The Importance of Detoxification
By Jenny Hargreaves, Registered Nutrition Practitioner
Everyone’s health and well-being depends on how well their body removes and purges toxins. With exposure to environmental toxins, toxic body care products and processed foods, most people are in desperate need of a serious detox! A liver cleanse is a great way to do this.
One of the main ways that the body rids itself of toxins is through the liver. In fact, the liver is one of the hardest working organs in the body. It works tirelessly to detoxify our blood; produce the bile needed to digest fat; break down hormones; and store essential vitamins, minerals and iron. When liver function is not optimal, we cannot digest our food properly, especially fats.
For the liver to take care of the body, it must be able to perform optimally.
5-Step Liver Cleanse
Follow these five steps to help boost your health and vitality:
- Remove toxic foods from your diet
Hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, convenience foods and lunch meats are notoriously toxic to your system.
- Drink raw vegetable juice.
Vegetables ideal for liver cleanses include cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
- Load up on potassium-rich foods.
Potassium rich foods help lower systolic blood pressure and lower cholesterol in addition to helping to cleanse your liver. The sweet potato is the richest vegetable in potassium (even more than the banana) and has loads of fibre.
- Ensure you have plenty of fibre in your diet.
Oatmeal, flax seed powder and beans are high in fibre which binds to toxins and helps eliminate them in our waste products.
- Think about taking Milk Thistle and Dandelion
Milk Thistle helps to eliminate the build up of heavy metals, prescription medications, environmental pollutants and alcohol in the liver. Rocket is from the same dandelion family so can be added to your smoothies or salads.
OH YES : Plenty of water to help detox through the kidneys.
Note to Self: Add Rocket or beetroot to your breakfast or salad. Lewis has detox smoothies are available in the café.
Have a cup of Detox Tea every day.
Do a liver function check with Jenny Hargreaves,
Registered Nutrition Practitioner.
Jenny can also check for drug/nutrient interactions
if you want to take detox supplements.