As spring approaches, the Liver and gall bladder become prominent organs. The liver is the largest organ in the body, and lives under the right rib cage. It helps in digestion and metabolizing carbs, fats and proteins and helps keep blood sugar levels stable. It helps detoxify the body, filtering toxins from the blood, and samples everything we put in. It brings and stores nourishment for the entire body. The liver makes bile which aids in digestion, and stores this bile in the gall bladder to be used to help the intestines break down fats and absorb essential fatty acids.
So in Springtime, let's nourish the liver and help it do its job. Just these simple changes and additions to your diet can help:
1) Eat more antioxidant-rich foods such as crisp, raw green veggies and sprouts, seeds, nuts and fruits. Artichokes help cleanse the liver, just don't eat them with butter. Try plain yogurt & lemon instead.
2) Avoid fatty and fried foods and sugar during this time of year.
3) Don't overeat; eat just what you need and chew your food well.
4) Drink warm water with 1/2 lemon squeezed in every morning.
5) Keep your bowels moving with ground flax seed in your smoothies or try Triphala tablets or Cascara Sagrada at night.
6) Take care not to be exposed to too much wind at this time of year--it can bring on allergies and weaken immunity.
7) Add Turmeric powder to shakes, soups, or make a golden milk using coconut milk, honey and turmeric. Turmeric helps the liver detox the blood and also cuts through fats. (We grow Turmeric on our farm here at AmaTierra. Delicious and earthy!)
8) Take a supplement of milk thistle seed. My personal favorites are Rainbow Light's Milk Thistle Plus or Natrol's Milk Thistle Advantage.
9) To learn more about what kind of cleanse is good for YOUR body, please
see this article.
Join us here at AmaTierra for a
Detox soon!
