Dieting, Nutrition

Liver Detox Diet – Why You Need to Follow One?

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The mission of a good liver diet is to remove toxins and poisons from the body while feeding it with important nutrients that are easy to digest. That doesn’t necessarily mean that a liver cleanse should be a starvation diet, but instead one that offers simple, easy to digest nourishment that also allows it to easily rid itself of built up toxins.

What are These Toxins a Liver Detox Eliminates?

Toxins are chemicals, waste and other build up that remains in your intestines over a long period of time. A liver detox diet is meant to eliminate toxins but isn’t considered a good weight loss option. It’s not a diet you want to follow over a long period of time, and it doesn’t teach you how to change your eating habits.

Because your bad habits aren’t relearned, any weight loss you do experience may come right back after you go off the liver detox diet. Still, this detox program is ideal when you want to eliminate pesticides, smog, alcohol, caffeine, acids and other harmful substances from your body.

Why Detox?

Although there is no scientific proof that these substances harm your body, most nutritionists believe that a liver detox can remove the toxins your body holds in the digestive system, lymph nodes and gastrointestinal system, as well in the cells of your skin and hair. They believe these toxins are the cause of fatigue, nausea and headaches.

What Is a Liver Detox Diet?

To detox your body you need to temporarily give up certain foods. It is a type of fast or purging of your body, where solid foods are gradually reintroduced to your diet. A sample diet of this nature would be one where you start a liquid diet for a day or two. Depending on the diet, these liquids might include water mixtures, or raw fruit and vegetable blends. Once you complete the liquid part of the liver detox diet, you may move into a four or five day period where you only eat steamed vegetables and fruit. In the end, you add other food items except for red meats, sugar, eggs, prepackaged foods or junk foods.

During a liver detox you stick to organic fruits, vegetables and lots of water. Items like alcohol, caffeine, drugs, tobacco and processed foods are strictly banned from a good detox program.

Popular Detox Programs

As with most diet plans there are certain detox programs that are more popular than others. Made popular by celebrities around the world, these programs often offer the same benefits as the lesser known diets. The following is a list of the most popular and effective liver detox diets on the market today:

  • The Fat Flush Diet
  • The Master Cleanse
  • Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet
  • Raw Food Diet

The Fat Flush Diet

The Fat Flush Diet is a low carb detox plan. It is a diet plan that gets rid of bloating, supports the liver and cleans the lymph nodes. Some say the Fat Flush diet also eliminates cellulite for good. The diet is based on essential fats like flax seed oil, balanced proteins like eggs, meat, fish and some soy. It also includes low glycemic health carbs like vegetables and fruit.

The Master Cleanse

The Master Cleanse is also known as the Lemonade Cleanse. This diet also serves as a liver cleanse and eliminates the stored body toxins. It is a diet that takes some willpower as it requires you to drink lemonade made of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, 6 to 10 times a day, without eating anything else. Most expert master cleansers suggest you stay on this diet for 10 days.

Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet

This plan was created by Dr. Roni DeLuz a naturopathic doctor and registered nurse. It is a liquid diet that allows for 48 ounces of water, 40 ounces of herbal tea, 16 ounces of home-made vegetable soup, vegetable juice and berry drinks. It has a good mix of vegetables and a fruit to make sure your body gets the nutrition it needs. Although this may be an excellent detox program, it’s not one you want to go on over a prolonged period of time as it lacks essential proteins, fiber and fatty acids.

The Raw Food Diet

This may seem a fairly simple diet to follow, only requiring you to eat raw, uncooked vegetables and fruit. But it is a little harder than you might think. There are certain food restrictions, limiting the types of fruits and vegetables you can use.  You’ll also need to make some time to prepare meals as many use food processing or blending times.

Bottom Line

All of these options offer excellent liver cleansing options. However, the plan you choose will depend on your lifestyle and your ability to follow the detox diet plan. Remember, whichever option you do choose you should only follow the program for a few days, as prolonged diet periods can cause health issues. If none of these liver detox programs appeal to you, consider a medical procedure where a professional will use cleansing products or herbs to purify your liver and help it work effectively. These medical procedures either involve the insertion of an enema or a tube through which a herbal mixture is pumped through the rectum into the large intestine.

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