The liver is an incredible organ that plays several roles in the body, so it is essential to take care of it and keep it healthy. In general, all it takes is eating a healthy diet but if you don’t usually eat well, then try this liver cleansing diet.
In addition to including foods in your diet that are good for your liver, you’ll also want to avoid foods that keep it from doing its job of purification.
What does the liver do?
The main function of the liver is to remove potentially harmful substances from the body, including oxidants. The liver is also responsible for getting rid of excess hormones, so poor liver function can cause acne and painful premenstrual syndrome.
Blood sugar levels are also balanced by the liver. When this function fails, your body starts to feel tired and you gain weight. In severe cases, it can lead to diabetes.
Bile is produced by the liver. Without bile, cholesterol levels will increase, causing digestive disorders and stomach distension, as well as food allergies and poor vitamin absorption, especially for vitamins A, D, K and E.
Why do we need to cleanse the liver?
Your body naturally produces large quantities of toxins from just processing the foods you eat. When the liver is overloaded, it releases an ammonia mixture into the blood, which can damage the brain, nervous system, kidneys and liver.
Another toxin the liver releases when it is overloaded is lactic acid. The result is chronic fatigue and muscle pain. An excessive accumulation of lactic acid can cause anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure and panic attacks.
Other sources of toxins, as well as foods include:
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Salt
- Processed foods
- Drugs
- Medication
- Environmental toxins, like cigarette smoke, pesticides and chemical products
The Liver cleansing diet
This liver cleansing diet increases your intake of certain foods while limiting and avoiding others. The ideal scenario is to follow the diet for a whole week. We’ll divide the foods up into three groups: “yes” foods, “moderation” foods, and “no” foods.
Yes foods (eat as much as you like)
These powerful, purifying fruits are an important part of this liver cleanse diet.
The best options are:
- Citrus fruits
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Mangos
- Melon
- Red grapes
- Berries
The fiber content of these fruits accelerates the removal of toxins from the body and improves the functioning of the digestive tract. It is recommended to eat them fresh and whole rather than in juice form.
Vegetables that are especially good for detox include:
- Artichokes
- Peppers
- Beet
- Brussel sprouts
- Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, cress, spinach)
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Pumpkin
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Beans
- Sprouted seeds
These vegetables help neutralize heavy metals, pesticides and other harmful chemical products we come into contact with constantly.
Unsalted, raw seeds can be eaten every day. These include almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax seed.
Use extra virgin olive oil to cook and use seed oils to dress salads. Like seeds themselves, these oils provide an oil base that can absorb harmful toxins.
Make sure to drink at least eight glasses of water a day, preferably purified, filtered or bottled water. You can also drink decaffeinated tea or coffee.
Moderation foods (eat in moderation)
Limit your intake of:
- Grains, like brown rice, corn, oats and quinoa: no more than two servings a day.
- Fish, like salmon, mackerel, anchovies and sardines: no more than one serving a day.
- Bananas and potatoes: one serving every two days.
No foods (avoid completely)
- Red meat and dairy, including eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt. Dairy products are the most common cause of food allergies and the majority of people produce antibodies against them, which makes the immune system react.
- Wheat and other grains that contain gluten, like rye and barley, because they irritate the intestine.
- Salt, artificial sweeteners, additives and preservatives, fried foods, spices and dried fruit. These foods contain preservatives, synthetic ingredients and chemical products that can adversely affect liver function.
- Caffeine and alcohol make the liver work hard to detox itself. Replace these drinks with green tea.
As you can see, this liver cleansing diet is quite simple and gives you a lot of options to eat well without having to make too much of an effort. When are you starting?
Via: UrbanWired | Prima
