In this article, we’ll explain what a liver detox is and what good it can do for you when you incorporate it into your diet plan.
Why a Liver Detox?
The human body is a fascinating organism. It’s extremely adaptable to the environment in which it receives.
This is a beautiful gift, but it can also be a curse when we’re not mindful of how we treat it. If our body is a temple, our liver is the gate to ensuring a stable foundation.
One of the liver’s main jobs is to detoxify chemicals and toxins in our bodies—a 24-hour and 7-day a week job. To recharge our systems as well as show the liver some R&R, a liver detox can be the one thing it’s been asking for.
Top 5 Benefits of a Liver Detoxification
We’ve all heard of detoxing the liver and have a basic understanding of what it entails. It’s about eliminating or restricting certain foods and replacing them with more nutrient-dense liver detox foods which usually includes a variety of fruits and vegetables.
A liver detox cleanse, when done right, can have a significant impact on our physical systems and of course, liver health. It can lead to a host of other benefits that can help re-energize our bodies and help set a new and improved physiological foundation.
Here’s a list of five potential benefits of a liver detox:
- Increased energy
- Improved mental clarity and overall brain function
- Improved sleep
- Increased awareness of potential food sensitivities
- A catalyst for a lifestyle change
Energy as the Fatigue Zapper
Energy is one of the most primal functions of the human body—we either have it or we don’t. It’s easy to notice which side of the scale is more often a part of our daily experience.
Constant fatigue prevents us from fully showing up in the world. A detox of energy-dense foods helps to jumpstart metabolism and increase energy.
These are just a few examples of energy-dense and processed snacks you can start removing from your diet plan:
- Cookies and cakes
- Fried products like French fries
- Denser and hard to digest proteins like animal meat
Detoxing Your Liver Can Increase Brain Power
The mind is a terrible thing to waste. Wouldn’t it be good to take care of the CPU of our bodies?
During a liver detox, a significant portion of the energy we spend on digestion is redirected to the brain. This offers distinct advantages such as significantly improving memory function, sharpness, and clarity.
This provides a great opportunity for us to recalibrate our focus, revisit or initiate new goals, and use our time more efficiently.
You’re Not You When You’re Tired
More than 4 out of 10 Americans get less than seven hours of sleep. This is quite disturbing when compared to the 1940s; close to 85% of citizens reported sleeping over seven hours each day.
There’s a definite trend here, and unfortunately, it’s going in the wrong direction. It is recommended for the average person to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night for proper brain cell regeneration, essential immunity function, and a higher sense of well-being.
A liver detox helps to restore balance within the interconnected system of bodily organs. It promotes activation of the parasympathetic or relaxation response and helps lead to a more peaceful sleeping state.
What is a parasympathetic response? This refers to the rest and digest system of the parasympathetic nervous system when the body is relaxed or resting. It helps to slow down the heart rate, decrease respiration, and increase digestion.
RELATED: Milk Thistle Detox for Heavy Metals, Chemotherapy, and Radiation
Food Sensitivities are the Body’s Kryptonite
Our immune system and the level at which it functions are directly tied to our overall health. One can only be as strong as our immune system.
White blood cells are our body’s natural armor against foreign invaders of any kind which can be harmful to our well-being. While it’s much easier to discern whether or not one has a full-blown food allergy which affects more than 1 out of 13 people in the U.S., it’s more unclear as to what constitutes food sensitivity from a scientific lens.
A proper liver cleanse does not only eliminate the eight foods that make up over 90% of allergens:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Peanuts and tree nuts
- Fish and shellfish
- Wheat and soy
Liver detoxing also promotes a better sense of mindfulness of how we feel when we reincorporate these foods into our diet.
Real Change is an Inside Job
A famous Albert Einstein quote, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” comes to mind whenever the discussion of behavior change is brought to the forefront.
It’s easy to get caught in the perpetual loop of doing the same routine, day after day after day. Some repetitive actions can be beneficial to our overall health and well-being.
Meanwhile, other actions, when done consistently to the point where they’ve become autonomous, can have adverse effects on our liveliness.
A bodily detox allows for a great opportunity to bring attention to our life’s blueprint and rearrange those aspects that no longer represent our ultimate goals.
The Liver Detox Diet Plan
There are countless ways one can go about the detoxification process. A quick Google search of “How to detox” returns over 127,000,000 hits alone.
The Internet, while priceless tool in its ability to self educate, can also be extremely daunting given the endless amount of choices at your fingertips.
Incorporating a liver detox program into your diet offers a host of benefits. When done right, a natural liver detox can boost your low energy levels and lead to a healthier life. You might find it hard at the beginning, but with enough dedication, you’ll get the hang of it very soon.
Sources for this article:
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why
- http://www.gallup.com/poll/166553/less-recommended-amount-sleep.aspx
- https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/foodallergies/index.htm
- https://www.foodallergy.org/facts-and-stats
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 5, 2017, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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