The liver is our largest metabolic organ, and it has to process everything we put into the body, including medicines, food additives, pollution in the water and the air.
It also has to process all the food we eat, breaking down fats and producing many enzymes. When the body is overloaded, there can be a lot to process, and the excess is stored in a variety of places in the body. Check out the following diet to detoxify your liver and your emotions, which are, in many ways, also factors that contribute to liver problems.
Table of Contents
Common signs of liver problems.
The liver, as an organ that cleanses toxins, is one of the main places in the body, it can store waste products and toxins until they can be processed. It is like a closet full of old things that are no longer used, but you have not had time to clean and dispose of all the “garbage”. Liver problems can produce physical and emotional symptoms.
Physical signs of liver problems.
- Intermittent pain.
- Muscle spasms and cramps, muscle tension, unable to relax.
- Liver problems often bring dizziness and vertigo.
- Internal or external tremors or shaking, trembling.
- Stabbing headache, especially in the temples or behind the eyes.
- Ringing in the ears.
- Dryness in the upper part of the body (eyes, mouth, sinuses, skin).
- Difficulty sleeping, waking up between 1 and 3 in the morning, or unable to fall asleep until the wee hours.
- Hypertension (high blood pressure).
- Menstrual disorders and premenstrual syndrome are often due to liver problems.
- Chronic indigestion.
- Belching or gas after meals, especially after fatty or greasy foods show possible liver problems.
Emotional signs of liver problems.
The emotional signs of liver problems are almost always a feedback loop. The reasons why a liver can be damaged are sometimes accompanied by emotional problems, and sometimes emotional problems stem from liver problems. It is, as we have mentioned, a feedback loop once it already exists.
This cleaning will help a lot for people who suffer from depression, anxiety, panic attacks, diseases that are related to pain, such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, osteoporosis, and others.
- Depression and manic-depressive disorder.
- Feeling overwhelmed and overly sensitive; easily cries or gets angry.
- Irritable, agitated, angry, emotionally volatile.
- Liver problems can bring nervousness, agitation, and restlessness.
- Inability to keep commitments.
- Feeling restless or “run down” when you have liver problems.
- Unresolved things; the “eternal traveler”.
- Lack of motivation, stuck in a rut.
- Lack of patience is usually a symptom of liver problems.
- Lack of judgment.
- Difficulty making decisions.
- Addictions and emotional attachments.
- Loss of the sense of adventure and the search for new experiences.
Diet to detoxify emotionally and physically from liver problems.
The best time to do a liver cleanse is during the spring. Although caring for the liver is important throughout the year, spring is the time when the liver is most active according to traditional Chinese medicine.
This treatment to detoxify for liver problems has a special diet that is followed for four days, along with gentle exercise.
Foods, teas, and other cleansing items are designed to gently detoxify you and release accumulated wastes and toxins that have clung to the liver.
Shopping list of the things you will need:
- Green Clay/Green Bentonite (nutritional food stores).
- A good variety of fresh vegetables.
- Fresh ginger root and garlic for seasoning.
- Variety of fresh fruit and fruit juices.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh lemons.
- Organic whole oats.
- Herbal tea: rosemary, dandelion, chamomile or thyme.
- Pure honey (if desired) to sweeten the tea.
Preparation.
Read all the instructions below so you know what you are going to be doing.
- Choose a time for your cleaning that ensures success. Don’t try to detox for a time that you know is going to be attending a party or any other event that will feature foods that might tempt you to sabotage its cleanse.
- Make an appointment for a good massage or shiatsu session on day 3 or 4.
- If you have a friend or family member who would like to do this with you, it will also increase your success and make the whole process more fun. You can prepare your food together, eat together, and compare notes on how you feel as this process unfolds.
- Buy the necessary food, tea, and clay the day before you start your cleanse.
- You can prepare a “green soup” or vegetable, with your chosen vegetables the night before, so you are good to go. If you plan on having your veggies as a salad, you can make a large bowl with your greens from the day before.
- The night before you start, mix 1 teaspoon of the green clay in 2/3 cup of warm water. Then let it sit overnight without shaking it.
- Green clay is available at most health food stores.
- If you take prescription drugs, keep taking them as directed by your doctor.
Instructions for days 1 to 3.
- When you get up, drink the water from the clay that you prepared and left without shaking overnight (do not shake, it is only to drink the water, not the clay sitting at the bottom, this water contains minerals from the clay that are beneficial for the liver).
- Eat light, green vegetables that can be steamed, raw salads, or made into a soup. The best are cabbage, broccoli, leeks, spinach or other vegetables, leaf lettuce such as romaine or red leaf lettuce (not iceberg lettuce), celery, green onions, carrots, green lentils, or split green peas. Only use garlic and / or ginger for seasoning. Without salt, there are no animal sources of food for these 4 days). Only fresh vegetables, not those that come canned or frozen.
- Fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices (not frozen or packaged). The most relevant are those of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime, apple and light berries such as strawberries. There are no bananas.
- For raw salad, use only dressing made from extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
- If you want a snack, grab an apple, carrot sticks, or some celery sticks. Drink as much water as you want.
- You can also eat undercooked oatmeal (choose good quality organic gluten-free cut or rolled oats if possible).
- During these four days, please avoid all animal food sources such as meat, eggs, cheese, dairy products. Avoid sweeteners, except pure honey from bees; neither are bottled or industrialized seasonings or seasonings.
- After each meal, please have a cup of hot tea of one of the following four varieties:
rosemary, dandelion, thyme or chamomile. You can use a teaspoon of honey in tea. - In the afternoon, get 15-20 minutes of vigorous exercise (brisk walking, biking, “sweaty” yoga, etc.), and drink a cup of warm water with the juice of a third or a half of a fresh lemon.
External treatments during detoxification (one or every day).
- Brushing skin every day.
- Shiatsu (Japanese acupressure massage).
- Ginger liver compress, 15 minutes (a handful of fresh ginger root, chopped or sliced in 2 liters of boiling water, simmer for 15-20 minutes; cool slightly, then dip in cloths or hand towels inside that tea and apply to the liver area. Change towels, as they get cold).
- Green clay poultice on the liver, 30 -45 minutes (you can use the leftover clay from the morning. Equal parts green clay + water, apply to the liver area as you do in a facial mask, cover with a towel to maintain heat, and relax for 30-45 minutes. Wash with hot water).
Day 4 Instructions.
Exactly the same as days 1-3, except:
There is no food after 4pm. Just before bedtime, mix 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil with 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice in a bottle with a lid. Shake vigorously to mix, then drink. Go to bed, lie on your right side for a minimum of 30 minutes, and go to sleep.
Cool Things That Can Happen While You’re Detoxing.
You should know that detoxifying the liver brings emotional and physical repercussions as well, because both the mind and the body are connected and changes in one affect the other. But do not panic, these changes are always for the better, remember that detoxifying is something that will always bring you benefits in the short, medium or long term.
- Many people experience emotional outbursts of anger or depression. Please know that this is part of the clearing and cleaning process. It is recommended that you do this cleaning at a time when you may have a lot of time for yourself unless you are doing it with others.
Do not prepare food for other people during this time (unless they are in the cleaners as well), or buy, plan or clean for them. Stay focused on your own healing. - You may have changes in your evacuation patterns. This is a good sign that cleaning is taking place. You may have other signs correlated with detoxification, such as headache, muscle or joint pain, fatigue, changes in body odors, etc. These things are usually temporary and happen in the short time that the body eliminates toxins.
- It can help to keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings during this time. It is common for people to have flashes of insight during a cleanse, wanting to capture their reflections. You can also experience negative emotions, which, in a week later, you will not be able to remember what you were angry or depressed about, unless you write it down.
You can use your journal to continue working after you detox, as memories, dreams, and other mental and emotional responses will often surface. - After cleansing, gradually return to a normal way of eating, adopt healthy nutrition practices. After detoxifying once, it is easier for most people to take a break from harmful substances such as caffeine, nicotine, sugar, etc.
- This process can be repeated for a more thorough cleaning. This could be done up to twice a month. You can do some of it continuously, like drinking hot lemon water or cleansing teas.