Your overall sense of health and wellbeing relies heavily on the thriving function of your liver and how well it purges toxins from your body. ICYMI, our exposure to environmental toxins is through the roof, and a detox could well be in order in order to get your liver functioning at optimum capacity.
Plus, you gotta feel sorry for it. The liver is your largest internal organ, and it’s running itself ragged managing hundreds of bodily functions, controlling your blood sugar, regulating your fat storage and supporting your metabolism.
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Oh, and it’s also trying to break down all the food you’ve thrown at it; and tryna determine whether something is nutrient to absorb, or a toxin to eliminate sharpish. Basically, your liver is a multitasking machine and quite frankly, busy as hell.
Here’s the 9 best foods you should be incorporating into your diet to show your liver a bit of TLC:
1. Cruciferous veggies
Broc, cauli, cabbage and brussel sprouts are some of the most effective foods at removing toxins from the body. They’re brimming with glucosinates, which will support your liver in ridding the sh*t that accumulates in your system.
2. Fermented foods
Aside from being gut-health gems and immune-boosting powerhouses, fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and jun tea also help your liver to banish any build up of heavy metals in your system.
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3. Dark, leafy greens
All of the major suspects should be your go-to’s here; kale, spinach and rocket are all rich in plant chlorophylls, which do a stellar job at detoxing the body of chemicals.
4. Coriander
The merits of its taste divides rooms, but the health benefits of coriander are utterly indisputable. It’s the real MVP when it comes to supporting the removal of heavy metals and clearing excess hormones from the body. Basically, if you hate the taste—suck it up, sista.
5. Spices
The simplest way of enhancing all of your meals to support healthy liver function is by adding a sh*t tonne of liver-friendly spices. Go cray on the turmeric, ginger, cayenne pepper, parsley and cinnamon for a detoxifying boost. Better yet, sprinkle all of the above spices on some coriander. Kidding, we do a lot of weird stuff in the name of health and wellness but even we would probably draw the line there.
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6. Seeds
Pumpkin, chia, hemp and flax seeds are all super high in selenium and minerals, which are required co-factors for the detoxification process. Get greedy on seedy’s!
7. ACV
Okay we could probably harp on about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar until the cows came home, but we’ll just say that it’s great for the ol’ liver. It’s super alkalising and boasts live digestive enzymes, making it a dream for detoxing.
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9. Berries
All of them! Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries; need we go on? They’re brimming with phytonutrients which promote healthy liver function.
9. Beets
And beet greens, while we’re on the subject. They’re high in betaine which assists the liver and bile ducts to function properly.
Incorporate some of these and we guarantee you’ll be well on your way to fixing your relationship with your liver in no time.