3 Ways to Prepare for Liver Cleansing
It’s the season for spring-cleaning! For your liver, to be precise.
According to various branches of Eastern Medicine (TCM, Ayurveda…) Spring season corresponds to the liver, and its accessory organ, the gallbladder. According to these traditional medical systems, we must go with the flow of nature to stay healthy and balanced. Real detoxification happens when we use and follow the healing energy and wisdom of nature to rebalance the body in the way it needs. Each season tells us we need change in its own unique way.
The liver is one of our most vital organs and it plays a huge part in how the body detoxifies. Simply put, we need healthy liver function for any lasting, deep detoxification to happen. So cleanses and fasts are not so effective when we forget to nourish this organ!
This season, we will provide you with a 8 Part Series on Liver Detoxification for Spring.
But before we get into the cleansing recipes to come, let’s start with the basics.
1. See Where Your Body is at.
Going with the flow of nature doesn’t mean forcing things. It’s so easy to go all into cleanses and take them to the extreme. But the level of rebalancing needed for each person varies according to how out of balance one is. Too much of a good thing is not necessarily a good thing. Remember: balance is the aim. Are you experiencing things like springtime allergies, difficulty losing winter weight, stuffy sinuses, PMS, higher blood pressure, emotional stagnation or mood swings, fatigue, hormone imbalances, headaches, joint inflammation, colds and flus, breakouts or excess anger? These often pop up during Spring – it’s nature’s was of telling us how connected we are to it and that we’re out of balance in some way. If you are Spring-symptom free, the aim for you is prevention – by following the tips in the upcoming weeks, you can maintain a state of balance in the liver to keep your whole body functioning smoothly. Maybe that just means adding in a Spring detox recipe into your diet a few times a week. Listen to what your body needs, and don’t go further than that.
2. Spring Clean Your Space.
Your house, your office, your closet, your fridge, your room, your studio – we give you full permission to set aside a day or two and finally get around to cleaning it out. When energy isn’t moving freely or correctly in the environment around us, it’s hard for it to move freely within us. Get rid of the clutter, the junk, and store away the winter comforts that you no longer need. Add more green plants. Make space for the freshness of spring. If you want to go the extra mile, pick up a feng-shui book for 2016’s energy deco tips according to Chinese astrology!
3. Prepare Your Body.
Before we add new, liver-strengthening recipes into the body, we need to make space. That means clearing out and cutting out old crap. Heavier winter foods were needed at the time, but now we can slowly ease off and become lighter. Cut down on caffeine, alcohol, and sweets for a little while and begin to drink more fluids and eat more whole foods. Even for you raw vegans out there – now’s the time to chill with the nuts and nut butters (remember, the liver produces bile which helps digest fat: let’s give it a break). Let’s prevent the body from shock when detoxification begins – do it slowly and lovingly. And most importantly, do it because it feels really damn good.
Stay tuned for the 8 Part Series on Spring detoxification!
by Isabella Gucci-Ruffalo xoxo