Love Your Liver: Get Juicing!
It's so easy to overindulge during the festive period, what with the inevitable feasting, drinking and chilling out on the sofa rather than getting outside for some fresh air and exercise. Treats are important - a little of what you fancy really does do you good - but a lot of what you fancy can start to take its toll on sensitive livers.
The liver performs many functions, from storing energy and supporting the immune system, to detoxifying the blood and assisting digestion. When it gets a bit clogged up - a common January ailment - we can experience fatigue, slugishness, irritability and even symptoms of depression.
Raw fruit and vegetables are an amazing tool for cleansing your liver - eat fresh and organic for maximum benefits. Here are our top juicing ingredient tips for liver health this January:
Green Veg: broccoli, spinach, kale
Healthy fats: avocado, coconut, seeds, nuts and extra virgin olive oil
Fruit: Apples, lemons, limes, grapefruit
Alliums: garlic, onion, leek
In addition to juicing, be sure to cut down on caffeine, alcohol and dairy products. Simple!
To help you take care of your liver this January, we're offering BUY ONE GET ONE FREE juices to all of our Gold Members this January!
~ Leafy Greens: Kale, spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, and especially dandelion greens purify the blood and stimulate the liver to produce it’s cleansing enzymes. Dandelion root makes a great liver-cleansing tea. Though not exactly leafy, asparagus and artichoke deserve special mention for their liver-supporting properties.
~ Alliums: Garlic, onion, and leek are powerful liver cleansers. Chop raw garlic finely, squeeze lemon juice over it, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to prevent potential damage to the digestive tract.
~ Fruit: Apples for their pectin, which binds to heavy metals and draws them out of the body; and lemon, lime, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits for their cleansing properties and vitamin C content.
~ Chlorophyll: Spirulina, chlorella, and the super dark greens.
~ Curcumin: Turmeric, cayenne, and ginger.
~ Brassicas: Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Especially broccoli sprouts which are particularly high in liver cleansing micronutrients.
~ Healthy Fats: Avocados and cold-pressed extra virgin organic olive (in moderation) help the body produce the liver-supporting HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Walnuts and ground flax seeds are helpful, too.
- See more at: http://www.myhealthylivingcoach.com/cleanse-your-liver-with-raw-foods/#!
The liver is one of the most important and multi-talented organs in the body. It performs more than 5,000 functions, including detoxifying the blood, creating proteins from amino acids, storing energy, supporting the immune system, and assisting digestion. It is the main filtering organ of the body, and all blood flows through it at some point. - See more at: http://www.myhealthylivingcoach.com/cleanse-your-liver-with-raw-foods/#!
This warming, substantial soup is a breeze to rustle up - you can have it on the table within half an hour! Delicious with some chunky wholemeal bread slathered in soy margarine...yummy. Powdered stock rather than the real deal is totally acceptable. We recommend Marigold Swiss Vegetable stock powder, which is widely available in decent sized tubs, they also do a reduced salt variety. You will need a blender or hand blender for this recipe. Serves 4.
2 tbsp olive oil | 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped | 4 heads broccoli, chopped into florets | 1 litre stock | salt & freshly ground black pepper | pinch of chili flakes
