The liver is the main organ that detoxifies your body. Your liver cleanses your body of toxins from food additives, alcohol, pesticides, herbicides, solvents and formaldehyde. If processed foods and drinks make up most of your diet, it may help you and your liver to perform a detoxification---a change, sometimes brief, sometimes lifelong, that lessens the burden on your liver.
Simple Changes
You can make simple changes that detoxify your body and help the liver's detox process. Drinking an extra quart of water per day, eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing your regular intake of alcohol and processed foods are minor daily changes that will help your body detox naturally and give your liver a break.
Liquid Diets
Liquid diets are a popular way to perform a detox. Lemon Detox, Master Cleanse, Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox and Fruit Flush Three-Day Detox are all popular liquid diets that still provide you with your necessary daily vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. You can perform an effective detox in only one day with a liquid diet, though some people prefer to go two or three days. If you want to try a liquid diet for more than a few days, consult your doctor; an extended detoxification period can prevent your from absorbing essential nutrients.
Fasting
Some people turn to fasting as a way to detoxify their liver. If you find that fasting may be a suitable or necessary manner of detox, consult your doctor for tips and recommendations. Fasting, especially if you have never fasted before, can be a dangerous process---bordering on self-starvation---and is best done under the supervision of your doctor.
Detox Benefits
The main benefit of a liver detox is that it helps purify one of the most active and important organs in your body; a detox cleans your digestive tract and helps remove accumulated waste and fermenting bacteria. During the detox process, you will also notice a decreased dependency on sugar, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and drugs, as well as a stronger immune system and more normalized eating habits.
Is Detox Necessary?
If you maintain a normal, healthy diet and get regular exercise, then performing a liver detox may not be necessary. But if you are experiencing health problems, such as unexplained headaches or back pain, digestive issues, lack of energy and sudden weight gain, you may benefit from a detox. You may also wish to do a liver detox if you regularly consume alcohol; work around solvents, diuretics, drugs and pesticides or have a history of steroid use.
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