In recent years, the market & media has been flooded with detox products & methods to cleanse your liver. Why is liver health so important? And what are the best methods to liver detox? Let's dig in.
There are just so many liver detox & cleansing trends out there today. Why the hype? Well, your liver is an essential organ that helps process the nutrients from the foods you eat and flush out toxins. It also helps build protein, make bile, regulate your blood sugar levels, break down fat, and more. In fact, it is responsible for over 500 different functions in your body! You simply can't live without a liver, which is why it's so essential to maintain a healthy liver.
Compare how you feel now with how you felt at your healthiest point. If the difference is huge, than that could be a sign that you need to adjust your lifestyle & eating habits! The following are a few signs that may indicate that you need to start making some changes & detox:
- Always feeling tired
- Feeling constipated often
- Seasonal allergies
- Skin is itchy & not clear
- Joint paint
- Overweight
- Bad body odor
- Stressed/anxious often
- Frequent mood swings
- Crave sugar often
- Bad breath
- Frequent gas & bloating
- Resistant to weight loss
There are a variety of factors that could affect your liver health. Although most people associate liver issues with diseases such as hepatitis, there are also many other factors that may unnecessarily impede your liver's function. These factors may include:
Even if you are not overweight, if you find yourself eating too much refined sugar, it can cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In fact, overindulgence in sugary foods can be just as damaging as excessive alcohol habits.
NAFLD, mentioned above, is strongly associated with being overweight. When your body has too much excess fat, it can cause insulin resistance which can lead to other health issues aside from affecting proper liver function.
When the liver tries to break down alcohol so that it can be removed from the body, it creates substances that are even more harmful than the alcohol itself. Drinking too much alcohol can there lead to inflammation and liver scarring.
When your gut is not digesting food properly, it can lead to the release of toxins into the bloodstream which can affect liver function.
The main purpose of a detox is to remove toxins from your body. Therefore, after taking the first step of reducing your consumption of refined sugars, starchy & fatty foods, tobacco, alcohol, etc., the next step is to incorporate certain foods into your diet to naturally cleanse your organ. Here are our top picks:
In addition to taking care of your liver through the food we eat, there are also certain herbs & spices that can really help cleanse your liver. Here are two that we highly recommend:
Turmeric is the “golden herb” consumed for centuries in India and now across the world for its healing and restorative properties. This spice can help the enzymes that flush out toxins as well as antioxidants that helps protect cell membranes and repair liver cells. Aside from consuming turmeric as a spice in your foods, a quick & convenient method is through supplements. We recommend trying FarmHaven's Turmeric Curcumin as it combines pure organic turmeric curcumin and a 95% standardized curcuminoids extract, as well as BioPerine, for maximum absorption.
Milk thistle has been used since the Middle Ages for its ability to help improve liver health, due to the power of silymarin - a compound derived from the seeds of its' purple flower. Milk thistle has been shown to help promote liver cell growth and supports liver detoxification by fending off toxins from binding to the liver. It also contains antioxidants that help protect cell membranes and decrease liver inflammation. You can try FarmHaven's Milk Thistle, as it contains only non-GMO, vegan, and organic ingredients.