The detox powerhouse of our body is the liver. It works tirelessly to detoxify, inactivate and excrete harmful toxins from the body.
We are constantly exposed to more undesirable chemicals in our food than ever before. While the body has the natural ability to detox, it can only handle so much.
What are the signs of toxin overload?
Overload of toxins leave the liver overworked and exhausted, reducing the ability to detoxify them. This allows the waste to remain in the blood and circulate around the body.
Physical signs and symptoms of an overloaded liver are:
- Allergies
- Indigestion
- Bloatedness
- Skin problems
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Aches & pains
Our body needs a little extra help to get rid of toxins and here are some foods that you should eat regularly to detox the liver naturally:
1) Lemon juice
Lemon juice helps to break down fat. The citric acid in lemon juice cleanses the digestive organs, flush and decongest the liver and kidney. By breaking down fat, it reduces the load on the liver. Have a glass of lemon juice first thin in the morning, but don’t brush your teeth for 30 mins as the acid weaken the enamel of the teeth.
2) Apple
Apples contain pectin, which helps to bind onto excessive cholesterol, heavy metal and other toxins in the intestine during digestion. This helps to reduce the workload of the liver. Other foods that are rich in pectin are guava, quince, gooseberries, plum and citrus fruits
3) Garlic and Onion
Garlic and onion having strong odor because of the sulphur-containing compound which help the liver to cleanse toxins. Antioxidants and mineral Selenium help to remove heavy metals and toxins from the liver.
4) Antioxidants
Too much pressure from the environmental stress, overworked, emotional stress can cause the liver to reduce the ability to clear toxins. Therefore, antioxidants are necessary to counter all the stressors causing free radical damage.
Cruciferous vegetables contain phytonutrients, which are strong antioxidants. Watercress, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflowers are good examples that we need to eat more of. Check out my earlier post more information on antioxidants
5) Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is the important component of green plant to manufacture it’s own food. Eating green leafy vegetables and wheat grass will give you a good source of chlorophyll. It can help to combat the pesticides and toxins that enter our body through contaminated fruits and vegetables.
Chlorophyll is found by the National Institute of Health to be anti-cancer in a research done on 140 trout that are injected with cancer cells. Trouts fed with chlorophyll survived.
6) Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B complex improves liver function and promotes liver decongestion. Vitamin B12 helps to metabolize fats and improve liver health. Good source of Vitamin B complex are eggs, brown rice, whole grains, broccoli and spinach.
7) Bitter Vegetables
If you can tolerate the bitter vegetables such as bitter gourd, dandelion greens, mustard greens and chicory, it is good for the liver as it promote the production and flow of bile.
Noticed all the food mentioned is from plants? If you take care to incorporate the above foods into your diet to achieve a minimum of 5 – 7 portions of wide varieties of fruits and vegetables, that should help your liver detox at the same time.
Are there other foods that help in liver detox? Do share in the comment box below.
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Hi Chonsulee
I am recovering from a back injury and have been taking rather a lot of pain killers. I know they put a lot of stress on the liver, so am drinking a lot of water and taking Milk Thistle and Chlorella. I will add lemon juice per your recommendation.
Thanks
Wendy
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Subject: [lookgoodfeelgreatalways] Re: Detox Your Liver Naturally
Great Wendy! Do take care of your back. Your strategy of managing the toxins from pain killer sounds good. All the best to your health!
Hello friends, This is a great post about health. It is rocking. I am a vegetarian person and I like to eat apple,lemon and other healthy food. I always drink much water because It is good for digestion. In the morning I always drink green tea with ginger. It enhance my metabolism.
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Hi friend, your diet is commendable. If only more people can be like you taking active steps to stay healthy. Way to go!
Thanks a lot for this great article!!! I learned many interesting and useful things for helth!!! We have to take care fo our body, especially liver!!! I will take into consideration all the facts to get rid of toxins from the body!!!
Hi Carolina,
I am glad you liked my article. I hope it helps you.
I have water retention and I’m obese by 10 KG. I do a lot to keep myself fit and follow almost all guidelines suggested by you. Then too I have not succeeded. Plz help.
Hi Saroj,
As you are overweight by 10kg, it is critical that you work on losing fat. The first thing you should do is to cut all refined carbohydrate from your diet. Replace with at least 5-7 portions of fruits and vegetables and increase lean protein from fish and plant protein. Drink plenty of water. Use the guideline of 30ml for every kg of your body weight. Not drinking enough water cause water retention. And last but not least, get active. If you have not been active, start with walking 30min every day. Try these out and let me know how it goes.
Hi Saroj, I hope you are still around to read this. I too have water retention issues and have my whole life. I feel like the water is being held in the tissue of my muscles (mostly legs/lower extremeties) which I fould out is a lymphatic issue. I find that any kind of exercise is great but bike riding really works best on my legs. I also wear compression stockings. You can also google lymphatic system to read more. The lymphatic massage seemed to work great. Bupleurum is a detoxifier that’s helped also and I find allows some relief of water retention. When my legs start feeling heavy, I know it’s time for a detox to get back into balance. Everyone is different and responds differently, you may have to hunt to find which herb works best for you. Be sure to balance the herbs with a good multi vitamin and there are a multitude of water balance homeopathics. I found by hitting it three ways, I’ve had great balance and relief. Don’t give up on the detox! I found that a good detox tea, apple cider vinegar, honey, and Chlorophyll works wonders. You may have to do it longer and harder to get results. Experiment with detox concoctions to find your best combination.
Hi Michele,
Thanks for your contribution. I am glad you found a way to solve your water retention issue. You are right in saying that one need to try all avenues to get the best results. Thanks for your idea on the detox tea. Great sharing!
All the best to your health.
Best regards, Su Lee
good articles kep up the good works, i’m taking your advise very seriously about my liver….
Thanks! Glad you like it and find it useful for your health.
Indian Triphala