Your liver is one of your most important organs and it works non-stop. With our Western way of life, environmental factors, and diet, it is more the rule than the exception that the liver is working overtime.
Impaired liver function is not what you want: you will notice this in your energy levels, mood, and mental clarity. You help your liver and thus yourself by regularly sparing this important organ.
A liver detox smoothie is a great way to cleanse your liver and keep it working optimally.
Read More: 4 best blenders for smoothies
Liver detox smoothie: do I really need one?
Your liver is one of the most powerful organs in your body and is busy 24/7 to detox, regulate hormones, process and store nutrients, synthesize proteins and burn fat.
If your liver is not functioning optimally, you may notice the following:
- Your energy level is low,
- You are mentally less clear
- Your mood is no longer what it used to be
There are plenty of reasons to refresh your liver from time to time.
Alcohol consumption, cigarettes, processed foods, fatty foods, chemical additives, metals, environmental pollution all put a heavy burden on the liver. Many of us have an overloaded and fatty liver and we don’t even know it.
When you are 40 years or older, several channels leading to and from the liver become blocked. We must nurture the liver, after all, it is our internal filter, but instead, it becomes exhausted and sluggish.
How can I help my liver?
There are several things to remember if you want to have a happy and healthy liver:
- Eat as much non-toxic food as possible
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat lots of food that contain antioxidants
And we can do more: from time to time we can drink smoothies with liver cleansing properties. Some liver tonics are ideally suited to drink on a daily basis. This way you not only cherish your liver but also your energy level and mood.
Food that is kind to the liver
Green leafy vegetables: stimulate bile production and contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll filters out toxins and harmful substances. You can use dandelion leaf, chicory, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, parsley, and more.
Bitter substances: chicory, endive, artichoke. Activate the release of bile in the intestines. Via the bile, the liver brings the waste products into the intestines and is removed. Bile acids turn fats into free fat-soluble particles.
Lemon: Also stimulates the production of bile and helps your liver to filter out toxins more easily. Water with lemon is healing for your system and you will see this in your skin in a short time.
Grapefruit: Contains vitamin C, antioxidants, and naringenin. These substances prevent your liver from storing fat and aid in detoxification.
Beets and carrots: Contain flavonoids that are essential for proper liver function and give the organ a much-needed boost.
Apples: Pectin, which is mainly in the peel, supports digestion.
Berries: Rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. Healthy berries are ideal for a clean liver and good digestion.
Bananas and sweet potatoes: A good source of potassium. Some of the benefits of potassium are: improving your cardiovascular health, lowering bad cholesterol, and most importantly, keeping your liver healthy.
Walnuts: Walnuts are great for the liver as they are also high in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep the liver clean. Walnuts are best consumed when liquefied, so adding them to smoothies is ideal.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil aids in better absorption of nutrients.
Liver detox smoothie recipes
The recipes below are easy, support liver cleansing and are also tasty!
Of course, you can experiment a bit with the amounts and adjust it to your own taste, and add some of the above ingredients.
Liver detox smoothie 1
- 3 beets, coarsely chopped. Beets stimulate liver function
- 3 carrots, coarsely chopped. Carrots boost liver function
- 2 cups dark leafy greens of your choice (neutralizes heavy metals and toxins)
- 1 cup dandelion leaf (bitter plant parts aid bile production)
- 1 lemon (cleanses and detoxifies)
- 1 apple (also cleanses and aids detoxification)
- 1 cup purple cabbage, coarsely chopped. Increases glucosinolate in your system, which supports enzyme production in the liver.
- Water
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (mid-chain fatty acids!)
Place all ingredients in the blender and start with the larger pieces. Then add the rest. Add the water until you have the desired texture.
Read More: How to make beet juice in a Vitamix
Liver detox smoothie 2
- 2 beets, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 cup dark leafy greens of your choice
- Juice of half a lemon, juice of half a grapefruit
- 1 apple with peel
- 1 cup berries of your choice
- 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
- Water
Place all ingredients in the blender and start with the larger pieces. Then add the rest. Add the water until you have the desired texture.
Liver cleanser 1
- Half a lemon or lime with some zest
- 2 apples
- 2 cups dandelion or cabbage leaves
- Half cup broccoli florets
- 1 clove garlic or 1/4 red onion
- Half cup parsley
This mix is very strong and can be diluted with a cup of water, tea, or extra apple.
Liver cleanser 2
- 3 beets
- Half a lemon
- About 1 cm of fresh ginger root
- 2 radishes
- 2 carrots
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Water
Place all ingredients in the blender and start with the larger pieces. Then add the rest. Add the water until you have the desired texture.
Read More: How to Peel Ginger: Also Grate, Chop, And Store It
Liver Cleanser 3
- 1 cup apple juice, fresh and organic
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 cup pear, sliced and peeled
- Half cup organic yogurt
- Half cup frozen strawberries
- Half cup kale
- 2 tablespoons linseed oil, organic
- Half lemon
Place all ingredients in the blender and start with the larger pieces. Then add the rest of the ingredients.
Simple drink for liver maintenance
- Half a lemon freshly squeezed.
- hot water.
Put this in a bottle and drink it whenever you want. Morning is the best time, as it is a natural decongestant and (mild) laxative. Fresh lemon juice contains limonene, which improves liver activity. This drink can be taken every day and will help to keep your liver healthy.
The culprits that pose a threat to your liver
All of the toxins you breathe in through your lungs must run through your liver to be processed. This means that toxic air is especially dangerous to your liver.
The functioning of your liver is potentially endangered when you are exposed to too much alcohol or drugs. Because the liver must take care of every single substance you ingest, and medications and alcohol are some of the hardest for it to filter.
Also, incessantly consuming way too many can, and in most cases does, lead to fatty liver, liver damage, or cirrhosis of the liver.
Speaking of which, eating a lot of processed fats does your liver no good. That goes for the margarine, fried foods or other non-organic animal foods you may be ingesting. The processed and saturated fats are hard to break down and digest, and they are guilty of producing a lot of toxic by-products when being digested.
Eating a processed carbohydrate-rich diet is bad for your liver as well. Be it white loaves of bread, candies or something similar that puts a strain on your liver to keep your blood sugar levels stable.
Your liver works its magic and is most active between the hours of 1 and 3 a.m., so it goes without saying that adequate rest is crucial for a healthy liver that works at its best.
Over-exercising may be threatening to the liver too. If you over-exercise, you will start to overproduce free radicals that the liver may not have the resources to deal with on time.
A diet that is low in nutrition may not put you at risk per se, but it can affect the liver. If you haven’t provided your liver with the nutrients it needs, it will do you good to detox.
Two phases of liver detoxification
There are two phases of liver detoxification.
Phase one detoxification consists of oxidation-reduction and hydrolysis. In the detoxification pathway, the liver will take a toxin and convert it into a less harmful toxin through oxidation, reduction, or hydrolysis.
In other words, the liver takes care of the toxicity through a chemical reaction. Although, this process does create other toxic by-products that need to be neutralized through the ingestion of anti-oxidants and in phase two detox.
This takes us to phase two, the conjugation pathway.
That’s when the liver cells add another substance (for example, cysteine, glycine, or a sulfur molecule) to a toxic chemical, to render it less harmful. The toxin is then processed so that it becomes water-soluble which means that the body can now easily excrete it through the urine.
The complications may arise if you are overloading your system with toxins or if you are not eating adequate nutrients, or even if either of the phases is working at a faster pace than the other phase.
That only goes to show that both phase one and phase two liver detox must be working optimally for safe detoxification to occur.
Most importantly, be mindful of what you put in your body and act accordingly to prevent further damaging the liver.
Liver detox smoothie: final thoughts
When it comes to our health, it’s a good idea to be responsible. Our choices play a major role in how healthy we will be as a result.
Show some love to your liver that’s been keeping you safe from harm all your life. It’s so easy to do once you give it some thought and understand the food that helps your liver.
A liver detox smoothie will ensure the health of your liver, and while it may sound unpleasant, the taste is not as bad as it first seems.
If you follow these suggestions, your health will thank you. Who knows, you may even find your new favorite drink!