Your liver cops a beating. It has the huge job of processing nearly every toxin, metabolite, hormone and chemical mediator in your body. The liver is a bit like the checkout in the supermarket – every item needs to be scanned through it before it leaves your body.
We live in a world where we are constantly exposed to toxins in the form of pesticides, alcohol, processed foods, excess coffee, toxins in cleaning products and skin care and even the air we breathe. As these toxins accumulate in the body, your liver is working overtime to excrete them, and if they are coming faster than your liver can handle them, they will stay in your body.
Most people’s livers need a little loving to help them function at their peak. Here are my top 7 tips for loving your liver.
#1 – Have some lemon
Lemons and other sour foods help to stimulate the release of bile from the liver, helping them to detoxify. Try having lemon juice in water on rising, lemon juice on your salads and a slice of lemon in your water bottle.
#2 – Limit the caffeine
Excess coffee consumption puts a strain on the liver and uses up its detoxifying capacity that would otherwise be spent elsewhere. Keep coffee to 1-2 cups a day (that’s standard shots) and have at least one coffee-free day per week to give your body a rest.
#3 – Avoid binge drinking
Binge drinking really pushes your liver to its limits, so try not to get super intoxicated
#4 – Stay hydrated
Keeping your water intake up will help you liver do its job properly. If you are drinking alcohol, alternate with a glass of water in between each drink.
#5 – Beet it
Beetroot has been found to have a protective effect on the liver in several studies. Juice it, grate it up and put in salads or roast it.
#6 – Eat your greens
Green leafy veggies such as kale, spinach, silverbeet and rocket help your liver to detoxify more effectively.
#7 – Eat bitter foods
Bitter foods such as watercress, rocket and chard help to stimulate the release of bile from the gall bladder, which helps to release toxins.
Your really does help to look after you – so make sure you use these tips to give it some lovin’!
Want to look a little deeper? Our naturopaths are experts in liver detoxification and can develop a program to get your liver back to functioning at it’s best. Call us on 07 3367 0337 to make an appointment.
