Juicing for Liver Health & Weight Loss

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Fri. Aug. 29, 2014 by Linda Kordich 

The liver is our largest organ in the body, outside of the skin, so that is the first indication that it’s vital to have healthy liver function. If you do have trouble with liver function, your skin can be dry, itchy, yellow or riddled with a skin disease. 

 

Technically speaking, liver ‘failure’ tends to take years to develop and can be caused by hepatitis B, C, long-term alcohol consumption, cirrhosis and, of course,

A quick guide to liver function
Everything we eat and drink has to be broken down into different chemicals before it can get to work on helping (or, in the case of some foods and drinks, harming) the body. And that’s one of the primary jobs of the liver.
Along with vitamin K, the liver makes proteins – which are crucial to blood clotting. The liver also helps to break down old (damaged) blood cells. 

Simply put, the liver is a key player in every metabolic function within our body. An amazing fact, the liver receives about 25% of all the blood the heart pumps – in every beat. 

So what are the signs of liver dysfunction?
1. The liver feels hard or hurts when you press under your ribcage – on the right side. 2. Your skin looks yellow.
3. You experience chronic indigestion.
4. There are skin diseases.
5. You get easily stressed and feel nervous tension – on a regular basis. 6. Itchy skin.
7. Swelling of legs or ankles.
8. Dark urine.
Juicing is, by far, the most effective, natural and easiest way to cleanse and detoxify the liver. There are specific vegetables and fruits that do a better job at detoxifying than others. 

Top 10 foods to help detoxify the liver
1. Dandelion greens
2. Beets with their tops
3. Apples
4. Garlic
5. Lemons and limes
6. Any dark leafy greens like, kale and collard greens
7. Fresh turmeric (or dried)
8. Cruciferous vegetables like, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower

9. Carrots
10. Grapefruit (leave as much of the white pith as possible) 

There’s so much more to learn about the liver – but we’ll leave that for another day. For now, let’s focus on what we can do to help the liver function at a higher level. My recipe (below) can help – but, first, here are some interesting facts: 

Did you know that the liver can completely rehabilitate itself given the proper support it needs to function optimally?

The liver helps us by taking toxins out of our blood so that our blood can be as clean as possible as it flows through each one of our internal organs such as the heart, pancreas, stomach, intestines and spleen. 

The liver also cleans blood that has just been enriched with vitamins and minerals during digestion. After you’ve eaten something, the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from the food pass from the intestine into the blood. 

Before going out to the rest of the body, the nutrient-rich blood makes a stop at the liver. It processes the good stuff into forms that the rest of the body can use. 

Waste or stuff your body doesn’t need can be carried by bile back into the intestine and out of the body when you defecate. Other waste processed by the liver goes through your blood to your kidneys and out when you urinate. It’s truly an amazing organ – isn’t it? 

Let’s face it, living healthy is the best way to care for the liver. The liver can be damaged if a person is overweight, drinks too much alcohol, has a stressful life, drinks too much coffee and eats too many unnatural sugars. 

Try to keep yourself physically active, eat well, and your liver will keep on loving you back!

These are my best tips to keep the liver healthy
It’s really quite simple: juice and hydrate your body – on a daily basis; live a stress-free lifestyle and don’t forget to exercise. 

Try making my favorite ‘powerhouse liver cleansing tonic’ – which serves 2 people. Naturally, I suggest using only organic produce and juice 4x per week, for 60 days. The results will really surprise you. 

8 carrots (large)
10 small dandelion leaves
1medium sized beet
2 apples
1 inch fresh ginger root or fresh turmeric root 

Source: Linda Kordich

10 Food Rules For A Leaner Body & Glowing Skin

Although no standard set of rules is perfect for everyone, these guidelines can help people of every shape and background get on the path toward vitality. Following these principles 80 to 85% of the time will give you more energy, better sleep, a leaner body, glowing skin and much better digestion … and who doesn't want all that? 

1. Avoid added sugars, whether they're visible, hidden as starch, or artificial.

That's the best advice I have for you! Eat too much sugar every day and you'll grow old in a hurry.

Although I have been dubbed the “Sugar Police,” because of my strict stance against the stuff, many people don’t know that I actually spent a long time addicted to sugar. I constantly felt tired, lazy, insecure, or bloated, and I suffered from severe eczema and had digestive issues. Plus, I always craved sweets, bread, and cereal. 

Maybe you can relate? 

I'm not the only one who hates sugar. A recent study published in JAMA found that consuming too much sugar (which most of us do) is linked to an increased risk of heart attack, dementia, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, liver problems, cancer, and more. 

Sugar has many names (including sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, dextrose, maltodextrin, starch, corn starch, and modified high corn syrup.) But not everyone realizes that bread has almost the same negative effects on the body. 

White bread is particularly problematic because the nutrients from the wheat have been removed, leaving only starch and gluten. My clients who eat white bread often say that they experience bloating, pains, mental confusion, digestive troubles, and worse. 

Whole wheat bread is a bit better for your blood sugar and digestion, but even if the bread is made up of healthier grains like rye or barley, it still contains gluten, which for many people causes digestive trouble. In the end, there isn’t much nourishment in bread that you can’t get by eating other foods.

If you do just one thing, cut sugar from your life!

2. When (and if) you choose to eat bread, eat whole grain products.

Your body can't use the refined products. If gluten's not for you, choose whole grain gluten-free foods (such as wild rice, quinoa, and millet). 

3. Don’t avoid fat. Instead, choose the right fats — they are slimming and good for you.

Many of us blame fat for causing obesity and heart disease, even though this isn’t true. Added sugar, starch from white bread, and pasta are the leading causes of these problems. Your body needs healthy, quality fats for your hormones, nervous system, and immune system. It's essential for good mood and for taste! Among healthy fats are saturated fat from grass-fed animals. This might come as a surprise, since for years it was thought that animal fat is the killer fat. It can be, if the animal is raised on grains and processed food, but NOT if the animal is fed on nontoxic grass. 

Organic coconut oil is good for cooking at high temperatures, but avoid cooking with organic virgin plant oils (like olive oil and flaxseed oil), which have a lower smoke point. It’s also good to have avocado and pumpkin seed oil on the table at home. 

4. Eat good quality protein from grass-fed animals, organic eggs, fish and plant-based proteins.

If you constantly feel tired, both physically and emotionally, you may need more protein. Good quality grass-fed animal protein, organic eggs, and wild fish are a great source of all the amino acids that the body needs. It’s a bit more of a challenge to meet your protein requirements by only eating plant-based foods, but a good combination of nuts, organic tofu, sprouts, lentils, legumes, and wild rice can do it. 

5. Enjoy nuts, almonds, seeds, and kernels every day.

These are great snacks loaded with nutritional value. Even better, they're perfect for combining with other foods to make healthier meals, treats, and desserts. 

6. Eat for beauty by getting several cups of organic greens, vegetables, fruits and berries everyday.

Although nutrition experts disagree on the best way to eat, there is a consensus that we should all eat less meat and more greens and vegetables. When you optimize your food intake to include all the colors of the rainbow, you're also optimizing your vitality. Whole foods that are red, orange, green, purple, yellow and blue — they’re not only beautiful, but they send healthy messages to your body via phytonutrients that "turn on" your health-promoting genes. 

7. Drink 1½ liters of water, as well as pure vegetable juice, green tea, and herbal tea everyday.

The human body consists of 70% water. It’s essential, period. If you don’t drink enough, you'll feel tired, confused, constipated, dehydrated, and suffer from dry wrinkly skin. Green tea is the mothership of herb tea, rich in nutrients, a great energy booster, and an inflammation-fighter. Enjoy green tea every day! If you absolutely must have coffee or alcohol, choose only top quality and enjoy in moderation. 

8. Eat regular meals, and never skip breakfast.

There are three major reasons why people skip meals: (1) They don't have time, (2) They think it will help them lose weight; and/or (3) They have been misinformed that this can be healthy. Unfortunately, these ideas are all wrong. 

Skipping a meal won't save you time, it will only make you tired and confused, costing you more time later as your performance at work or school slows down. Not eating in order to lose weight will switch on your biological defenses, slowing down your metabolism and actually making you gain weight. The misinformation is about not honoring your body’s needs and ignoring love for yourself. 

9. Eat several small meals a day if the standard three-meal structure doesn’t suit your lifestyle.

Eating healthy is about getting variety and eating smart food combinations. Plant-based foods should take up the most room on your plate, about 40%. The healthy fats mentioned above should make up about 30% percent of your plate, and the last 30% could come from the good quality proteins. If your personal needs require a different structure, adapt accordingly. 

10. Take a multivitamin/mineral supplement everyday, even if you eat a healthy diet.

Most of us live in a fast-paced world filled with multitasking, pollution, and other factors that stress the body’s natural functions. Keep in mind, too, that the soil in which we currently grow our food does not have the same nutritional quality as it did before the massive “pesticized” cultivation. Minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc are depleted from the earth in many places around the world. We also have to face that not all of us eat organic all the time. That’s why I recommend quality basic supplements, antioxidants, and vitamin D3. 

If you want to take other food supplements, you should consult a health care professional who can take your personal needs into account. 

Source: Mind Body Green

Detox Diets: Do they Work?

The Promise

Do you need a detox diet -- really? They're popular, but they aren't proven to do what they say they'll do: flush toxins out of your system. In fact, they may be risky and even backfire. Still thinking about it? You should know this first.

Do They Work?

You might lose weight on a detox diet, because they're usually very low in calories. But the idea that your body needs help getting rid of toxins has "no basis in human biology," says Frank Sacks, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health. Your organs and immune system handle those duties, no matter what you eat. Plus, you're likely to lose weight and gain it back when you go off any extreme diet.

What You Can Eat and What You Can't

That depends on the particular detox diet you're following. There are many of them. Some involve fasting, or just drinking liquids. Others allow some foods, like fruits and vegetables. They typically are short diets -- they're not a way of eating you can stick with in the long run.

Level of Effort: High

You'll be hungry and may feel weak. Whether or not a detox diet is safe depends on the plan and how long you stay on it. Most people don’t feel good on low-calorie, nutrient-poor diets. Potential side effects include low energy, low blood sugar, muscle aches, fatigue, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and nausea.

If the idea of detoxing appeals, you might try "clean" eating that focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein -- basically, whole foods without a lot of processing. That's good for you and more likely to give you results that last, especially if you make exercise a habit.

 

Limitations: You're going to go without a lot of the foods you usually eat. Detox diets are typically very rigid and involve eating the same few things over and over.

 

Cooking and shopping: Depends on the detox plan you're following. Because there's not a lot you're allowed to eat, you won't have a long shopping list and prep work should be minimal.

 

Packaged foods or meals: Some detox plans recommend herbs, pills, powders, enemas, and other forms of colon cleansing. Methods vary and often include products that are only available from the author’s web site.

 

In-person meetings? No.

 

Exercise: Not required, and you may not have the energy for it, because you're not getting that many calories.

What Else You Should Know

Costs: Besides your grocery shopping, a detox diet may also call for some supplements and other products, which vary in cost.

Support: None, except for resources you may find online.

Source: Web MD

Add Juicing Benefits To Natural, Healthy Weight Loss

Juicing for weight loss has such a wealth of body benefits that it is fast replacing water detox regimens. If a healthy diet and nutrition program is uppermost on your list of priorities, you will soon discover that juicing for weight loss is the optimal option. So much so, that water fasts will hopefully gradually be phased out. However, don't expect the colorful nutrient-rich juice flowing from a vegetable juicer to magically melt away the pounds on its own. You will unfortunately still need to get off that couch and rev up your metabolism with some form of activity...

While it will be helpful to focus on juicing for natural weight loss, making juicing for health your aim will soon have the health benefits stacking up. You need to make a commitment to incorporate juicing for weight loss into a health style change, a healthy, sensible nutrition program you can stick to for life, and new thinking patterns. Do this, and you will soon see a vibrant, svelte, confident, and happy self in the mirror.

Juicing For Weight Loss Complements Any Healthy Nutrition Plan

The biggest plus of a juicing for weight loss program is that it adds valuable, bio-available micro-nutrients with a wealth of health benefits at a minimal calorie cost, with no dietary fat. You will be downing highly concentrated health cocktails brimming with all the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals necessary for vitality and a healthy immune system. This facilitates optimal functioning of all your body systems.

Consumers are very aware of the side-effects of appetite suppressants, but often feel that they have no other option. Fresh vegetable juice acts as a healthy, harmless appetite suppressant and craving curber, and is therefore without equal in a diet and nutrition program. By juicing for weight loss, you can opt for a glass of fresh juice before your main meal, and experience rapidly diminishing hunger.

Vegetable juice can also play an important role in stabilizing blood sugar levels, a vital factor in nutrition and good health. The sugar percentage is much lower than that of fruit juices and the calorie count is up to 50% less, yet the juice succeeds in satisfying a sweet tooth every time. This makes juicing for weight loss an absolute pleasure. Experiment with carrot or a combination of carrot and parsley juice when a craving hits you, and the juice jolt will give it a knock-out before you know it! Just don't concentrate too much on sugar-laden fruits in the process.

Juicing For Weight Loss Doesn't Have To Break The Bank

Juicing for weight loss doesn't necessitate spending a fortune on a juice extractor. And don't you dare using the 'juicing takes too much time' excuse!

You can jump-start juicing for weight loss with a relatively inexpensive centrifugal ejection juice machine, such as the Nutrisource Juicers or the Breville Juicers. These machines are ferocious feeders and will present you with the goodness of a glass of fresh juice in no time. Your body will relish the rich nutrient boost that encourages cleansing and healing. This is truly juicing for health and vivacious vitality.

Juicing for weight loss can be further enhanced by opting for a masticating juice extractor such as the Omega 8005 juicers, or the well-known Champion Juicers. These juicers have the potential to expand your repertoire in the kitchen exponentially, enabling you to add to juicing for weight loss with a host of other luscious, tempting, low calorie treats. The options include fresh cereals, fruit sauces, and yummy frozen desserts. Your family will never even suspect that you are on a blubber-busting crusade.

Juicing For Weight Loss - Tips For A Trimmed-Down Lifestyle

If you have more than a few pounds to drop, you may want to consider kick-starting the process with a short juice fast. The miracle of juice fasting aids detoxification according to the author of the Juice Master Diet, Jason Vale. While a water fast often drains energy, juicing for weight loss has the potential to give you an energy injection. It also gets all the systems clear and functioning optimally, ensuring that your body is in the best shape to shed the extra weight.

Variety is the spice of life. This also holds true when juicing for weight loss. You want to use veggies and fruits of every color, rotating the different kinds constantly in order to extract a diverse range of nutrients. By juicing for weight loss, you ensure that your body still has access to all the calories it needs for vitality and energy.

If you prefer to start with a balanced, nutrition-rich eating plan, you will discover that having at least one glass of vegetable juice per day will make it easier to reach your weight loss goals in the long run. Fresh juice also becomes an excellent tool in your weight maintenance endeavor later on.

Once you had a taste of the benefits of juicing for weight loss, you will probably not be tempted to fall back into 'the old ways'. You will experience such an enhanced sense of well being, that it will be easy to maintain the juicing routine.

Juicing for weight loss also supplies your body with the concentrated nutrients it needs to manage any ailment more effectively. It also boosts your immune system, and soothes the digestion. You can easily take care of water retention, by juicing a delicious combination of celery, cucumber, cranberry, and watermelon.
 

Slim-Down Treat Recipe 5 carrots 1 apple 1/2 cucumber 1/2 beet 1 rib celery Run the vegetables through your juicer in any sequence you wish. Add a touch of fresh ginger, if you prefer a juice with more bite. Remember: It's not a diet! It's a juicy way of life! Source: JuicingWeightLoss