Liver Health 101

Ever make a joke after a night of drinking about how you're probably going to die of liver disease? Yeah... me either...

Your liver is one of your KEY detoxifying organs and if it's not working properly, it can have some serious averse effects. The liver is responsible for filtering out toxins. If you have a Brita water jug, think of it like the filter. As you can imagine, the filter gets backed up when not cleaned properly. You'll find a myraid of articles giving you a bunch of advice on what to do and what not to do to keep your liver healthy, but I would like to start with the basics and keep it simple.

Drink Water

Water is one of the best things you can give your body to help it naturally cleanse itself. Want to take it up a notch? Try a 24-36 hour water fast. Try fasting and only consuming water from noon one day until noon the next, or whatever time frame works best for you.

Eat Organic

When possible, avoid chemicals in your food. Eat whole, organic foods as often as possible and avoid things with pesticides and other chemicals. Some of the worst things for your liver that you can eat are heavily processed junk foods like potato chips, sauces and candy.

Avoid Medications

Only take medication when it's necessary. I personally only take all-natural supplements and Aleve when I am in so much pain I cannot get out of bed. It's a little bit extreme, but whatever you can do to avoid medications will help.

Use Clean Products

Cleaning products, lotions, soaps, sprays, they all can find their way into your pores. If these products have toxins in them, they'll likely end up needing to be detoxed through your liver, so when you can, choose clean products, without heavy chemicals.

Sweat it Out

Toxins are believed to leave our body in a couple of ways, one of which is through sweating. Sitting in a sauna or taking hot epsom salt baths 3-5 times per week is a great way to help your body get rid of the toxins.

It's all about doing the best you can, there is no such think as perfection. I don't always eat organic, but I try to when I can. I use clean products 80% of the time, but sometimes bleach just works better. I also like to do a 28-day no alcohol detox at least once per year. This is another great way to keep your liver in great shape!