Why you have to prepare the liver for a detox
The liver is a fascinating organ – especially in the way it works to remove toxins from the body. It literally takes essential nutrients, like choline and combines them with toxins to get the body to secrete them.
This beautiful process makes it safe for the kidneys to remove them from the body. And, for those people more "technically minded," this process is called conjugation.
You must prepare the liver for a detox by supplying it with the vitamins and minerals that support liver health and strength and enable the liver to flush heavy metals and toxins from the body safely.
The liver: Your body’s chief detoxification organ
The liver is the chief organ responsible for detoxifying the body. It does this through 3 pathways called, "phase one," "phase two," and "phase three" detoxification. Today, we'll focus on the first two ... but, the third one is the "transport phase."
The phase I pathway
The phase I pathway detoxes the body chiefly through the use of enzymes that break down toxins into small, manageable parts. The chief enzyme primarily responsible for this is called Cytochrome P450, and it needs minerals to thrive, like magnesium, niacin, iron and riboflavin.
The phase I pathway breaks things down into manageable parts, then sends these to the phase II pathway, which combines these “parts” with molecules from minerals like magnesium, for example, which it uses to make the toxins safe to remove by the kidneys.
Foods to support the phase I pathway
Foods highest in vitamin B2, B3 and iron include fish, meat, poultry (especially turkey) and eggs. Magnesium is found in nuts, seeds, spinach, avocado and Swiss chard.
The phase II liver pathway and foods that support it
The phase II pathway uses a whole cabinet full of compounds to disguise toxins and help shuttle them safely out of the body so the fragile kidneys are not damaged. Chiefly these are amino acids like:
- Methionine (eggs, meat, fish, nuts, seeds)
- Taurine (scallops, mussels, clams)
- Cysteine (chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese, eggs)
- N-acetyl cysteine (beans, lentils, spinach, salmon)
- Glutamine (beef, chicken, eggs, spinach, fish)
- Glycine (meat, fish, eggs, legumes)
- Ornithine (meat, fish, eggs)
- Arginine (turkey, pumpkin seeds, fish)
- Glutathione (asparagus, avocado, cabbage, spinach, broccoli)
This is just one reason why it’s important to have a well-rounded diet full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and trace minerals as well. The liver needs an abundance of nutrients to detoxify the body safely.
Good supplements to nourish the liver for a detox
- B-complex vitamins
- NAC
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Glutathione
- Milk thistle
- Antioxidants like, vitamin C
As a final note: Be sure to have good gut health and elimination before starting any detoxification program. Simply put, a healthy bowel movement (every day) is essential to protect your health.
If you are dealing with any serious health issues, be sure to work with a qualified healthcare provider to guide you in the process of getting rid of unwanted debris.
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