Why the best place to detox is in your liver
Welcome back to liver detoxification class. If you’ve not already read about Phase I detoxification or taken the quiz to find out if your liver needs detoxifying, then hop on over. This is the last post in a four-part series on detoxing and the liver.
If you’re all caught up and know where your liver stands, let’s explore Phase II.
Phase II detoxification
This is where toxins chelate or bind with a protective compound in a process known as conjugation. Just like the parties you go to and everyone “conjugates” around in the kitchen…Yeah, same thing. Well, sort of. There’s six pathways or “cliques”. Some toxins can hang around in multiple pathways and neutralize through several. But in order for these conjugation systems to be effective, they need nutrients to activate and provide the binding molecules. Plus, like most processes, they need energy. So, if your liver’s mitochondria are not working properly due to a deficiency in magnesium, the aging process, or even not exercising the body, the whole detoxification process can slow down.
The thing is, knowing what’s missing in our nutrition can help to solve the issue. But understanding the actual system or process needing the boost is near impossible to figure out.
My recommendation: eat a well-balanced diet full of nutrients with phytochemical diversity; exercise in a manner that is agreeable to your body, mind and spirit. Rejuvenate your soul with this sweating. Breathe. Move. Drink water. And avoid toxicity, emotional and chemical!
“Whatever the toxicity it, emotional or chemical...avoid it”
There is a common theme throughout the detoxification process and the liver: B vitamins. A deficiency in various B vitamins can affect several conjugation systems.
But it’s not just the nutrients that can help your overall detoxification process. It is also the synthesis and absorption of such.
Gluta-what?
Glutathione, is a tripeptide formed from several amino acids and without it, your body would struggle to get rid of toxic chemicals like heavy metals, solvents, and pesticides (all of which are fat soluble). This compound can actually convert these toxins from being fat-soluble into forms that are water soluble and then you can pee them out, thanks to the kidneys. Glutathione is a miracle worker in that it’s also an antioxidant. It can know out the free radicals that we talked about earlier. If we start to use up the glutathione faster than we can produce it or absorb it from the diet, we can become more susceptible to toxin-induced diseases, such as cancer. Yes, even if Phase I detoxification is highly active. The need for glutathione can vary from individual to individual. People with HIV, hepatic cirrhosis, cataracts, advanced AIDS, adult respiratory stress, or idiopathic fibrosis have been found to be deficient in glutathione.
A few words to the wise. These items can rapidly increase your utilization of glutathione leaving you deficient:
Smoking
Alcohol consumption
If you’re at risk of being deficient or low, you can certainly increase your levels by:
Eating a diet rich in fresh fruits & vegetables
Supplement with vitamin C
Eating glutathione-rich foods such as asparagus, avocado, walnuts, cruciferous veggies, as well was limonene-rich foods (dill, caraway seeds, orange peel oil)
Other Phase II systems include: amino acid conjugation, methylation, salvation, acetylation, glucuronidation. I won’t go into detail on these. If you’d like to learn more, please reach out to me.
Last but not least, bile baby
If the liver can modify a toxin, this is where bile is most helpful. As bile can carry that toxin out of the body quickly. For those with cholestasis or impaired bile flow (gallbladder removal, gall stones) this can be very tricky. Gall stones are linked to a high-fat, low-fibre diet. This makes me instantly imagine the carnivore diet or even Keto. But bile can be limited or restricted within the liver itself due to a variety of medications, alcohol, hyperthyroidism or thyroxine supplementation, viral hepatitis, natural and synthetic steroidal hormones (anabolic steroids, estrogens, oral contraceptives). Of these, alcohol is the most common cause of impaired liver function and for some alcohol-sensitive folks, even 1 oz of alcohol can damage the liver by forming fatty deposits.
Making sense of the science
But, before you start running out to detoxify your liver, let’s start with the foundation:
Get a journal! I mean it. Document your starting point. Write down what you ate, how you felt after eating it. Write about your appetite and activity, include the weather and how it made you feel. Speaking about feelings, include some thoughts on your stress levels, relationships, work, school, home, etc. Sign up for my on-demand MASTERCLASS and score the goodies from the event. There’s a HABIT TRACKER in the goodie bag that can help you get on your way. If you truly want to see change in your body, documenting your process is a non-negotiable (for me, anyhow).
Switching to a less-toxic lifestyle. Where can you replace some GMO and pesticide laden foods with organic non-GMO fresh and frozen foods? If you’re into it, check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen . They publish a new list each year, listing the dozen fruits & veg most likely to be dirty or laden with toxins compared to their clean 15 cousins. I’m going to recommend some foods on the Dirty Dozen list, so please choose from a local small farmer, grow your own, or shop in the organic section.
Eat a colourful diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. And don’t miss a beat. Keep it varied. Keep it interesting and plentiful. This includes hydration! And I cannot emphasize enough the importance of eating sulfur-rich foods such as the cruciferous vegetables, onions, leeks, garlic, and legumes. Check out my recipes
Adopt a healthy lifestyle with daily exercise, mind work, spiritual work. And take out, avoid or reduce some toxic lifestyle habits, i.e. alcohol, smoking, emotionally toxic relationships.
Supplement as needed. Most of us lack some vitamins and minerals (magnesium is a common one) in our diet due to lifestyle, nutrition, or genetics. It can also be an absorption issue that might have a root cause. Talk with your favourite health professional (wink wink) about which supplements might be right for you. If you’re looking to save some money on your supplement recommendations, send me a message and we can set up a free Fullscript account for you, and I’ll share a discount with you for all future orders.
Protect your liver. It may seem simple if you’re following a healthy plant-rich diet, avoiding alcohol, drugs and smoking. But toxicity can come in the form of emotionally toxic relationships, including the ones we have with our selves! Self love is really important and so is including time in the day for you. Just you. Looking after yourself like you deserve to be held and honoured.
Let’s not forget about stress. Hello! We all experience it in life. No one ever survives their life without being challenged by a healthy dose of stress now and again. And yes, it can catch up to you many years later, after the big “stress-event” occurred. The body knows how to keep the score.
So, what does “protect your liver” mean? Put on your emotional armour, practice joy, experience love, give love to yourself, restore your mind, breathe, and join me for a Happy Heart session .When the seasons change, clean out your cupboards and toss out what no longer serves you. Hint: Don’t do this while hungry.
It can also be a time for some cleansing herbs in your routine. Milk thistle is a go-to, but not for everyone. So before you run out to get some supplements, sharing your full medical and holistic health history with a trusted health care professional is crucial! Don’t DIY your way through this. You have a support team. :)
WHAT TO EAT
However, I bet you came here to find out what to eat to cleanse out the toxins and support your liver. In summary, we have the usual suspects:
Fibre
Lots of soluble fibre to promote bile secretion.
I recommend oats, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds.
One of my favourites is flaxseed here to ensure any excess estrogen (that comes with hormone cycles, menopause and peri-menopause - especially with an imbalance in estrogen/progesterone levels) can leave the body. Flaxseed is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids for some brain health protection too.
Anti-oxidant rich foods
Anti-oxidant rich foods: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, citrus fruits (minus that grapefruit), turmeric, beans, beets, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, dark chocolate (check out some tasty & vegan ways to get your dose), kale, cabbage.
Sulphur for protection
Protect the liver from further damage with high sulphur foods: legumes, garlic, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.
Make it organic
Eat as organic and local as possible. If you grow your own food, even better!
Hydrate
Don’t forget to fill up!
Protect the liver from further damage with high sulphur foods: legumes, garlic, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.
Eat as organic and local as possible. If you grow your own food, even better!
Hydrate!
At the end of this, if you’re still experiencing trouble, then it’s time to talk. There are a few recommendations and herbal solutions I can suggest that may assist you with your journey. I want you to take my FREE advice first and foremost. Through this you will learn to trust your body more, feel what it’s meant to feel and possibly eliminate the toxins.
Following a lifestyle that you can manage is important. No crash diets, no harsh cleanses and gentle detoxification is how I like to work with clients. If it’s not sustainable, we won’t incorporate the change to your life. If it’s one step at the time, you’re more likely to stick with it. That’s why the process can take time and it need not be expensive. With a proper consultation (DM’ing one-off questions is not a consult) and a personalized protocol, you will be well on your way to your healthiest version of you!
Sources:
Balch, P. A. (2012). Prescription for herbal healing, 2nd edition: An easy-to-use A-to-Z reference to hundreds of common disorders and their herbal remedies. Penguin Books.
Murray, M. T., & Pizzorno, J. (2012). The encyclopedia of natural medicine third edition. Atria Books.
