Trying to find ways to make a healthy liver for your body? Drinking green juice could be just the solution that you’re looking for!
Today, we are sharing three easy green juice recipes that will help you maintain a well-functioning and healthy liver that handles its workload efficiently. As a result of that ramped up ability, you will feel renewed and look pretty awesome, too.
But, before we share those recipes, let’s learn a little bit about your liver. Do you know what it does and how much impact it has on your overall well-being? Take a look.
Fast Facts About Your Liver
Table of Contents
It is a large organ
Not only is your liver a large organ, but it’s also the second-largest one in your entire body. It’s second only to your skin in terms of size. On average, a healthy human’s liver weighs in at around three pounds.
The location of the liver
Your liver resides in the upper right-hand portion of your abdominal cavity. It rests above the stomach, intestines, and the right kidney. Anatomically speaking, it sits atop your other digestive organs.
It prefers a healthy diet
This organ loves it when you consume a healthy diet. Because your food choices fuel its functionality, your liver prefers a diet of:
Green tea, according to a Japanese study
- Water, to keep hydrated
- Lemons (lemon water, anyone?)
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Leafy greens
- Berries
- Grapes
- Cauliflower
- Grapefruit
- Celery
- Carrots
- Nuts (it loves the dose Vitamin E)
- Fish
It’s picky about the foods it doesn’t like
On the other hand, your liver feels sluggish when you consume specific things. Those are:
- Alcohol
- Fried foods
- Excessive salt
- Red meat
- Soda
- White rice
- White pasta
- White bread
When you eat (or drink) these food options, your liver goes into a tailspin. It doesn’t perform well, and it can cause you to get sick.
The functions of your liver
So what, exactly, does the liver do for your body? This organ is a powerful multi-tasker and drives many functions within human beings. In fact, the liver performs over 500 essential tasks–too many to list in a single blog post! It’s an incredible organ that is vital to many biological functions.
Here are just six of the significant jobs performed by this organ:
1 – Produces bile
Bile is the gastric juice that helps break down your foods, especially fats, as they being their journey through your digestive system.
2 – Supports the immune system
The liver provides a line of defense against illness. It aids your immune system by filtering specific bacteria before it enters your bloodstream. Therefore, your body becomes better equipped to fight infections.
3 – Provides energy
The liver transforms extra glycogen into glucose, a source of energy for your body. It neatly stores it away until your body needs that boost.
4 – Cleanses your blood
When you’ve overindulged in alcohol, the liver cleanses your blood. This cleansing process keeps the body free of not only alcohol but also drugs and other toxicities.
5 – Regulates blood clotting
Without this vital organ, you would not produce healthy blood clotting. Your body needs to be able to form clots to avoid bleeding out in the event of an injury. However, you don’t want to form dangerous internal clots, either! The liver dictates all of that for you.
6 – Stores iron for your body to use
This organ also processes your hemoglobin, separating out the iron as it works through the liver. It then stores that iron (an essential mineral needed for your health) and releases it as your body demands it.
Recipes: 3 Green Juices for a Healthy Liver
Ready to get juicing? Read on.
Liver “Flush Juice”
When your liver is sluggish, a flush is in order! This smoothie will flush toxins from your liver and help amplify its processes.
Ingredients:
1 cucumber
8 stalks of cleaned celery
2 lemons
2 large handfuls of kale greens
Instructions:
Wash the outside of your produce to remove any bacteria from the skin.
Leave the skin on the cucumber and one lemon.
Remove the peel of the second lemon.
Place the ingredients in your masticating juicer for a vibrant green juice.
Post Alcohol Liver Tonic
Despite your commitment to a healthier lifestyle, perhaps you indulge in the occasional drink. When one thing leads to another, and you wake up with a hangover, this liver tonic can help nourish your body and restore your liver.
Ingredients:
A large handful of dandelion greens (preferred, but you can swap out other greens)
2 green apples, such as Granny Smith
2 stalks of celery
1 carrot, with the greens
2 lemons
½” piece of fresh ginger
Instructions:
Remove the peels from the lemons for this smoothie. Otherwise, it will be bitter tasting.
Look for organic carrots with the green tops still attached. If you can’t find them, a plain old carrot will work fine
Add these ingredients to your juicer, and work them into a smoothie.
Liver Detox + Metabolic Boost Juice
In Eastern medicine, specific herbs and spices help to kick start the metabolism. By adding two of these ingredients to this detoxifying juice, you’ll re-balance your body into metabolic bliss.
Ingredients:
10 dandelion greens (or other greens of your choice)
1 cucumber
6 stalks of celery
6 stalks of asparagus
½” piece of fresh ginger
⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Instructions:
Wash all vegetable to remove any impurities or germs
Leave the skin on the cucumber
Place all the ingredients into your juicer and enjoy the zippy flavor of the warm spices that are kicking your metabolism into high gear.
Take Care of Your Entire Body
When you want to promote a healthier body, try a green juice for a healthy liver.
As you have learned, this incredible organ supports many of the processes you need for life itself. It’s responsible for everything from filtering the blood to keep it free of toxins to releasing the bile your digestive tract needs to eliminate waste, among about 497 other processes!
Indeed, you could say that taking care of your liver is like taking care of your whole body. And you’d be telling the truth!