Let’s talk about liver health! I want to teach you how and why you should support your liver.

Our liver is a very important organ in the body that is often overlooked. Amongst many other important functions, such as the metabolism of fats, protein and carbs and storing glucose for energy, vitamins and minerals, the liver also helps to break down and convert toxins into non-harmful substances that your body can then filter out.

Toxins that our liver converts for us:

alcohol and drugs
prescription medication
pesticides and herbicides in conventional produce
chemicals found in beauty, skincare and cleaning products
toxins that our body naturally produces and needs to rid of
and more!

What happens if our bodies don’t properly filter out toxins?

If our bodies aren’t able to properly rid of toxins, we often see our body systems becoming stressed and inflamed. Some of the common ways toxins show up in our body are acne/rashes, weight gain, constipation or irregular bowel movements, headaches and fatigue. If our liver isn’t functioning along with the rest our body, we can also see problems arise with hormonal imbalances, digestion, low immunity and much more.

What happens when our liver does properly filter out toxins?

If you aren’t experiencing negative symptoms, like the ones listed above, then your body is probably functioning at optimum levels. A supported and healthy liver often supports mental clarity, healthy digestion, energy and more.

Best foods to support your liver

garlic
cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, sauerkraut)
leafy green vegetables (arugula, kale, dandelion greens, microgreens, chard, etc.)
citrus (grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime)
avocadoes
raw, unheated quality olive oil
raw flax seeds and hemp seeds
turmeric root

Ways to Detox and Support Your Liver

Take Milk Thistle

Make a liver-loving milk thistle tonic! One of my favourite things to include in my diet is milk thistle, as it is a strong liver cleanser and protector. I love mixing Botanica Fermented Milk Thistle, which is fermented so your body is able to absorb and digest it better, with some water and lemon juice to make a homemade-style kombucha!

Try this: 4 tsp. Botanica Fermented Milk Thistle, 200ml water, soda or ginger-flavoured kombucha, the juice of 1 lemon, fresh mint leaves or muddled raspberries. Pour on ice. Sip on this before meals or as an alcoholic-free beverage.

Hint: take milk thistle before and after you consume alcohol to help protect the liver from damage and stress.

Take Digestive Bitters

Take Botanica digestive bitters in water with meals to help break down the nutrients in food that our body can utilize to help protect your liver. This is an easy thing to keep at your desk at work or in your purse. It’s a great option to have on hand if you experience digestive upset.

Try Juicing Celery

Celery juice is known to benefit liver health and promote liver enzyme function. Juice 1 bunch of celery in your cold-pressed juicer and drink on an empty stomach in the morning to help with digestion and detox. If you don’t have a juicer, add 1-2 stalks to your smoothies, snack on celery sticks with hummus and add chopped celery to salads.

Get extra

There are so many amazing ways we can support our liver. Try adding in a greens powder, taking a liver support tincture, eating an abundance of liver-loving foods, drinking plenty of clean filtered water and sweating (sauna, exercise) 3-5 times a week to help eliminate toxins, and avoiding eating toxic foods (processed and packaged foods, fast foods, etc.).

These are just a few amazing ways in which we can support our liver. I hope you enjoyed reading all about liver health and why it’s important. Share your recipes, tips and tricks with #thepurelife on Instagram, or join our private Facebook community!

This post was sponsored by one of my favourite companies, Botanica. All opinions are, as always, my own. Thank you for supporting companies that support The Pure Life. You guys rock.

How and Why You Should Support Your Liver