While the internet would have you believe that you need a supplement or cleanse to support your body’s detox pathways, our bodies detoxify daily on their own. We can absolutely have difficulty with certain organs that can negatively impact our ability to detox, but you might be surprised at what will actually help you detox better. No, it’s not milk thistle. While I do love this herb, there’s a lot more to supporting liver detoxification and detoxification in general than just taking a supplement. A lot of the same foundational lifestyle habits that I talk about all of the time are what actually helps support our detox pathways. Let’s dig in!

How Our Bodies Detox On Their Own

Let’s break down exactly how our bodies do this through our liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and GI tract. The liver is the primary organ responsible for detoxification. It breaks down and metabolizes toxins, converting them into less harmful substances that can be easily excreted from the body. The liver achieves detoxification through two primary phases: Phase I and Phase II.

Phase I reactions involve enzymes that convert fat-soluble toxins into intermediate products.

• All about oxidation and getting the detox process started.
• Activated by external toxins like toxins in our environment, food, beauty products, alcohol, etc.
• Can also be activated in a positive way by herbs, citrus, vitamin C rich foods, cruciferous veggies, B vitamins, certain amino acids, and minerals like magnesium and iron.
• Our first line of defense against toxins, but the substances detoxified in phase 1 do require further detoxification, which is where phase 2 comes in.

Phase II reactions involve conjugation, where these intermediate products are combined with other molecules to make them water-soluble and easily excretable (can easily leave the body).

• All about conjugation, which uses 6 different pathways to take water-soluble Phase 1 metabolites OUT of your body through your sweat, bile, urine, and stool.
• Neutralizes the free radicals from phase 1.
• Phase 2 requires:
  • sulfur
  • amino acids (glycine, cysteine, taurine, methionine)
  • vitamin B12
  • glutathione (made from the above amino acids)

The kidneys play a crucial role in detoxification by filtering waste products, excess substances, and toxins from the blood. These waste products are then eliminated from the body through urine.

The respiratory system helps eliminate gaseous waste products, such as carbon dioxide, during the process of respiration.

The skin can eliminate certain toxins and waste products through sweat, though its contribution to overall detoxification is relatively smaller compared to the liver and kidneys.

Phase III of liver detoxification is elimination. This is where our GI tract comes in. Once we have packaged up toxins properly through phases I and II, we have to eliminate them. We do that through breathing, urine, and sweating but we also eliminate through our bowel movements. If we do not eliminate them properly, we will recycle those toxins and increase the body’s overall toxic load.

That’s a lot, right? So it probably wouldn’t be surprising to hear that detoxification requires energy. Many popular detox programs reduce calorie intake too low, which completely counteracts the energy we need to carry it out properly. Let’s talk about what can actually support our body’s ability to detox.

What Can Enhance Our Natural Detox Processes

There are two major areas that I like to focus on when it comes to naturally supporting our detox pathways: nutrition and lifestyle.

Nutrition

• Nix the juice cleanses and dieting extremes and instead focus on eating enough. They don’t work because they are often missing key nutrients and ENERGY that your liver needs in order to function properly. Stripping the liver of these important building blocks will hurt detox way more than it helps it.
• Eat enough calories and enough carbs to keep glycogen levels stable.
  • ​Learn more in this episode of the Are You Menstrual? podcast. ​
  • When we don’t eat enough carbs we create a lot more work for our liver on top of the 500+ functions it is already doing.
  • Eat 30-60 minutes after waking and then again every 3-4 hours. Also include a bedtime snack. (Replenishes glycogen and keeps T3, active thyroid hormone levels, high.)
• Fuel the liver with real foods rich in: B vitamins, vitamin C, amino acids, vitamin E, vitamin A, taurine, magnesium.
  • B vitamins: Eat more vitamin B rich foods to support phases 1 and 2 detox by incorporating organ meats like liver once a week, or take a daily supplement.
  • Amino acids: Eat adequate protein that is easy to digest and absorb. Eggs, grass-fed beef, shrimp, bone broth, and gelatin are great. Consume more eggs. Eggs are a great source of choline to support bile production, which helps you break down fats.
  • Vitamin C: Include citrus fruits, in whole food form, to increase vitamin C. Vitamin C supports fat mobilization and acts as an antioxidant to support all of the work the liver is doing.
  • Vitamin A: beef liver and cod liver oil
  • Taurine: shellfish, dark meat from turkey and chicken
  • Magnesium: cooked greens, avocado, cacao, beans

Lifestyle/Environment

• Get 8-9 hours of sleep each night so that your liver can process as it’s meant to do. Sleep is restorative to every organ in the body. Ideally, we are sleeping close to when it is dark and waking close to when it is light. This can vary depending on the person and their schedule, but this will benefit your circadian rhythm greatly, which will help support not only detoxification but your hormones, gut health, and brain function as well. Do the best you can and make small changes to start collecting big wins. You can do it!
• Reduce toxic exposure, which in turn will reduce the overall burden on the liver. You can do this by removing plastics, switching to a menstrual cup or period panties, and using a water filter. All things we talk about in more detail in tomorrow’s episode!
  • It’s important to note that even making some swaps is better than nothing. I see a lot of extremes in the non toxic living space. Every time you make a swap you reduce your toxic load and burden on the liver.
• Get moving! When we are getting regular movement and exercise it supports our blood flow and lymphatic system. That blood flow to the liver is important for detoxification. We also need to move regularly to keep our lymph flowing. Our lymphatic system does not have a pump, so it requires us to get it moving. Movement is also often a big stress reliever and can be a great way to support healthy cortisol and blood sugar levels. All things that in turn support our liver.
• Get in the sun and sweat!
• Try castor oil packs 2-3x per week to help reduce liver inflammation and provide fat soluble antioxidants for nourishment. I share my favorite castor oil pack in the obsession of the week.

If you want to hear even more about this topic check out this podcast episode from the are you menstrual? podcast.

reminder: i’m currently taking on 1:1 clients. if you’d like to explore what it would be like to work together and if we are a good fit, fill out this form to get more details!​