Our Detox Organs: Part I - The Liver
I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly on the lookout for simple, natural, everyday ways I can support the function of my body – making sure it is working as best as it possibly can whilst healing from the day to day effects caused by Hashimoto’s and Leaky Gut – and especially while I’m on the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP).
What I’ve been delving head first into lately are the organs which support our body’s natural detoxification process.
In very basic terms, each of these 6 organs work daily to eliminate excess waste products/toxins from our body.
So I’ve put together a quick and easy to read 6 part series all about these organs, along with my personal top food choices and recipes that have been shown to help further support these “detox organs” of ours while they do their thing.
Note – this is not to be confused with “detoxing our organs”. That’s a whole other topic!
The 6 Detox Organs include:
The Liver
The Kidneys
The Skin
The Lungs
The Colon
The Lymph Glands
If any one of the above are sluggish and not performing optimally, a build-up of toxins in our body can eventuate causing inflammation and ill health. Definitely something I personally don’t want - I’ve got enough going on, thank you very much!
PLEASE NOTE: This little 6 part series is not the place to come looking for a hard-core detox program, which in some people can actually cause more issues that benefits, however what you’ll find here are some specific everyday whole foods that can actually help to enhance your body’s ability to naturally detox. I know what I’d prefer to do!
kicking things off with Part I
The Liver
Our largest internal organ and considered to be our body’s hardest working organ for detoxification.
The liver works non-stop to detoxify and regulate every single drop of our blood, collecting toxins and any unwanted hormones ready for removal. It produces bile which is needed to digest the fat we eat, help break down hormones, help store essential nutrients and produce essential proteins and cholesterol.
When our liver is depleted of nutrients, or overloaded with pesticides, additives and heavy metals, it will have a major impact on our entire body’s health - including our digestion, so you want to look for foods that are organic and pesticide free, with no added preservatives or nasties. Basically – real whole food! Not processed packaged foods.
My 4 food choices to help further support our liver's function . . .
Broccoli | Cruciferous vegetables are brilliant in helping our liver perform its “detox” duties. Hashimoto/Hypothyroid peeps may be concerned with eating cruciferous vegetables due to the link between thyroid disease and these vegetables goitrogenic nature – however research shows you would have to eat A LOT of these vegetables to actually cause any damage – and for me personally, I eat them cooked which helps to remove the goitrogenic nature.
Garlic | Super rich in selenium and many other nutrients, garlic is a purifying food helping the liver to activate enzymes that are responsible for eliminating toxins and chemicals from our body. Garlic is also a powerhouse for the immune system and wonderful in treating colds and viral infections.
Lemon | Our liver needs antioxidant power to deal with all that we throw at it. Fresh lemon juice is rich in vitamin C - one of the better known nutrients rich in antioxidants.
Turmeric | What gives turmeric its bright yellow colour contains a powerful phytochemical component known as curcumin, which apparently stimulates the production of bile by the gallbladder. The liver uses bile to eliminate toxins, as well has help to rejuvenates liver cells that breakdown harmful compounds.
Bone Broth | Bone broth is a nutrient-rich liquid made from simmering bones and cartilage. As a result, the broth is filled with amino acids and minerals. Glycine, in particular, is an amino acid that plays an important role in digestion (especially fat) as well as helping reduce oxidative stress and inflammation within the body.