8 Foods for Detoxing the Liver

Hippocrates, accredited as the father of Western medicine, supposedly once said "let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Since Hippocrates dates back many centuries, the fact that we can use food to play a major role in our health is hardly new. But with the choices of food that we have available to us today this is hardly the case. Chemically-laden food filled with toxic ingredients has caused the liver of many people to be operating at a fraction of peak capacity.

Fortunately, there are foods that can help.

The liver acts as a filter of toxins and other waste products that are in the bloodstream. As this filter becomes clogged, waste backs up, contributing to a variety of health problems. Some of these are fatigue, joint pain, itchy skin, hypertension, depression and abdominal bloating. These may seem like only irritants but can lead to greater problems. For instance, joint pain will make it hard to leave the house or do minimal exercising, and this will lead to premature aging and weight gain.

So let's go over some of these foods that should be included in every diet:

1. Broccoli and cauliflower. Each contain an organic sulfur compound called glucosinolate, and they work with chemicals like folate and flavonoids to cleanse the body of toxins. These cruciferous vegetables will aid the liver in the detoxification process.

2. Seaweed. Sea vegetables such as kelp can contain high levels of algin, which has been known to absorb toxins from the digestive track. The green seaweeds are rich in chlorophyll, and this green pigment has special fibers that can bind to and remove the toxins from the system.

3. Apples. This food has a particular flavonoid called phlorizin which stimulates the production of toxin-removing bile. Apples are also rich in a soluble fiber called pectin, and that has been known to eliminate metals and food additives from the bloodstream.

4. Lemons. The value of this citrus fruit is that it helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that can be easily eliminated from the body. The freshly-squeeze lemon in hot water is a great way to start every morning.

5. Garlic. This should be included in foods on a regular basis, as it is loaded with two compounds that aid in cleansing of the liver: selenium and allicin. Garlic also contains sulfur, a mineral that rids the body of harmful toxins.

6. Avocados. The value of avocados is it aids the body in producing the antioxidants glutathione, which is the primary oxidant that the body needs during both phases of detoxification. It is also one of our healthiest fats.

7. Grapefruit. Also an excellent source of glutathione as well as vitamin C, it increases the natural cleansing process of the liver. Also, grapefruit has a special kind of pectin that lowers cholesterol, which is notorious for clogging the liver.

8. Walnuts. These nuts have large quantities of arginine, which is an amino acid that controls the toxic waste products of protein metabolism, ammonia.

Most every one of these foods aid in liver detoxification in slightly different ways, but when acting in unison they can do a tremendous job in keeping the liver obstruction-free.