When it comes to health and well-being, a healthy liver is one of the most important components. The liver is your second largest organ and performs hundreds of vital tasks in your body every day. Among other things, it ensures that you get the nutrients you need, that toxins are filtered out of your blood, and that your blood sugar is balanced so you feel alert and full of energy.
An underperforming liver can have a significant impact on your health and cause many different noticeable symptoms, such as fatigue, allergies, nausea, and brain fog. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to support your liver.
Some things that have a big effect
Lemon water
Drinking a large glass of pure water with a splash of freshly squeezed lemon or lime first thing in the morning is one of the easiest ways to help your liver. The water helps flush through your system after the night, while the lemon or lime makes the water more absorbable and “alive” to hydrate cells and restore balance in the cells.
Exercise
Sweating and getting your blood pumping properly is perhaps the most effective way to relieve the liver. When we exercise, the body has the opportunity to excrete toxins through the skin and lungs, while the blood moves out into all tissues and increases the turnover of nutrients and waste products. This allows the liver to get a little extra air and focus on more important functions.
Eating habits
What we eat is obviously central to the liver’s well-being. Heavy and processed foods, white sugar, cheap fats, and additives such as flavorings and sweeteners are all things that can overload the liver. Foods that make the liver especially happy include fruits and vegetables, berries, seaweed, avocado, sprouts, and fresh herbs like ginger, coriander, parsley, and basil.
Green juice
If you want to give your liver an extra boost, drink a green juice every morning before breakfast. Pure celery juice is very good, but also cucumber, apple, fennel, leafy greens, as well as lemon and ginger. Among green foods in powder form that are liver-friendly, we find wheatgrass, barley grass, spirulina, and AFA algae.
Herbs for the liver
There are many herbs that support the liver. Among the superstars are dandelion root, lemon balm, turmeric, chaga, reishi, milk thistle, burdock root, and peppermint. You can buy these in various forms, such as tinctures of pure herbs, ready-made blends, or dried herbs to make your own tea.
Supplements for the liver
Nutrients that can support the liver include vitamin C, vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, magnesium, glutathione, and Q10.
Fasting/Detox
Regularly giving yourself a period of extra clean eating or fasting where you replenish with nutrients in the form of juices and supportive herbs is one of the best things you can do to give your liver space to “deep clean” and regenerate itself.
There are many different cures and philosophies around this. Our experience is that the important thing is to be kind to yourself and find something that suits you. Cures that require extreme discipline and hunger/nausea are usually not recommended as they can do more harm than good, because too many toxins are released at once and overstrain both the body and mind.
You can benefit from reflecting on how you want to approach this.
We hope this little guide was helpful. Feel free to contact us if you have questions about what might suit you best!
