Your liver is your body’s natural detoxification system. It’s constantly working to protect you from the toxins we are surrounded by.
Environmental toxins can engulf us daily, which is why it is so important we minimize dietary and product toxins as much as possible.
David Wolfe suggests that while our liver is in itself a natural detoxification system, we can easily overwork and weaken it by overriding it with number of toxins we expose ourselves too.
In today’s world, the liver is under constant siege by processed foods, excess sugars, rancid fats, environmental toxins, and a lack of proper hydration.
David Wolfe, The Beauty Diet
So boosting our liver’s health is essential for longevity and vitality.
Please keep in mind this isn’t a “How to Detox” post. Here, we are simply promoting natural detoxification by boosting our liver.
The trick to boosting our liver specifically is increasing our sour foods intake (no, not sour patch kids).
Foods that are naturally sour improve the liver’s health dramatically! Therefore, these 5 foods are all sour. If they sound gross or difficult to eat (especially consistently) to you, don’t worry. Below, we’ve linked some of the best healthy recipes that make them a lot tastier.
Granny Smith Apples
A common theme you’ll notice throughout this post is that all of these beneficial foods increase bile production. This is so important, as a healthy bile production is necessary for healthy digestion.
Of course, another important ingredient for a healthy liver function is fiber. Fiber helps the liver function efficiently and effectively.
Green apples are high in both fiber and antioxidants, promoting healthy bile production and liver function.
The fruit acids in apples help cleanse the liver by dispersing toxic films that build up inside its storage banks. apples starve our bacteria, yeast, mold, and other funguses, and viruses from the intestinal tract and liver.
Anthony William, Liver Rescue
Top Healthy Recipes:
- Nyssa’s Kitchen’s Healthy Apple Walnut Green Salad
- Prepare & Nourish’s Savory Sliced Apple Appetizers
- The Cafe Sucre Farine’s Granny Smith Apple Avocado Salsa
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Related: 4 Supplements to Holistically Heal Hypothyroidism
Artichoke
Cynarin and silymari, two important antioxidants found in artichokes, have been shown to effectively improve the overall state of the liver. They help eliminate toxins by stimulating bile production, which removes these toxins from the body.
As we learned above, this is essential to a healthy liver.
Artichokes are also a great source of magnesium, which is shown to possibly to preserve liver health and even slow the progression of liver disease*.
Top Healthy Recipes:
- GIMME SOME OVEN’S THE MOST AMAZING ROASTED ARTICHOKES
- Half baked Harvest’s Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Salmon
- A Simple Palate’s Tuscan Artichoke Salad
Tart Cherries
Sour cherries provide a great boost to your liver health. They are extremely high in vitamin C, polyphenols, and anthocyanins, all of which help rid the liver of deep rooted toxins.
Anthocyanins, specifically, help prevent those toxins from being reabsorbed by the body and restore proper health.
Tart cherries nutrient content also helps lower inflammation dramatically, preventing a number of conditions & diseases, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, being one of them.
Top Healthy Recipes:
- Lexi’s Clean Kitchen’s Tart Cherry Coconut Energy Balls
- ambitious kitchen’s Tart Cherry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble
- Heartbeet Kitchen’s Tart Cherry Vegan Superfood Bars
Related: 3 Ancient Superfoods Known to Balance Hormones and Boost Fertility
Citrus Fruits
Basically, all citrus fruits are great for your liver. They help stimulate the liver and maximize its ability to turn toxic substances into waste.
Lemons and limes improve hydrocloric acid & bile production and contain properties that improve the immune system.
Tangerines and oranges provide both calcium and vitamin C, when both combined, and protect the liver from oxidative damage.
But grapefruits are perhaps the best fruits for the liver, as they protect from inflammation & the deterioration of liver cells.
Top Healthy Recipes:
- foodiecrush’s Citrus, Fennel and Avocado Salad
- Half baked Harvest’s Immune Boosting Winter Citrus Smoothie
- Berly’s Kitchen Orange Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe
Reishi Mushroom
Reishi mushrooms is a very popular superfood known for it’s incredibly vast benefits. One of the greatest benefits of the Reishi mushroom is its liver boosting properties.
Reishi mushrooms work as adaptogens to help improve liver function and prevent liver disease. They allow your body to flush out toxins and bacteria more efficiently and improve immunity against diseases that can develop over time.
Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN; draxe.com
Some studies even show Reishi contains properties that prevent liver damage due to it’s high antioxidants capacity.
It is important to note that some over-consumption of Reishi overtime can have negative effects. So, it is suggested to use this adaptogen for shorter increments of 4-6 weeks at a time.
Top Healthy Recipes:
Foods to Avoid
While we’re here, it would be productive to go over some of the most toxic foods to your liver and natural detoxification system.
Fried Foods
The hyrogenated oils in processed & fried foods are some of the most toxic ingredients we can possibly consume. These oils threaten the wellbeing of every system and function of your body, including you liver. These high-(unhealthy)fat foods can trigger negative reactions from the liver, contributing to a sluggish and/or toxic gut.
Refined Sugars & Artificial Sweeteners
It’s probably not a shock to learn refined, white sugars are toxic to your health, but artificial sweeteners are toxic to the liver. They are impossible for the gut to digest, contributing to a leaky gut, which can lead to all sorts of health issues.
Liver-Thyroid Relation
Because a thyroid disease is what prompted my holistic healing journey, I just have to relate everything back to this essential organ.
One of the key concepts of holistic health is looking at the body as a whole unit, every part effecting another, either helping or hindering it. Everything in the body works together.
So of course, that means there is a liver-thyroid connection, although it may be more important than you think.
The liver plays a crucial role in ensuring the thyroid stimulation & hormone production. The liver also creates special proteins that help transport the thyroid hormones through the blood and then aid in the asborbtion of these hormones by breaking them down.
These two organs are closely connected. Take care of your liver, take care of your thyroid, take care of your overall health.
