Spring Cleaning: Liver Edition

We are now full in the middle of spring, the flowers are blooming an the sun is shining a little brighter, you feel a little lighter and maybe you feel like starting fresh. Perhaps you’ve started spring cleaning, and removing anything that you don’t feel aligns with your style, or feelings anymore. In this time of year we feel like we need to renew, but we can also look at this as spring cleaning our bodies to feel lighter and better physically as well as mentally. There is a reason that we create lighter, fresher and crisper foods come the warmer weather.

We are coming out of the season that allows us to coop up, eat heavier foods, perhaps move a little less, and with all that comes the impact on our liver. Our liver cleans out our blood, and helps rid the body of toxins as well as help with digestion, improve our skin clarity, increase our mood, appetite, nutrient absorption and more. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is a time to cleanse our livers and start fresh. This is the time to care for our natural detoxification through intentional good food, gentle movement and yoga, breath work and some gentle cleansing.

How to naturally support your liver:

1. Bring some gentle movement into your day and build up a sweat. Anything from running, walking, yoga and bicycling will help get your blood and heart going and your lymphatic system moving as well. Yoga is especially great at removing toxins as it allows the body to detox through intensive breathing as well as poses such as twists. Sweating is a very effective way to release toxins from the body, this lowers the amount of fat in the liver and improves liver health. Finish off with a cool shower in order to blast your senses awake and leave you feeling refreshed. Salt baths are also a great way to build up a sweat as the magnesium from the salt is a great way to flush toxins out of the body as well.

2. Eat liver supporting foods. Eat good food always, but for optimal liver cleansing, go for foods that are particularly known to support liver health. Eating processed foods and refined sugars leads to the accumulation of fat in the liver which results in the liver’s inability to properly filter the toxins out of the blood. By eating liver loving foods, it allows the liver to have a break from all of the hardworking, especially if you tend not to eat a varied healthy diet generally. Some examples of liver loving food (this is just a short list):

   • Bitter greens such as dandelion leaves and arugula

   • Fermented foods

   • Beets

   • Fennel

   • Bone broth

   • Seaweed

   • Apple cider vinegar

   • Lemon

   • Green tea

   • Turmeric

3. Reduce or eliminate toxins if you can. The liver has to use up precious resources to clean up after toxins, it is best to try to remove the toxins completely or at least reduce them and have an improved mood, energy, brian function, and feel physically fitter. Try to reduce sugar, GMO’s and processed foods, alcohol, and caffeine.

4. Don’t forget to hydrate. Equally as important as any other tip: hydration. Without water, the body simply cannot function. Everybody needs different amounts of water for proper bodily function, but about 8-10 glasses a day is a good starting point, and more if you sweat a lot or lead an active lifestyle.

5. Adequate sleep and rest. Your body won’t know what to do if it is constantly sleep deprived. Most of the “cleaning” functions of the body are done when you are fast asleep, so be sure to get at least 7-9 hours everyday.

6. Go outdoors. Get some sunshine and some fresh air. Nature is like medicine on the body and even just 10-15 minuted of pure sunshine everyday can help convert the Vitamin D your liver cells need.