Liver support at Christmas

With lots of parties and festivities throughout December we need to look think about liver support to help us detoxify the additional load on the body.

Why does the liver need more support?

Your live is very good at detoxification. You don’t need any detox teas or juice diets. But there is some added work for your liver at certain times of the year, so we can support it through diet and lifestyle.

Your detoxification pathways could be needing to process extra alcohol, less exercise, extra cake and chocolates, and all the other normal lovely festive treats!

Here’s a few tips on keeping your gut moving at Christmas.

Drink water

Drinking around 2 litres of water a day will support the liver in cleaning and detoxifying. This is best in small amounts throughout the day, rather than downing a pint at the end of the day.

Staying hydrated also helps our skin look more plump and less dry. Alcohol is a diuretic so the liver will need to drag water away from your skin to keep going.

Get your 7 a day

Eating 5 vegetables and 2 fruit a day will help to increase your fibre which supports our detoxification process through the gut.

If we don’t pass a bowel movement at least once a day hormones and toxins can begin to recirculate around the body from the colon. You can also start to feel very bloated and full.

Fruit and veg are also full of minerals and vitamins that we need for optimal health.

Anti-inflammatory foods

Turmeric, garlic, onions, ginger are all great to include in the diet during winter. These foods help to warm us up from the inside, useful when it’s so cold! Green leafy vegetables are also important to include – adding some greens to your diet each day will help detoxification processes.

Milk thistle

This herb has been used for centuries as a traditional liver support. Some people find it may help them feel better if taken before bed after drinking alcohol, and again in the morning.