When it comes to health and wellbeing, a healthy liver is one of the most important components. The liver is your second largest organ and performs hundreds of vital functions in your body every day. Among other things, it ensures that you get the nutrition you need, filters toxins from your blood, and balances blood sugar so you feel energetic and full of vitality. An underperforming liver can have a significant impact on your health and cause many noticeable symptoms; such as fatigue, allergies, nausea, and brain fog. Fortunately, there's a lot you can do to support your liver.
Some things that make a big difference
Lemon water
Drinking a large glass of pure water with a splash of freshly squeezed lemon or lime as the first thing you do in the morning is one of the simplest ways to help your liver. The water helps flush through the system after the night, while lemon or lime makes the water more easily absorbed and "alive" to rehydrate cells and restore cellular balance.
Exercise
Sweating and getting your blood pumping properly is perhaps the most effective way to relieve your liver. When we exercise, the body has an opportunity to excrete toxins through skin and lungs, while the blood moves into all tissues and increases the turnover of nutrients and waste products. This allows the liver to get a little extra breathing room and focus on more important functions.
Eating Habits
What we eat is obviously central to liver wellness. Heavy and processed food, white sugar, cheap fats and additives such as flavor enhancers and sweeteners are all things that can be overwhelming for the liver. Foods that make the liver especially happy are fruits and vegetables, berries, algae, 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 cucumber, apple, fennel, leafy greens as well as lemon and ginger are also beneficial. Among green foods in powder form that are liver-friendly, we find Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, Spirulina, and AFA algae.
Herbs for the Liver
There are many herbs that have supportive effects on 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 as dried herbs to make your own tea.
Supplements for the Liver
Nutrients that can support the liver are Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium, Glutathione and CoQ10.
Fasting/Detox
Regularly giving yourself a period of extra clean eating or fasting where you nourish your body with 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 cleanses and philosophies around this. Our experience is that the important thing is to be kind to yourself and find something that suits you specifically. Cleanses that require extreme discipline and cause hunger/nausea are usually not recommended as they can do more harm than good, since too many toxins are released at once and overexert both the body and mind.
You can read more about how to approach this topic in this article.
We hope this little guide was helpful. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about what might be right for you!
