Detoxification (detox) is a physiological process of removing the possibly toxic substances from the body. We absorb toxic substances usually from our environment (air pollution, smoke or chemicals, like chlorine from tab water). Unfortunately, our daily diet is the other main source of toxins that come in form of additives, preservatives, drugs, antibiotics, synthetic vitamins and other chemicals. Once absorbed, our liver is the organ where most of these toxins end up. The liver is the primary filter of our body for all sorts of toxic substances. Unless you are living a very healthy way of life, from time to time you too will need to purify this extremely important organ so that is is able to maintain its proper functioning.

So, let’s reiterate about where detoxification happen: it happens in the liver, not in the colon. Therefore, to perform a successful detoxification of you body, you wold have to perform detoxification of the liver and strengthen its function. When you improve the function of the liver, it can naturally perform its detoxification process much better. There are several important steps to do that:

• increase omega 3 intake
• reduce omega 6 intake
• reduce fructose intake
• don’t eat too much carbs
• increase the amount of Vitamin B rich foods

The Principles of Juice Detoxification

For liver purification you can use special supplements, herbs and specially designed diets that facilitate the process of detoxification. However, in this article we are going to talk about how to utilize juicing – one of the most natural ways to perform detoxification.

Why are juices so purifying? The main reason is that when you use juices, you are taking in an unusually large amount of nutrients. Along with that you will also absorb the extracted organic water and vital energy from your selected vegetables and fruits . These nutritive substance are essential in the process of cleansing the liver. In contrast, just eating the same amount of raw vegetables and fruits in order to ingest the same amount of nutrients would be too difficult a task. The cleansing juices are easily assimilated by your digestive tract. It takes really a short period of time for the nutritive substance from the juices to propagate via the blood to every single cell of your body in need of purification. The juices are lacking the pulp (cellulose fibers) from the fruits and vegetables which is separated in the process of juice extraction. The fibers are much more difficult to digest.

But make no mistake thinking that the fibers should be entirely disregarded from your daily diet. When the liver performs its normal function, it produces more than 30 ounces of toxin-filled bile per day, delivered to the large intestine. You have to make sure that the intestines are also functioning normally, and for that, you need to take enough fibers in your diet. Otherwise the toxins will be partly reabsorbed from the large intestine before being eliminated.

The Role of the Antioxidants

In addition, there are several important antioxidants that help the liver to perform its proper operation. One of the most important is Glutathione (GSH). The cells of our body are capable of synthesizing this molecule, but glutathione synthesized in the liver is essential for cleansing as it helps remove a lot of toxins from the body. GSH as such is not present in any food; however, there are certain vegetables and fruits that contain Glutathione precursors, thus providing the necessary material for synthesizing GSH within the cells of the liver. Unprocessed and fresh avocado, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, garlic and tomatoes are the best sources that facilitate the production of glutathione. Vitamin C, B, and E, as well as selenium are also important to reduce the toxic levels of the liver.

Is Juice Detox Enough?

As much as people would like to convince you that juicing is all that you need, they are wrong. Following a juice detox procedure isn’t enough for a good detox.

As we have seen above, there are several important steps for improving the function of the liver.

In Juice detoxification, it is important to limit the amount of fruit juices, as they will (by definition) contain a lot of fructose and will too abundant in carbohydrates. On the other hand, there will be very little Vitamins from the B complex, which are mostly found in animal foods.

You would also be lacking omega-3 fatty acids, which are again found in animal foods.

To fix this, I suggest eating organic grass fed liver, once or twice a week. Yes, that’s right. To improve the function of your liver, you need to consume some liver too. Organic liver is packed with vitamin B and vitamin A, as wells as with other beneficial micro nutrients, such asglycine, cysteine, glutamic acid, zinc, methionine, etc.

How to Prepare Detoxification Juices

If you don’t already have a juicer, there is no need to purchase expensive juicers. Some of the less expensive juicers can be highly efficient and will do the job. We should mention right at this place that if you are under a medical care of if you take prescription drugs, you should consult your physician prior to using these detox juices on your own. Also, please note that this information is provided only for educational purposes, so always consult with your physician about the cleansing properties of the juices presented below.

Because of the elimination of toxins, the possible liver detox side effects could be itching, rashes and pimples. The additional side effects may include sweating and bad breath, dizziness, unusual odors, diarrhea, and even temporary sleep problems and mild depression. On the positive side, you should soon be able to obtain an overall healthy feeling and increased energy. Provided that the cleansing rate is not too fast, all this happens because your bodily systems are working to eliminate the toxins and restore the balance of the body.

The following recipes could help you re-establish the harmony of your liver and other internal organs and systems.

Juices for liver detoxification should be high in antioxidants, especially glutathione. The first recipe contains asparagus. You can modify all of the presented detoxification juice recipes by adding more spinach or carrots to balance the bitter taste.

Vegetable Detox Juices

The following combination of carrots and beet is also very effective:

Cabbage juice, if you can stand the sharp taste, helps digestion and helps the proper function of the liver. Celery and pears are intestinal cleaners that help the overall process of detoxification. Instead of pears you may use a little bit of carrots or apples.

Fruit Detox Juice

If you prefer fruit juices, I suggest that you reconsider their usefulness. If you have to prepare them, use fruits with low fructose content. Make sure you put in a lot of avocados, which is pretty much the only type of fruit you can eat without restriction. For example, the following fruit juice could be beneficial for liver cleansing:

Watermelon is known as a good universal cleanser of the body, but it contains quite a bit of fructose. So it actually won’t help the liver at all.

Wheatgrass juice

Chlorophyl contained in the wheatgrass is a natural antiseptic and helps eliminate the liver toxins. Wheatgrass is very difficult to juice with conventional centrifugal juice extractors. If you want to prepare wheatgrass juice you would need to purchase special wheatgrass extractors.

Alkaline liver cleanse

Conclusion

The above recipes are just examples of liver cleansing juices and they are by no means fixed. They can be modified according to your taste. Learn how to experiment with your home-made juices and try to listen to what your body is telling you.

Avoid fruit based juices. They are delicious, but they are also packed with sugar, even if it is natural fructose. Fruit juices won’t help your liver detoxify.

Take some animal based omega-3, as well as some organic liver. You should eat them during the detox procedure to get enough vitamins not present in your liver detox juices.

Do not forget to consult with your physician for details about the best possible approach when using juices for liver detoxification.