Are you experiencing more bloating, breakouts, and lower energy levels than usual? You may be in need of a liver cleanse. The liver works hard every day to clear toxins from the body and produce compounds that the body requires to carry out its duties effectively. Because the liver plays such a crucial role in the body’s detoxification processes, it can be susceptible to excess sugar, alcohol, and environmental toxins.
Luckily there are things you can do to support liver health. If you’re looking for ways to detox the liver, then you’ve come to the right place. Read on to find out more about making a liver cleanse drink and additional tips for promoting liver health.
Why Is Taking Care of Your Liver So Important?
The liver is a vital organ that plays many roles in the body. The liver is responsible for carrying out metabolic processes, synthesizing proteins, producing cholesterol, detoxifying compounds in the body, and producing bile to help break down fat in the digestive tract.
The liver plays a role in so many biological functions. Therefore, our overall health and wellness depend on how well the liver is doing its job.
Liver Cleanse Drink Ideas
Having a few recipes on hand is helpful when you want to do something extra to support your liver. Keep in mind that there is no single best drink to cleanse liver. Instead, there are a variety of liver-friendly drinks you can make to support optimal liver health.
1. Dandelion Iced Tea
Dandelion root tea is revered for its liver-cleansing effects and is often considered to be a liver detox tea. Research suggests that dandelion tea may have beneficial impacts on the liver and help promote hormonal balance.
Research on dandelion has shown that it may have a therapeutic role in managing type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. (1)
First, you can purchase dandelion root tea or prepare your own using dandelion root and leaves found at the grocery store. Seep tea bags in boiling water, using the ratio of one teabag per cup of water. Dandelion tea tends to have an earthy taste that pairs well with ginger or citrus fruits like lemon and orange.
If you want stronger lemon and ginger flavors, add zested lemon peel and grated ginger. For just a hint of flavor, drop ginger chunks and full lemon peel to your tea to soak. Allow the tea to cool. Serve over ice cubes and enjoy as a liver-cleansing drink.
Keep in mind that it’s essential to avoid adding sugar to the iced tea. Even though sugar may make the tea taste better and sweeter, sugar is an inflammatory agent for the liver. Instead, stick to flavoring with lemon peel, ginger, and lemon juice. When serving, add a little bit of almond milk to make the drink a little smoother in taste.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar and Ginger Shot
Try a liver cleanse with apple cider vinegar as an ingredient. Apple cider vinegar has been shown to have liver-protecting properties. In fact, a study published in The Journal of Membrane Biology found that apple cider vinegar helped decrease oxidative stress in the livers of mouse models. (2)
Apple cider vinegar may also help promote good metabolic function, meaning it can help reduce the risk factors associated with fatty liver disease, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
We recommend preparing an apple cider vinegar beverage in “shot” form because generally, apple cider vinegar tastes very strong, and it’s not something you want to sip on leisurely. So, how can you make an apple cider vinegar shot? First, pour 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a glass. Dilute the vinegar with a few tablespoons of water. Add lemon juice and fresh ginger juice. For an extra liver-supporting punch, add a little turmeric.
3. Green Machine Smoothie
This smoothie is packed with greens and essential amino acids that support your liver and overall health. First, chop up kale and spinach and place them in the blender. Add fresh-squeezed orange juice, an apple, brewed and chilled green tea, and ice cubes. Add in an essential amino acid supplement for an extra boost of components that may enhance liver health.
Research shows that certain essential amino acids may have a beneficial effect on liver disease and liver inflammation. (3) Plus, the body requires optimal ratios of essential amino acids on a daily basis to synthesize muscle, build hormones and neurotransmitters, and produce enzymes.
4. Vitamin C Quencher
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for human health that operates as a potent antioxidant. As a result, vitamin C supports liver health by helping liver cells clear oxidative stress and reducing inflammation in liver tissue.
To prepare this vitamin C thirst quencher and liver protector, peel and quarter two blood oranges. Toss into a blender along with ice cubes, lemon zest, and a few pitted dates for sweetness. Try adding an orange-flavored essential amino acid supplement for more health-promoting effects.
5. Beetroot Shake
A beet shake is an excellent way to incorporate a detox smoothie into your daily regimen. Beets are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and have the potential to protect the liver from oxidative stress. Plus, a study conducted by Brazilian researchers found that beet stalks and beet leaves have hepatoprotective effects on mice eating a high-fat diet. (4)
Beets are also respected for their ability to increase blood flow throughout the body. Beets are rich in natural nitrates that help the endothelium work better. The endothelium is a layer of muscle cells that lines the blood vessels and controls the contraction and dilation of blood vessel walls.
Increased intake of natural nitrates helps blood vessels dilate more, increasing blood flow throughout the body. Better blood flow means that all organs throughout the body receive more oxygen, vitamins, and antioxidants. Increasing blood flow to the liver is an integral part of a liver detox and can help liver tissue repair and rejuvenate.
Although this beetroot shake idea may sound like a strange concoction, it’s actually quite tasty! To prepare a beet shake as a liver detox drink, first juice whole beets, including the stalk and leaves. Pour the prepared juice into a blender, along with ice cubes, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, and a frozen banana. For extra sweetness, add in a few pitted dates. Blend until smooth.
6. Green Tea
A meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine found that drinking green tea reduced the risk of developing liver conditions like fatty liver disease and liver cirrhosis. (5)
The polyphenols and catechins in green tea are potent antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress throughout the body, including the liver. You can enjoy green tea hot or cold. It can also be added to smoothies and shakes. Either way, be sure to drink green tea earlier in the day, since it contains caffeine and may interfere with sleep.
7. Milk Thistle Tea
Research has established a therapeutic link between milk thistle and liver health. (6)
Milk thistle is known to help reduce inflammation in the liver while also protecting liver tissue from toxins. You can incorporate milk thistle into your liver cleanse by taking a supplement or preparing a milk thistle tea.
Other Tips for Promoting Liver Health
Here are just a few more ideas for supporting the health of your liver. A liver cleanses drink on its own will likely not do too much for liver health. Incorporating these dietary tips into your regimen will help liver cleanse drinks work more effectively.
1. Weight Loss
Losing weight, if you are overweight, is an essential part of protecting your liver. Weight loss is especially useful if you have fatty liver disease. Losing fat tissue also reduces the fat content of the liver, subsequently reducing inflammation.
To lose weight and reach a healthy weight, keep your calorie intake at a level that supports your activity level and metabolism. Incorporating exercise into your daily routine will also aid weight loss.
2. Avoiding Alcohol
Alcohol is an inflammatory component for the liver and increases the risk of liver disease. The liver must break down and detoxify all of the alcohol that you consume. Drinking lots of alcohol results in the buildup of free radicals in liver tissue, causing oxidative stress. Limiting or avoiding alcohol is critical to promote optimal liver health and encourage the repair of liver damage and inflammation.
3. Eating Fruits and Vegetables
A liver detox diet is composed of lots of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like polyphenols and carotenoids. These micronutrients help protect liver tissue and help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Try incorporating foods like broccoli, spinach, kale, berries, and apples into your diet on a daily basis.
Eating a diet rich in fresh produce also offers other health benefits. Fruits and veggies fortify the immune system, helping to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the liver as well as throughout the body.
4. Avoiding Junk Foods
When eaten in excess over a long period of time, junk foods can put stress on the liver and cause the buildup of fat. To help cleanse your liver, steer clear of foods like candy, pastries, chips, ice cream, and cookies. It’s also important to stay away from foods that are high in saturated fat like steak, full-fat dairy, and preserved meat.
Saturated fat, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates contribute to metabolic dysfunction and obesity. A diet high in these unhealthy components also raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease.
5. Increasing Your Fiber Intake
We all know that fiber is useful for keeping the digestive tract moving and relieving constipation. But did you know that eating plenty of fiber-rich foods is vital for supporting your liver health? But what does fiber have to do with liver function? Fiber is critical for supporting gut health, and it turns out that the gut and the liver are connected.
A fiber-rich diet promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. Having a healthy balance of good bacteria in the gut microbiome is critical for liver health. When these good bacteria break down food, they produce anti-inflammatory compounds in the digestive system. These compounds are then absorbed by the lining of the digestive system, where they then enter the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, these compounds can travel to the liver and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
Moreover, eating plenty of fiber helps the digestive system function more efficiently. As a result, this takes the pressure off of other organs in the body that are involved in digestion, such as the gallbladder. It turns out that gallbladder and liver health are interconnected. The gallbladder stores bile that is used to break down fats during digestion and the liver is responsible for manufacturing bile.
To increase the fiber content of your diet, reach for foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
6. Eat a Variety of Veggie-Based Protein
Getting an adequate amount of protein in your diet is vital for supporting liver health. The individual components of protein – called amino acids – are crucial for supporting metabolic processes in the liver. In particular, it’s important to get a balanced ratio of essential amino acids in your diet.
Animal sources of protein offer optimal ratios of essential amino acids. However, animal proteins are often packed with saturated fats, which have an inflammatory impact on the human body, including the liver.
To support liver health, stick to primarily vegetable-based proteins. In order to get all of the essential amino acids you need from the foods you eat, it’s necessary to eat a variety of plant protein sources each day. Whole grains, nuts, seeds, and soy products offer essential amino acids. For example, try sprinkling flaxseeds and walnuts on your oats, having whole grain bread and peanut butter for lunch, and tofu with brown rice for dinner.
7. Eat Plenty of Healthy Fats
Healthy fats play a critical role in reducing inflammation throughout the body, including the liver. To support liver health, eat plenty of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, and steer clear of saturated fats.
To increase the amount of monounsaturated fat in your diet, reach for foods like avocado, olive oil, and nuts.
To increase the amount of polyunsaturated fat in your diet, choose foods like salmon, mackerel, sardines, walnuts, pecans, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that is incredibly healthy for the liver and helps reduce inflammation.
Things to Keep in Mind About Liver Cleansing
Though restrictive liver detox programs are trending, it’s important to avoid severely restrictive regimens that suggest drinking only tea for a week, for example. Instead, a healthy, balanced diet, plus liver-cleansing drinks, can help get your liver health back on track.
It’s also important to sustain a healthy diet over time, to support liver health. Two weeks of a healthy diet, no alcohol, and green tea might improve liver health, but results are short-lived. Eating primarily junk food and drinking lots of alcohol will wreak havoc on liver health again. Instead, strive to eat a balanced diet and make healthy food choices a permanent part of your lifestyle, in order to maintain a healthy liver.
Finally, before adding supplements and herbs to your diet, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor and a registered dietitian to make sure that your diet fits your specific needs. It’s also important to consult your healthcare provider about treatment for your liver conditions. Though a liver cleansing diet may be helpful for certain liver conditions, it’s always important to seek medical guidance and ensure that your medical regimen and dietary regimen are aligned. For example, you will require antiviral medications to manage a liver condition such as hepatitis C.
Cleansing the Liver: Conclusion
Liver cleanse drinks alone will not promote liver health. Instead, to enhance the efficacy of liver cleanse drinks, pair them with a healthy, plant-based diet rich in fruits, veggies, fiber, and high-quality protein. Both a liver cleanse drink and a healthy diet will have an additive effect in promoting liver health and function.
References:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5553762/
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24894721/
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6619856/
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073334/
