How to Detox: Top Foods to Support Liver Detox Phases
I don’t use the phrase “liver detox” as click bait or to get all those GOOP fans to my website. It’s actually a legitimate process the liver does daily, and is really important for our overall health. However, when you hear “liver detox” it does not mean you need to go on a juice cleanse or a fast. Instead of thinking of this as a “detox”, think of it as a nutrient dense plan that supports your body’s natural ability to detox (super nerdy I know 🙂). We don’t need to be “on” a detox, but rather we need to eat specific foods that allow the liver and gut to do the detox for us.
First, let’s do a quick overview of the liver and gut detox phases.
Phase 1: The liver is ‘triggered’ to start the detox phases whether that’s from harmful substances like chemicals in make-up products, household chemicals, poor air quality, plastics, artificial sweeteners or by certain foods (which is a good thing). This phase starts to break down harmful substances into less harmful molecules so it can be moved to phase 2 to start the removal process.
Phase 2: This is VERY important! During phase 1, while we are starting to break down the harmful substances, it does create “free radicals” which are known to increase inflammation in the body. Phase 2 neutralizes the free radicals so they cannot run around causing chaos in the body. This is also where we start to eliminate the molecules the body doesn’t want through sweat, bile, stool and urine.
Phase 3: This primarily happens in the gut so having a healthy gut environment is crucial to eliminating toxins and preventing things like weight loss resistance, acne, skin rashes, PMS, gut infections and more. The main focus here is ELIMINATION through stool so you want to make sure you are having at least 1 bowel movement a day to keep this process running smoothly.
OK, so now we understand the liver is a huge factor in the body being able to detox, but what are the signs and symptoms that the liver is a bit sluggish?
Signs of Poor Detoxification and Sluggish Liver:
Difficulty digesting fats (so your stomach hurts after eating things like meat)
Bad breath
Acne
Constipation
PMS/Menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding
Environmental allergies
Skin rashes
Difficulty losing weight
Face puffiness (for me personally)
You could have 1 or all of these symptoms and it may not have been something that popped up overnight. Maybe it’s something you have been dealing with for a long time, but you learned to deal with it. Let me remind you that it’s not normal to have these symptoms daily even if it’s common. Keep reading to figure out what you can do to help support your liver detox phases and how to start to feel a WHOLE LOT better.
If you’re a nerd like me, you’ll like to know what specific nutrients your liver and gut need for detox. If you just want to know what to do, skip down to foods to eat for detox!
SIDE NOTE: I think sometimes people have a hard time believing me that all these symptoms are connected to the gut and liver health because we go see specialists for each of these problems and rarely combine all of it to look at the body holistically. We see a dermatologist for acne, we see a gynecologist for PMS issues (and if you do see your gyno for acne they will most likely just suggest birth control), you see a GI doc for stomach pain, endocrinologist for thyroid. And while that can still be helpful, if we aren’t looking at the body as a whole, we can be missing vital information. We speak to specialists in isolation when our body’s systems are constantly communicating to each other and it’s kind of confusing!
NUTRIENTS FOR EACH PHASE:
Phase 1:
B vitamins
Vit C
Magnesium
Amino Acids
Phase 2:
Amino acids (body prefers from animal sources)
Sulfur
B12
Selenium
Phase 3 (supporting healthy gut and bowel movements):
Potassium
Magnesium
Fiber
Other Minerals the Liver Needs to Function:
Zinc
Copper
Chromium
Manganese
Molybdenum
Nickel
Vanadium
Phosphorus
So WHAT do I eat to help the detox process?
Cooked spinach
Liver or liver capsules
Citrus fruits
Eggs
Dark chocolate
Meat & seafood
Yogurt
Seeds and Nuts
Beets
Here is how you can add these foods daily:
Add cooked spinach to stir fry (visit here for more ideas on how to add spinach)
Add a high quality liver capsule to your supplement routine
Eat oranges for snacks
Eat eggs for breakfast (there are a million ways to cook eggs so you’ll never get bored!)
Dark chocolate for dessert (you’re welcome)
Add Meat and seafood to dinner routines
Yogurt for breakfast, part of lunch or snack. My favorite brand is the 2g brand. It has only 2 grams of added sugars, probiotic and is a good sources of protein
Add seeds and nuts into your salads, top on stir frys or have a handful for snacks. I’ll often pack those in my purse for emergency snacks on the go.
Roast beets or find fresh press beet juice (my favorite way)
