The liver is one of the body’s most important vital organs.
It performs tasks such as filtration, digestion, metabolism, and of course detoxification.
As our bodies take in more unwanted toxins than ever before, sometimes the part of your body that performs detox needs a detox of its own.
The key to detoxing the liver is a sustained change of habits.
And finding the right solution to liver health isn’t always easy, but it isn’t complicated at all.
In this article, we’ll go over a liver detox and 3 of the best ways to cleanse your liver naturally.
What is a Liver Cleanse?
A liver detox, also known as a cleanse or flush, is a way to clear the body of harmful toxins, restore function to vital organs, and improve overall health.
While many people have looked into doing a liver cleanse, most aren’t doing them correctly.
The majority of popular liver cleanses would have you drink only juices, take on a special, restricted diet, or even encourage the consumption of a shot of vinegar every morning.
While the overnight/weekend cleanse sounds appealing, it is almost completely ineffective.
Most people looking to cleanse their livers this quickly have consumed a lot of drugs and alcohol in a short period and are looking for a fast track to better health.
The only way to actually detox or cleanse your liver is with a complete and sustained change in lifestyle and diet.
As we’ll go over a little later, this isn’t as complex as it may seem.
How to Know if You Need a Liver Detox
The liver is essential to your health, which places a fair bit of importance on identifying why you might need a detox in the first place.
Here are some of the most common causes associated with poor liver health:
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol enters the body as a toxin, and although the liver can effectively digest and detoxify those toxins, it can only handle so much. Most doctors recommend a limit of one alcoholic drink per day for women, and up to two drinks per day for men.
- Obesity: Having an excessive amount of body fat has been linked to many issues, including those of the liver. General obesity can cause what is known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is an accumulation of fat in the liver.
- Infection: Toxins have the ability to enter our body in a number of different ways. While the effects of common illnesses are known, things like processed foods and chemicals from plastics can also burden the liver’s function.
- Genetics: Unfortunately, sometimes there is nothing we can do about our susceptibilities to outside toxins. Genetic abnormalities can cause a number of different liver diseases, most commonly, Wilson’s disease and Hemochromatosis.
- Other common causes: Besides the above-mentioned causes, poor liver health can be caused by diabetes, drug use, excessive sugar consumption, cancer, and more.
3 Ways To Naturally Cleanse Your Liver
As we mentioned before, a proper liver cleanse can’t be performed over the course of a few days.
It requires a change in habits and daily routines, and should also be sustained over a long period of time.
And we are here to help with that!
Here are three of the most important things to change in your own life in order to properly detox your liver.
1. Use A Liver Support Supplement.
Your liver requires key nutrients for optimal function, and taking a high-quality supplement is one of the best ways to get these nutrients. One of the best supplements on the market to enhance liver detox is VVN’s Antioxidant and Liver Support Gummies.
Some of the key ingredients in this supplement are glutathione and milk thistle, which dramatically help protect the body from free radicals and optimize overall liver health.
What’s great about these gummies is that they can help support the liver on an everyday basis, improve the immune system, enhance brain function, and give your body the antioxidant support it needs.
Most of us don’t have the time to optimize our diets for liver support, which is why taking a quality supplement is so important.
2. Have A Liver-Friendly Diet.
Like any diet, the liver-friendly diet isn’t easy to transition to, but it’s the most effective way to improve liver function.
The first step is to cut out bad foods. It’s time to ditch prepackaged foods, processed foods, caffeine, and of course, alcohol. It’s best to eat meals that are organic and unprocessed. Try to fill your plate with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean meats, fish, eggs, and beans.
The other thing to keep as a staple in your diet is water. As most of don’t ever drink our recommended 8-10 glasses per day, drink as much as you can. It’s the best way to open up the body’s detoxification pathways and support liver health.
3. Have A Wholesome and Balanced Lifestyle.
Our liver’s health isn’t just affected by the foods we eat. It’s also determined by the amount of exercise and levels of stress we have in our lives.
Partaking in sweaty exercise isn’t just good for the liver, it can also reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones, and improve brain health. The physical act of sweating is a natural detoxification process, which decreases the burden on our liver.
The stresses and anxieties of everyday life are no less important to consider. Something that is common in people with poor liver health is internal oxidative stress. It can dramatically affect the function of the liver and even cause liver disease.
In the busy world we live in, it’s never been more important to keep a hold on your day-to-day stress. Be sure you are giving yourself the time you need to recover and relax away from the stress of work, family, or other aspects of life.
A Healthier And Happier Liver
In a sense, the liver detox isn’t really a “detox” at all. Truthfully, it’s a sustained change in lifestyle and consumption habits.
While the cause of poor liver health can come from any number of things, the solutions mentioned above will benefit all. It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t do it all on your own.
We only get so many essential nutrients through a normal, balanced diet, which is why so many people are finding benefit in taking a liver-support supplement.
It can seem like an unbeatable problem at first glance, but with proper diet, supplemental support, and a lifestyle upgrade, anyone can have a healthy liver.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-problems/symptoms-causes/syc-20374502
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/cleanse-your-liver-naturally
https://draxe.com/nutrition/liver-cleanse/
https://www.sfadvancedhealth.com/blog/6-simple-ways-to-detox-your-liver