I think that an occasional extensive cleanse can be a great idea. But it’s not always convenient. So I’m all about the easy cleanse options. These help me feel like I’m giving my liver the tender loving care it needs without uprooting my whole life.
The reason I try to cleanse
I personally can be very reactive to cosmetics, perfumes and the like. My first big reaction was at 10 year old. I used baby powder and broke out in hives. I got a day off from school, but the itchiness and swelling weren’t worth it.
As a pre-teen, I noticed that my eyelids would get itchy with certain eye makeups. That didn’t stop me from wearing them. But it was sure annoying.
When I became an adult, I started reacting to everything. The shampoo I’d used for years caused irritation in my hairline. I became reactive to sulfates. And the sodium laurel sulfates in toothpaste gave me mouth sores.
Why you might need to cleanse
The liver is what cleanses and breaks down chemicals to eliminate them. When you react to chemicals, you’re likely not properly eliminating them. So, this reactive body of mine made me think that my liver was sluggish.
When your liver is sluggish, you become inflamed. And your body reacts negatively to what you can’t eliminate. And that’s why I needed to bring more cleansing activities into my routine.
There are many reasons you may want to employ some easy cleanse activities for your liver. The environment is more toxic world than ever before. There are more than 200 chemicals found in umbilical cord blood. This is from babies just being exposed to the world for the first time! Think of what’s in the average adult’s bloodstream.
Here are some signs that you’d benefit from some easy cleanse activities.
- Weight gain
- Memory Issues
- Inflammation
- Bloating
- Skin Problems
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Brain Fog
- Frequent Illness
Even if you don’t experience any of these, you’ll still want to incorporate an easy cleanse idea or two. It’s always a good idea to be proactive. Better to take preventative steps before symptoms occur than once you’re already struggling with them.
So, here are 8 easy cleanse ideas to help support the health of the liver. These are so easy to incorporate. And they make you feel healthy knowing you are taking steps to improve your health.
Lemon Water
Squeeze some lemon juice into a glass of water. Lemon juice can be very similar to gastric juices naturally produced in the stomach. Its very supportive of the digestive system.
When you better digest food, you also better digest the nutrients that help support your liver. This includes the amino acids from protein and the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients from vegetables. Lemon water in the morning is especially wonderful.
Vegetable Juice
No, drinking vegetable juice doesn’t replace eating vegetables. One of the great benefits of veggies is the fiber which is lacking in juice. But juicing can be a great way to get some beneficial vitamins and minerals into your diet.
Throw in a bunch of greens. Beets can be really supportive of your liver and gallbladder as well. And add some ginger for your digestion. For extra credit, add back some of the pump that’s removed while juicing. That way you can get a little of the fiber too!
Dandelion Greens
It’s not always easy to find dandelion greens at the market. But you should have lots of luck with a natural food store or a farmer’s market. Dandelion greens taste similar to something like arugula. So they’re so easy to throw into a salad.
Dandelion is a powerhouse food for both the liver and gallbladder. It help cleanse both. And it’s also fabulous for flushing the kidneys. So this easy cleanse idea is really good for the health of the whole body. And it’s easy to incorporate on a daily basis.
Turmeric Root
Turmeric has been shown in studies with animals to fight diseases like cancer. That might seem enough reason to get excited about turmeric. But another benefit of turmeric is that it can be supportive to liver health.
Turmeric is in curry but you’d have to eat lots of curry to benefit. An easier option is to boil a piece of turmeric root in tea. This is simple and easy to do. And the experience is calming, especially on days when you know you don’t need another cup of coffee.
Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is not something you want to take everyday. It’s good for an occasional easy cleanse. Activated charcoal binds to toxins and helps to quickly expel them from the body. For that reason, it’s fabulous to take after food poisoning.
The downside to activated charcoals is that it doesn’t just remove toxins. It will also remove many of the valuable vitamins and nutrients from your food. So make sure to take this away from meals you could deplete yourself of vital nutrients.
H2O
We talked about lemon water. But good old fashioned H2O is helpful for your entire detoxification system. It’s essential for the proper functioning of the kidneys. So how does this help the liver? The kidneys and liver are so connected that one can’t work well unless the other is in tip top shape.
How much water do you need to drink? You can determine the ideal amount of water by taking your weight in pounds and dividing it by two. The number you get in the amount of water you need daily in ounces. If that number seem overwhelming, try something easier like 40 ounces of water daily to start.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is an herb that’s super supportive of the liver. Its known to protect against liver inflammation. And it’s thought to be potentially beneficial for fighting against liver disease. But its inflammatory protective qualities are seen as also helpful for liver detoxification.
You can take milk thistle in pill form. But I personally feel that you shouldn’t take more pills than you have to. So a great place to start is to try a milk thistle tea. Just limit your cups to one or two a day. You never want to overdo it with herbs.
Garlic
Garlic doesn’t just make everything taste good. It has many healing qualities. And one of the benefits of eating garlic is that it can help activate liver enzymes that help your body remove toxins from the body.
It’s important to eat garlic correctly to get its full healing capabilities. Raw is better than cooked as garlic is easy to burn. And there’s certain way to cut garlic to release its full healing capabilities. If you miss this step, you’ll miss so much of what garlic has to offer.
So these are 8 easy cleanse options to detox and support the liver. These don’t take the place of a healthy diet. And they shouldn’t be used in place of medical care for something more serious.
These are just a great way to give a little boost to your liver health. Because, when your liver feels better, so will you. And if your like me, you just feel good about yourself for doing something positive for your health. Which, to me, is a reward all on its own.
I’ve yet to try any sort of cleanse, but it’s been on my mind more and more, which means I’m getting closer to taking the plunge.
A full cleanse can be a challenge – but a good one is worth it.
I happen to be sipping lemon water as I read this–granted, that’s because it’s what the hotel has on hand, but your words are a good reminder to do it more often. We keep sliced lemons in the freezer for popping in a cup of tea, but I should start plopping them into the water I drink all day! I’m with you on the cosmetics–there are some fancy brands that swelled my eyelids closed!
I had to pop back and re-read this one, Erica. I have all but two of those symptoms so something’s gotta change! Thanks for such good information.
I would recommend going back and doing the 21 day cleanse program. I can send it to you again if you no longer have it.