When looking at the vitally important roles the liver plays, we see how important a healthy liver is. Just like every house needs a good spring clean from time to time, the liver is the most important ‘room’ in the body to give a good sweep out. It’s said that in the body, symbolically, the heart represents the mother and the liver the father. Resolve to keep the ‘father’ of your house functioning at maximum capacity. Some of the main functions of the liver are:

1. The liver stores and releases glucose as the body needs it.
2. It stores iron that has been processed from haemoglobin.
3. The liver clears the blood from drugs and harmful substances. It’s where all medication is metabolized.
4. It produces bile that helps break down fat in the small intestines during digestion.
5. Importantly, the liver changes certain chemicals into more useable forms like harmful ammonia to urea and silica to nutritional calcium.

Not only do toxins get processed in the liver but emotions too, especially those like anger. This explains why it is fairly common for individuals to experience a flare-up of emotions a few days into an intense detox. Taking time out for meditation and breathing techniques are a vital part of dealing with emotional build-up. It is helpful to include products like MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) and Chlorella to a detox programme. Both of them have toxin neutralising properties that bond with toxins (especially heavy metals) and make it easier for toxins to leave the body. The easiest way to give your liver a rest is to have certain days in the week where you have no alcohol or caffeine.

Animal protein also provides quite a lot of work for the liver. You might decide to join in on the Meat Free Monday movement and turn it into a fun activity where family members take turns to make veggie dishes.

Doing a 21-day detox once or twice a year is a beneficial practice and great habit to get into. You may want to try a few days of only drinking a detox juice. You would need to consult a health practitioner though if you are going the fasting route. Although a juice fast might sound intense, nutrients are delivered in a perfect bio-available form directly to the cells. When the body has ample nutrients it stops sending out hunger pangs and cravings. Juicing is an excellent way to give your liver a break; to flush out toxins, and allow it to operate at maximum capacity.

Your liver detox need not be for 21days if this seems too much of a challenge. You could start with 7 days or even 3 days or you could even just swap your morning breakfast for a green juice. Just one step in the right direction will bring you benefits. Remember, the body is continuously healing itself and any help you provide will be rewarded. Having a healthy, fully functional body is the best high a person can ever experience

Guidelines for a safe detox:

Cleaning the liver is a great goal for a detoxification programme. It should be a gentle process and shouldn’t add strain to an exhausted liver.

Start with a cleansing juice
Start the first few days with a juice fast of fresh organic apple, cucumber and lemon juice. Cucumber provides a cooling aspect to hot emotional livers. It’s important to note that with a masticating juicer like the Oscar, your juice will keep its nutritional value for a full day in the fridge. A blade or centrifugal juicer only stays protected from oxidation for up to 45 minutes.

Remove salt and sugar
Remove all salt and sugar from your diet. It’s possible that blood pressure might increase during the first part of the detox as toxins move from the lymph into the bloodstream ready to be excreted from the body. If you feel like something sweet, have a little honey with Dandelion tea – great for detoxing the liver. C

Change animal protein to plant protein
During this time swap animal protein for high-quality plant protein, like hemp seeds, chia and goji berries, all complete protein sources with a high profile of amino acids. Add the superfood Maca (not a complete protein, it has 17 of the 18 essential amino acids) and you have a beneficial hormone component.

Cut alcohol and caffeine
Remove all alcohol and caffeine. Drink 2 litres of good quality spring water daily to facilitate detoxification.

Did you know?

The liver has a remarkable capacity to regenerate. Even after surgical removal or chemical injury, only 25% of the original liver mass is needed to regenerate back to its full size.

Try this

Use specific products to help your liver rejuvenate:

• Goji berries are a tonic adaptogen and will enhance the livers’ ability to detox.
• Aloe Vera activates glutathione production by the liver, a crucial antioxidant in the production of white blood cells.
• Milk Thistle is known for its restorative nature for liver damaged by alcohol and drug abuse.

https://www.wellnesswarehouse.com/love-your-liver-by-carmen-potgieter

Learn the difference between prebiotics and probiotics, see the benefits of fermented food and try out a recipe for sauerkraut. Digestion has never been better.

Did you know?

Our bacterial cells outnumber our human cells by 10 to 1. According to Martin Hum, PhD, DHD ‘ over 400 types of micro-organisms co-exist in a complex ecosystem within our gut. We have literally trillions of bacteria living in our bodies. Where traditionally we’ve thought of bacteria in a very negative sense, we’re now lauding the benefits of these microbes and are seeing them as key to a host of health issues.

More than 2000 years ago, Hippocrates said ‘all disease begins in the gut.’ Two key components of good gut health are digestive enzymes (what’s the use of eating good food when your digestive system isn’t working optimally) and pre and probiotics. Prebiotics can be thought of as fertilizer for good bacteria. They encourage the growth of good bacteria in the gut. Plant fibre from fruits and vegetables contain the components required for this, which are known as oligosaccharides. They are found in foods like onion, garlic, bananas, asparagus, leeks and Jerusalem artichokes.

Probiotics are live micro-organisms that remain intact throughout the digestive process and deliver healthy bacteria directly to the large intestine. They’re also available from foods and in supplement form. The most well-known probiotics in supplements are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium bifidum. These beneficial bacteria or ‘friendly micro-organisms’ in the digestive tract affect the health of our entire system.

A good balance of healthy bacteria will:

1. Boost the immune system.
2. Lower cholesterol.
3. Reduce allergic reactions to food and the environment.
4. Help prevent constipation.
5. Reduce intestinal inflammation.
6. Suppress the growth of harmful micro-organisms.
7. Help manufacture Vitamin K, B-group vitamins, digestive enzymes and essential fatty acids.
8. Help prevent lactose intolerance by supporting lactose digestion.

Our systems are often depleted of digestive enzymes because of the way we prepare, grow and process our food. Antibiotics, overconsumption of alcohol and chlorinated water, are some of the factors responsible for emptying our healthy internal microbe stores. Steroids, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, oral contraceptives, HRT and chemotherapy also disrupt the micro-organism habitat.

Recent studies show the connection between leaky gut, celiac disease and IBS with a lack of digestive enzyme and pro-biotics. Many ‘anti-bacterial’ products are advertised as great home cleaning agents but evidence shows the use of antibacterial and antimicrobial cleaning products, particularly in combination with the over-prescription of antibiotics, may produce strains of multi-resistant organisms.

New varieties of cleaning products without anti-bacterial agents are becoming more popular and are said to be the cleaning agents of the future. There is evidence that children with prolonged exposure to anti-bacterial agents have a higher chance of developing allergies and scientists believe this could be because of reduced exposure to bacteria.

Besides the gut, probiotics are also being used in beauty products for the skin. Think of the homemade beauty mask with yoghurt. Beauty brands are catching onto the fact that probiotics might just be the next big advance in skincare, and are researching appropriate applications in their beauty solutions.

Eating fermented food is a great way to balance the microbiome communities in the gut for optimum overall health. Fermented foods like kimchi, milk and water kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut are only a few of the foods that contain beneficial healthy bacteria. If you’re planning on including probiotic foods in your diet, here’s a recipe for sauerkraut to get you started.

DIY Sauerkraut

Easily makes 5 x 500mm glass jars. Make sure you use organic vegetables or they may not ferment.

Ingredients:
500g white cabbage cut into ribbons
500g red cabbage cut into ribbons
2 or 3g sea salt
2 carrots finely grated
3 garlic cloves
A pinch of fennel seeds
Springwater

Method:
Sprinkle salt over the cabbage and use your hands to massage the salt into the cabbage. You will notice a watery salt solution drawing out from the cabbage leaves. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and mix evenly. Pack firmly into a glass jar with a tight seal lever handle. The water from the cabbage should be enough to cover the contents. If not, add some spring water. Avoid using tap water as the chlorine in tap water will inhibit the growth of healthy bacteria.

Use a weight to push the cabbage mixture down into the jar. It’s best to use a ceramic one so as not to interfere with the fermentation process. I leave mine in a dark cupboard for a month before opening. On opening, built-up gasses will release and you’ll smell a lovely fermented smell.

This is evidence of all the healthy bacteria grown in the optimum environment you have created.

ENJOY!

https://www.wellnesswarehouse.com/the-pro-s-of-probiotics-by-carmen-potgieter