The liver is one of the main organs of detoxification. It has many other complex functions and your health is largely determined by the vitality of your liver. The environment is now full of toxic chemicals which get into your body through your food, water and air. They ultimately arrive in the liver by way of the blood circulation where they go through complicated pathways to make them safer and ready to be excreted. A good liver detoxification
The liver has 2 major routes of detoxification or detox for short called Phase I and Phase II. These pathways can be tested for their efficiency through specialized laboratory testing. It is now known that some chronic illnesses are as a result of the slow or impaired function of one or other of these routes of detoxification. Many chronic health problems can be helped or corrected by treating the liver with a specific liver detoxification
Naturopaths and herbalist have known for years that recommending a liver detoxification
The symptoms of a sluggish or overtaxed liver are varied and can include excess weight, liver and gall bladder diseases, headaches and migraines, digestive problems, allergies, immune system problems such as hay fever and asthma, food and chemical sensitivities, constipation, unexplained fatigue, skin itching and irritation, PMS and other menstrual problems.
Foods that activate the Phase I pathway are:
Cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
High protein foods such as meat, fish and eggs.
Oranges and tangerines (but not grapefruit)
Caraway and dill seeds
Foods that activate the Phase II pathway are:
Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts.
Asparagus, avocado, walnuts
Fish oils
Foods containing limonene - oranges, tangerines, caraway and dill seeds.
One of the most important detox pathways in Phase II uses the amino acid glutathione. Asparagus, watermelon, broccoli are good sources of glutathione while papayas and avocados are foods that help the body to produce glutathione. Other sources are Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, bok choy, cress, mustard, horseradish, turnips, rutabagas (swede), kohlrabi, red beets.
Generally fresh fruits and vegetables contain from 25mg up to 750mg glutathione per pound so that is why we see so many detoxification
The debate about eating meat to get the amino acids that are needed for other liver detoxification routes goes on. Some authorities maintain that red meat is needed to detoxify chemicals but others say that the vegetarian
After studying metabolic typing and looking at results of several different types of detoxification used for natural cancer treatments I have come to the conclusion that there is not one
However the foods that harm the liver are the same for everyone so here are my tips:
- Eat organically produced foods as much as possible to avoid toxic chemical residues.
- Avoid artificial flavorings and preservatives.
- Avoid damaged fats such as hydrogenated fats found in many processed foods.
- Use cold pressed oils and do not use them for cooking. Only a little butter, a saturated fat, should be used for cooking. Cooking with olive oil is still controversial. If used then do not heat it to a high temperature.
- Make sure your nuts and seeds are really fresh.
- Avoid excess saturated animal fat like sausage, bacon, salami, hot dogs, high fat dairy products like whole milk, ice cream and cheese.
- Alcohol is known to be a powerful toxin that will damage the liver.
Treating your liver well by following the above advice will have a huge impact on your health and longevity.