The Seven Best Smoothie Cleanse Recipes for Your Liver
What do you think about the words “detox” and “cleanse”? I know it makes some people roll their eyes. “You don’t need to detox,” they say, “your liver does it for you.”
Actually, I always nod emphatically and agree! The purpose of a cleanse is to support the liver, the organ that purifies our body. And sure, a lot of detoxing happens without doing a thing. However, your lifestyle choices can directly impact how well your liver does its job.
In general, fatty foods, alcohol, dehydration, illness, and stress drag your liver down with you. Today, I’m going to show you how to get back on the right path. The seven smoothie recipes I have to share are formulated with your liver in mind. But before we start the cleanse, let’s learn more about what the liver does. Afterward, we’ll look at some key ways we regularly hurt one of our most precious organs. The Liver: What It Does and Why It Matters First of all, has anyone ever told you how incredible your liver is? In fact, every liver is very special. That’s because it’s the only organ in the body that can not only heal, but regrow itself. Unfortunately, the liver can sustain damage and become so scarred that it can no longer regenerate healthy cells. This is what we want to prevent! Invariably, without a liver, you cannot have a life. For example, here are just a few of the hundreds of vital functions your liver is responsible for: Vitamin storage. That’s right, your liver saves vitamins to release when you really need them! Blood filtration. First and foremost, the liver is a filter. It’s exposed to everything you ingest. Among its primary functions, the liver filters out excess hormones and harmful substances like alcohol and drugs. Produces bile. Bile aids in digestion and enables the breakdown of fats. This is why a sluggish liver can lead to weight gain, particularly around the midsection. Protein production. The liver creates proteins responsible for distributing fat and enriching blood plasma. Moderates blood sugar. When food triggers the production of insulin, the liver responds by absorbing the extra glucose. Foods and Beverages That Harm the Liver When you do the smoothie cleanse, you’re going to have to avoid certain other foods and drinks. In fact, I recommend clearing these out of your life for good. For example, the following substances are pretty tough on your liver: High fructose corn syrup. That means no soda, candy, or sugary drinks. HFCS lurks in a lot of packaged products, so read labels! It can be found in brands of yogurt, cereal, and salad dressing. Alcohol. Liver disease can happen to nondrinkers, but alcohol is still the worst possible thing you can put in your body. In fact, the liver can only metabolize one ounce of alcohol each hour …show more content…
The Red Velvet Beetroot Smoothie. Personally, nothing is more satisfying than a luscious red smoothie that gives me lots of extra energy. Additionally, it just so happens that beets encourage bile production and contain a ton of nutrients.
Hopefully, you’ve become accustomed to vegetable smoothies. But if not, no worries! We’re going to slip in a few other ingredients that completely mask the taste of greens and roots.
To make this smoothie, round up:
Half a cup of diced beets (any way you like them - peeled, unpeeled, raw, cooked)
A cup and a half of baby spinach
One cup of frozen red berries, like raspberries or strawberries
Three pitted Medjool dates
One tablespoon of organic dark cocoa powder
A splash of vanilla extract
A cup and a half of unsweetened plant milk (almond or coconut preferable)
To begin, blend the spinach and beets with half of the plant milk to get a smoother texture. Then incorporate the rest of your ingredients and enjoy the fresh, chocolaty flavor. Aside from acting as a liver cleanse, this smoothie is the best possible healthy dessert you can have.
I want to note that I know a lot of smoothie-lovers are into raw cacao powder. This superfood does appear to be a tasty alternative to chocolate or cocoa. However, continuous use of cacao has been linked to liver toxicity. If you don’t want to use cocoa, you can swap it out for carob
What do you think about the words “detox” and “cleanse”? I know it makes some people roll their eyes. “You don’t need to detox,” they say, “your liver does it for you.”
Actually, I always nod emphatically and agree! The purpose of a cleanse is to support the liver, the organ that purifies our body. And sure, a lot of detoxing happens without doing a thing. However, your lifestyle choices can directly impact how well your liver does its job.
In general, fatty foods, alcohol, dehydration, illness, and stress drag your liver down with you. Today, I’m going to show you how to get back on the right path. The seven smoothie recipes I have to share are formulated with your liver in mind. But before we start the cleanse, let’s learn more about what the liver does. Afterward, we’ll look at some key ways we regularly hurt one of our most precious organs. The Liver: What It Does and Why It Matters First of all, has anyone ever told you how incredible your liver is? In fact, every liver is very special. That’s because it’s the only organ in the body that can not only heal, but regrow itself. Unfortunately, the liver can sustain damage and become so scarred that it can no longer regenerate healthy cells. This is what we want to prevent! Invariably, without a liver, you cannot have a life. For example, here are just a few of the hundreds of vital functions your liver is responsible for: Vitamin storage. That’s right, your liver saves vitamins to release when you really need them! Blood filtration. First and foremost, the liver is a filter. It’s exposed to everything you ingest. Among its primary functions, the liver filters out excess hormones and harmful substances like alcohol and drugs. Produces bile. Bile aids in digestion and enables the breakdown of fats. This is why a sluggish liver can lead to weight gain, particularly around the midsection. Protein production. The liver creates proteins responsible for distributing fat and enriching blood plasma. Moderates blood sugar. When food triggers the production of insulin, the liver responds by absorbing the extra glucose. Foods and Beverages That Harm the Liver When you do the smoothie cleanse, you’re going to have to avoid certain other foods and drinks. In fact, I recommend clearing these out of your life for good. For example, the following substances are pretty tough on your liver: High fructose corn syrup. That means no soda, candy, or sugary drinks. HFCS lurks in a lot of packaged products, so read labels! It can be found in brands of yogurt, cereal, and salad dressing. Alcohol. Liver disease can happen to nondrinkers, but alcohol is still the worst possible thing you can put in your body. In fact, the liver can only metabolize one ounce of alcohol each hour …show more content…
The Red Velvet Beetroot Smoothie. Personally, nothing is more satisfying than a luscious red smoothie that gives me lots of extra energy. Additionally, it just so happens that beets encourage bile production and contain a ton of nutrients.
Hopefully, you’ve become accustomed to vegetable smoothies. But if not, no worries! We’re going to slip in a few other ingredients that completely mask the taste of greens and roots.
To make this smoothie, round up:
Half a cup of diced beets (any way you like them - peeled, unpeeled, raw, cooked)
A cup and a half of baby spinach
One cup of frozen red berries, like raspberries or strawberries
Three pitted Medjool dates
One tablespoon of organic dark cocoa powder
A splash of vanilla extract
A cup and a half of unsweetened plant milk (almond or coconut preferable)
To begin, blend the spinach and beets with half of the plant milk to get a smoother texture. Then incorporate the rest of your ingredients and enjoy the fresh, chocolaty flavor. Aside from acting as a liver cleanse, this smoothie is the best possible healthy dessert you can have.
I want to note that I know a lot of smoothie-lovers are into raw cacao powder. This superfood does appear to be a tasty alternative to chocolate or cocoa. However, continuous use of cacao has been linked to liver toxicity. If you don’t want to use cocoa, you can swap it out for carob