Why do a Liver Detox?
By Dr Catherine W Dunne MSc. D. (Hon), RGN, Reiki Master (RGMT), M.H.I.T: Master Acupressure, Practitioner of Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Deep Tissue/Myo-fascia Massages, Infrared Treatments, Vibrational Sound and Colour Therapist, Tissue Salt Advisor, Pendulum Healing Dowser, Chakra Practitioner , Tao Cosmic Healing Practitioner, Practitioner of Plant and Herb Medicine and Nurse.
Cleansing and detoxing the liver and colon helps clear pesticides, medications, heavy metals, and the remnants of cancer therapy out of your system, resulting in a healthy liver.
“No Rest For The Wicked”
Did you know, the liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body. It works tirelessly to detoxify our blood, produce the bile needed to digest fat, break down hormones, and store essential vitamins, minerals, and iron.
What are the main types of minerals? The human body requires 13 different types of minerals to maintain overall health, including:
Potassium
calcium
zinc
iron
magnesium
and others
We need these nutrients for purposes including muscular movement, nerve signalling, cardiovascular functions, growth, development and more.
What Are Minerals?
A mineral is defined as “a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.” In other words, a mineral has the following characteristics:
Found in nature but not made by humans
Has never been alive
Solid and not liquid like water or gaseous like air
Has a definite chemical composition, as each type is made of a particular mix of chemical elements
Has an ordered atomic arrangement, which is why minerals can appear as crystals
Although we need both, minerals in our diets are a bit different than vitamins because vitamins are made by plants or animals, while minerals come from soil and water. Minerals make their way into the foods we eat by being absorbed by plants and animals, which we then eat.
With exposure to environmental toxins, toxic body care products and processed foods, most people are in desperate need of a serious detox. When liver function is not optimal, we cannot digest our food properly, especially fats. That’s why it’s so important to avoid fatty liver and follow a liver cleanse diet to remove toxins from the body.
What Is the Liver?
What is the liver, and why is it considered one of the hardest working organs in the body?
The liver, the largest internal organ in the human body, is a digestive organ that sits on the upper right side of the belly. What does the liver look like? It’s described as being “meaty” due to its reddish-brown colour. If you were to touch your liver, it would feel rubbery and semi-firm.
The liver is always communicating with other digestive organs, receiving information about the level of available nutrients or the presence of threats like prescription medications, heavy metals, or toxic substances. As the main organ involved in detoxification, it’s the liver that recognizes toxic substances and converts them into harmless material that can be released. As described in the World Journal of Hepatology in a 2017 article, “Beyond the metabolic functions, the liver recently has been defined as an organ of immune system (IS) … The liver keeps a delicate balance between hepatic screening of pathogenic antigens and immune tolerance to self-antigens.”
The liver is said to be of the “wood element” and is crucial for the transformation of food into energy, or qi, according to Chinese medicine. Since it’s associated with wood qi, the liver is characterized by “upward momentum and the innate desire to be straight.” A healthy liver results in better blood flow upward and outward, throughout our vessels, veins, and capillaries, which transport oxygen and nutrients to our cells.
What can improve liver function do for your health? A well taken care of liver can help bring you:
Increased energy levels
Clearer skin
More regular menstrual cycle with reduced PMS
Freedom from sinus pain
Fewer infections and stronger immunity
Less digestive complaints and more regularity
Fresher breath and oral health
A positive mood and sharper mind
The main functions of the liver include:
Filtering blood coming from the digestive tract … It’s involved in storing blood, making blood clotting possible and breaking down damaged blood cells so they can be eliminated.
Producing bile
Dissecting and converting nutrients available in foods once they reach the digestive system … For example, the liver helps metabolise proteins by changing amino acids so they can be used for energy or used to make carbohydrates or fats.
Helping to spread nutrients throughout the body via the bloodstream and keeping the amount of nutrients in the blood supply at optimal levels
Eliminating toxic waste that’s left behind once foods/substances are broken down
Breaking down and removing excess hormones
Storing certain vitamins and minerals for when they’re needed
Managing the conversion of fats from your diet and manufacturing triglycerides and cholesterol
Taking the carbohydrates you consume and turning them into glucose, a form of energy, to be stored for later use
The liver also interacts with other organs like the gallbladder, stomach, and spleen, since it receives digested particles or toxins and decides what to do with them: circulate them around through the blood or eliminate them before they can cause damage.
Something that makes the liver unique and amazing is that it has the ability to regenerate after it’s become damaged; in fact, it’s capable of doing this more than any other organ in the body.
What Is the Liver’s Job?
Some of the essential functions are: Follow this natural liver cleanse diet to help boost your health and vitality. You’re sure to feel better after this liver detox.
Processing nutrients absorbed by the intestines, so they are more efficiently absorbed
Regulating blood composition to balance protein, fat, and sugar
Destroying old red blood cells
Producing essential chemicals to help blood clot properly
Breaking down and metabolizing alcohol and medications
Producing essential proteins and cholesterol
Removing toxins from the bloodstream, including bilirubin, ammonia, and others
Storing of minerals like iron and vitamin A
Follow this natural liver cleanse diet to …
… help boost your health and vitality. You’re sure to feel better after this liver detox.
1. Remove Toxic Foods from Your Diet
If you are eating a diet high in processed foods, you are putting the health of your liver at risk because these foods basically work against liver health. Hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, convenience foods and lunch meats are notoriously toxic to your system.
Hydrogenated oils, also known as “trans fats,” have higher levels of saturated fat. The chemical structure of the oil itself has been altered to increase shelf life.
Consumption of trans fats dramatically increases the risk for heart disease. In addition, it is believed that trans fats cause problems with the immune system and can lead to inflammation throughout the body.
Added nitrates and nitrites, commonly found in convenience foods, fast foods, and lunch meats, have been linked to serious health conditions. These chemicals are used to preserve foods to make them last longer, inhibit bacteria growth and preserve colour.
Replace these foods immediately with liver-friendly healthy choices. Healthy foods taste great, and with a bit of creativity, you can create healthful meals for your family that will support liver health.
Roast your own organic chicken breast and turkey breast to replace deli meats for quick lunches and after-school snacks. Replace chips and other processed snacks with fresh fruit, carrot sticks, nuts, and homemade granola bars.
2. Drink Raw Vegetable Juice
It can be nearly impossible to eat all of the raw vegetables you need to make your liver cleanse effective. However, by juicing a variety of raw vegetables, you can easily get the four to five servings of fresh, organic vegetables you need. Even vegetables that aren’t your favourites can be disguised and enjoyed in a fresh vegetable juice!
With impaired liver function, a juice cleanse has the added benefit of making the vegetables easier to digest and more readily available for absorption.
Vegetables ideal for liver cleanses include cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. While that combination may not sound very enjoyable, you can add other vegetables that you enjoy to the mix, including carrots, cucumber, beets, and greens.
All of these vegetables help reduce acid levels in the body, helping create a more friendly pH balance. Experiment with your favourite flavour combinations. You can add fresh herbs, including parsley, mint, and others, to make the juices more enjoyable.
To improve liver health, try this Orange Carrot Ginger Juice (see at end of article). Research suggests that fresh, organic carrots are essential to any liver cleanse. In the liver, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A to help flush out the toxins in the body while reducing fat in the liver.
The high fibre content helps support a healthy digestive tract, hastening the elimination of toxins in your body. The ginger root helps soothe the digestive tract, reduce intestinal gas, and has strong anti-inflammatory compounds. The fresh oranges in this recipe not only add tangy sweetness, but also add significant vitamin C, additional vitamin A and vitamin B6.
3. Load Up on Potassium-Rich Foods
Are you getting the recommended 4,700 milligrams per day of potassium? Chances are, you aren’t.
Potassium-rich foods help lower systolic blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and support a healthy cardiovascular system, in addition to helping cleanse your liver. If you have been tempted to take potassium supplements, instead add these healthful foods to your diet:
Sweet Potatoes
Surprisingly, it is not the banana that is the richest in potassium. It is the sweet potato. A single medium sweet potato contains more than 500 milligrams of potassium, not to mention the high fibre and beta-carotene content.
A sweet potato is rich with vitamins B6, C and D, along with magnesium and iron. While naturally sweet, the sugars actually are slowly released into the bloodstream through the liver, without causing a spike in blood sugar.
Tomato Sauces
Potassium — and the other beneficial nutrients in tomatoes — is significantly concentrated as a sauce, puree or as a paste. When selecting tomato sauce, paste or puree, be sure to choose those made only from organic tomatoes.
To make your own concentrated tomato sauce, slice organic tomatoes in half, and roast face down in the oven for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F, until the skin has shrivelled. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Slide the skins off, and gently crush in your food processor or blender. Strain to remove seeds if you desire. Pour into a Dutch oven, and let simmer until thick, one to two hours.
Beet Greens and Spinach
Rich in antioxidants, beet greens are loaded with potassium. Add beets and beet greens to your fresh vegetable juice recipe; finely chop and add raw to salads; or sauté lightly, like other greens.
Beets also naturally cleanse the gallbladder and improve bile flow.
Fresh organic spinach is easily added to your diet, and it’s a good source of potassium.
Beans
White beans, kidney beans and lima beans are all rich in potassium, protein, and fibre. Swap out garbanzo beans for one of these potassium-rich beans in your favourite hummus recipe. Enjoy it with carrot sticks and celery sticks.
Blackstrap Molasses
In addition to potassium, blackstrap molasses is rich with iron, calcium, manganese, and copper.
Incorporate blackstrap molasses into your diet by replacing other natural sweeteners with it. You can use it to create barbecue sauces and to top oatmeal or quinoa porridge in the mornings. Two teaspoons added to coffee intensifies the richness of the coffee, while lowering the acidic taste.
Bananas
And finally, add a banana to your favourite smoothie. Bananas assist in digestion and help release toxins and heavy metals from the body — all of which are essential during a liver cleanse.
Please note: If you have high levels of potassium in your kidneys, foods rich in potassium should be consumed moderately.
4. Coffee Enemas
Coffee enemas help with constipation, reduce fatigue and aid in liver detoxification.
An enema targets the lower portion of your large intestine and can be done at home, unlike colonics, which include the entire bowel and are performed outside the home by a professional.
During the enema, organic coffee is retained in your bowel, allowing the fluid to enter the liver through the intestinal wall.
This has a stimulating effect that increases bile flow, helping jump-start both your gallbladder and your liver. This sparks the production of the chemical glutathione, a strong cleansing compound that helps release the buildup of toxins in your system.
Flushing the toxins out during liver cleanses is critical so they don’t build up and are moved quickly out of your system.
Combine two tablespoons of organic ground coffee with three cups of filtered or distilled water in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes and allow to cool. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and use in your enema kit.
Try to retain the mixture for 10–15 minutes, and then release.
If you’ve experienced complications from using enemas in the past, it’s best to talk to a doctor before trying to perform a coffee enema on your own. The first time you try a coffee enema, it’s a good idea to do so under supervision or with guidance of a medical professional, although some people feel comfortable jumping right into the process. Coffee enemas aren’t usually recommended for pregnant women or children since they can be sensitive to the effects of caffeine.
5. Take Liver Support Supplements
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is considered the “king” of detoxifying herbs, making it ideal for a liver cleanse. Milk thistle helps eliminate the buildup of heavy metals, prescription medications, environmental pollutants, and alcohol in the liver.
In addition, it helps reduce the negative effects on the liver after chemotherapy and radiation. Research indicates that the active ingredient silymarin helps strengthen the cell walls in the liver, while supporting healthy regeneration.
Milk thistle can be taken as a supplement or as a liver-cleansing detox tea.
Dandelion Root
Most homeowners hate the dandelion, as it populates yards every spring, but this flower and its roots are actually packed with vitamins and minerals.
Dandelion root has a natural diuretic effect, allowing your liver to eliminate toxins more quickly. It also helps strengthen the immune system, balance blood sugar levels, relieve heartburn and soothe digestive upset.
Burdock root is another option in the same plant family as dandelions that can help detox your system by cleansing the blood, therefore helping support liver function. Like milk thistle, both dandelion root and burdock root can be taken in both supplement form and/or as a detox tea.
Turmeric
Turmeric supports healthy liver tissue and liver metabolism.
Currently, researchers are studying turmeric for a variety of health benefits for diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, depression, osteoarthritis, breast health, prostate health, and chronic pain.
Combination Liver Support Supplement
You can also purchase a liver support supplement that combines many of these key botanicals, such as milk thistle seed, dandelion root, beet root and bupleurum root to help detoxify the liver, assist in healthy liver function, and also work as an anti-inflammatory.
6. Eat Real Liver or Take Liver Tablets
Liver from young, healthy, grass-fed cattle or chicken liver is rich with vitamins A and B, folic acid, choline, iron, copper, zinc, chromium, and CoQ10. Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods we can eat and unsurprisingly an organ-nourishing food.
If you can’t stomach eating liver, you can take beef liver pills. Seek a supplement that guarantees no hormones, pesticides or antibiotics are used in the feeding and care of the cattle.
Orange Carrot Ginger Juice Recipe
One of the best things you can do for your health is to juice! Juicing is an easy way to get a heap of fresh veggies (and fruits) into your diet in one easy shot.
Takes 5 minutes, Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
6 carrots
1 orange
1 knob ginger
1 cucumber
DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients to vegetable/fruit juicer, gently stir juice and consume immediately.
I hope you feel inspired. Look after your liver, and it will keep you healthy.
Catherine CWD 17 March 2024/Ireland
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