When it comes to detox, we often think of extreme measures—juice cleanses, starvation—but total deprivation is unnecessary (and unlikely to have long-term benefits). At its essence, detox is simply ridding our bodies of all the junk that can build up—heavy metals, candida, parasites and other forms of toxicity. These toxins are everywhere in our environment—in our beauty products, our foods, even in our deodorant. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, in particular, are problematic. They’re absorbed through air pollution, contaminated foods and our water supply, and can wreak havoc on our bodies via anxiety/depression, digestive issues, fatigue and headaches, immune and cardiovascular problems, and more.

So how does that fabulous filtration organ, the liver, fit into this equation? The liver works overtime to convert toxins to waste products, cleanse the blood and metabolize nutrients and medications. The liver needs certain molecules such as glutathione to do its heavy-duty work. These can be found in our food, but if we are eating a highly processed diet then we miss these important nutrients, due to gut imbalance—bad bacteria beat out the good bacteria, leading to malabsorption. 

Enough of the bad news; here’s the good. We can support our natural detox system simply by following the Golden Goddess Plate. The energy required for digestion takes away from other functions like detoxification, but the Golden Goddess Plate allows the body to rest from digestion in a balanced way so it can perform its other functions. In particular, we can turn to specific foods to support the liver in its detoxification mission:

1.Cauliflower– roast it, saute it, put it in your smoothies

Roasted Cauliflower: The New York Times

2. Broccoli – roast it with olive oil and salt

Sauteed Broccoli- AllRecipes

3. Cabbage – let it lend crunch to salads, tacos or fajitas

Sauteed Cabbage– Well Plated

4. Burdock Root – roast it and add its nutty flavor to soups or salads

How To Cook Burdock Root– growforagecookferment

5. Lemon water – drink after your celery juice

6. Avocado – a food chameleon that augments all

Tahini Salad With Smoked Chicken– Nourishing Lab

The liver works overtime to convert toxins to waste products, cleanse the blood and metabolize nutrients and medications. The liver needs certain molecules such as glutathione to do its heavy-duty work. Click To Tweet

When we look at detoxification from this realistic, body-centric lens, the end goal is simply to wean yourself from specific foods or habits, and jumpstart incremental, new behavior changes that have lasting change alongside an exercise plan you enjoy that varies cardio and weight-bearing activity. It’s good science, it’s sustainable and it doesn’t deprive your body of specific nutrients that it needs to support your everyday activities. So let’s show our livers some love in 2020!