver function.
4. Green Tea
This liver-loving beverage is chock-full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, a constituent known to assist the livers overall functions. Green tea is not only delicious, it’s also a great way to improve your overall diet.
5. Leafy Green Vegetables
One of our most powerful allies in cleansing the liver, leafy greens can be eaten raw, cooked or juiced. Extremely high in plant chlorophylls, greens literally suck up environmental toxins from the blood stream. With their distinct ability to nuetralize heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides, these cleansing foods offer a powerful protective mechanism for the liver.
Try incorporating leafy greens such as bitter gourd, arugula, dandelion greens, spinach, mustard greens and chicory into your diet. This will help increase the creation and flow of bile, the substance that removes waste from the organs and blood.
6. Avocados
This nutrient-dense super-food helps the body produce glutathione, which is necessary for the liver to cleanse harmful toxins. Recent studies indicate improved liver health when avocados are eaten regularly.
7. Apples
High in pectin, apples hold the chemical constituents needed for the body to cleanse and release toxins from the digestive tract. This, in turn, makes it easier for the liver to handle the toxic load during the cleansing process.
8. Olive Oil
Cold-pressed organic oils such as olive, hemp and flax-seed are great for the liver, when used in moderation. They help the body by providing a lipid base that can suck up harmful toxins in the body. In this way, it takes some of the burden off the liver in terms of the toxic overload that many of us suffer from.
9. Whole Grains
Grains, such as brown rice, are rich in B-complex vitamins, nutrients known to improve overall fat metabolization, liver function and liver decongestion. If possible, do not eat foods with white flour, instead try eating whole wheat alternatives.
10. Cruciferous Vegetables
Eating broccoli and cauliflower will increase the amount of glucosinolate in your system, adding to enzyme production in the liver. These natural enzymes help flush out carcinogens, and other toxins, out of our body which significantly lowers our risk of cancer.
11. Lemons & Limes
These citrus fruits contain very high amounts of the vitamin C, which aids the body in synthesizing toxic material into substance that can be absorbed by water. Drinking freshly-squeezed lemon or lime juice in the morning helps stimulate the liver.
12. Walnuts
Holding high amount of the amino acid arginine, walnuts aid the liver in detoxifying ammonia. Walnuts are also high in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids which support normal liver cleansing actions. Make sure you chew the nuts well (until they are liquefied) before swallowing.
13. Cabbage
Much like broccoli and cauliflower, eating cabbage helps stimulate the activation of two crucial liver detoxifying enzymes that help flush out toxins. Try eating more kimchi, coleslaw, cabbage soup and sauerkraut.
14. Turmeric
The liver’s favorite spice. Try adding some of this detoxifying goodness into your next lentil stew or veggie dish for an instant liver pick-me-up. Turmeric helps boost liver detox, by assisting enzymes that actively flush out known dietary carcinogens.
Learn more by visiting: Global Healing Center
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I do not diagnose, treat or heal disease. I merely suggest ways to live a healthy, happy life. If you suffer from constant fatigue, any illness, or if you suspect complications with your liver, please consult your physician.
