It seems no matter where you turn in the wellness community you will come across an article discussing why you need to be detoxing now and how to start. Funny thing is our bodies are great at doing this without our assistance and have for as long as we have walked the earth. Our bodies are beautifully and intricately designed and know exactly what we need and more often than not we get in our own way.
Our liver is hard at work day after day processing each and everything we put into our body. Sometimes putting it into overdrive making the difficult job of detoxing too taxing. This can lead to hormonal imbalances, digestive disturbances, excessive stress, poor concentration and headaches to name a few. The good news is there are wonderful ways to support our amazing liver without crazy detoxes and fad diets that boast the ability to cleanse your body of every bad thing you have put in it. Below I have listed a number of foods that help to support our bodies so we can feel our absolute best every day!
Flax seeds help to bind and eliminate toxins with regular bowel movements. It’s recommended we get 1 to 2 tablespoons per day. They are delicious ground fresh and sprinkled on cereal, yogurt, and salads. It’s important not to heat flax seeds!
Dark leafy greens aid in liver detoxification, are high in many necessary nutrients our bodies need and help to promote optimal bowel movements. I encourage my patients to aim at getting at least 2 cups per day.
Berries of all kinds are high in antioxidants to protect our body on a cellular level by scavenging free radicals. These are wonderful when coming into contact with environmental toxins. Best when in season, I like to buy a lot during the summer time and freeze them so I know I have delicious berries all year long. Enjoy ½ to 2 cups per day.
Monounsaturated fats or MUFA’s include extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, walnuts, flax seeds, salmon and avocado. They are excellent to support hormonal balance, improves good cholesterol and reduces bad cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Aim for 3 servings per day.
Dark chocolate is everyone’s favorite these days! It’s wonderful to improve your mood, help lower bad cholesterol, and regulate blood pressure. Aim for no more than 2 ounces.
Turmeric is the darling of the wellness community lately, it is anti-inflammatory, regulates metabolism of toxic chemicals in the body, and helps to aid in optimal digestion. You can take this as a supplement in 1,000-2,000 mg or curcumin or by cooking with it daily. Try it in smoothies, warm lattes, curries, stir fry, and even scrambled eggs.
Green tea is cooling and great to support the liver through detoxification, it is also anti-inflammatory and is full of powerful antioxidants. Aim for 200 mg of green tea catechins or 4 to 6 cups per day.
Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in red wine, the flesh of fresh berries or red grapes. It improves liver detoxification and is anti-inflammatory. It is recommended to take 10 to 25 mg of resveratrol per day.
Artichoke, or artichoke leaf extract is often found in many liver support supplements. It supports liver detoxification and is a powerful antioxidant.