I know you are in a hurry.
Acne breaks out on your face, you feel depressed inside, and even your nails start to stand up with lines, as if to protest against you: "Hey, the system responsible for detoxification is about to be paralyzed!".
There are numerous references to eating this and that on the Internet. Such as cruciferous plants, mung beans, lychees, etc. It is dizzying and dazzling to see. However, have you ever thought about it, maybe the problem is not “what kind of food to eat” at all, but that we have long forgotten how to communicate well with our bodies?
Don’t let the word “detox” fool you
In the field of scientific medicine, there is no such established statement as “liver detoxification diet”. Data released by the American Liver Foundation clearly shows that the liver itself is essentially an extremely efficient chemical factory. It does not require you to prepare a so-called "detox package" to demonstrate its value.
Is this the case for you too?
While drinking the strongest wine, soak in wolfberry which has great health-preserving effects. When I was staying up in the darkest night, I searched for "what is good to eat for liver detoxification".
In fact, the liver is quite aggrieved.
## Those misunderstood “detoxification heroes”
A functional medicine doctor gave an analogy that I thought was particularly wonderful.
He calls broccoli sprouts the "master detoxifier". The concentration of sulforaphane in this thing is 20 to 50 times that of mature broccoli. It is specifically responsible for starting the second phase of detoxification in the liver and packaging those oil-soluble toxins into water-soluble garbage.
Sounds awesome, right?
But the point is, it needs a partner.
That thing called cauliflower belongs to the category of "cleanup force". The dietary fiber rich in it is like a sponge, absorbing the packaged toxins, and then, as you know, flushed away from the sewer.
Without the cleaning team, the general manager has been busy for a long time, but the toxins are still piled up in the intestines, absorbed again, and returned to the liver.
Busy work in vain.
So, do you already understand? Instead of focusing on eating so-called "superfoods," focus on eating "food combinations."
Cyan, not just a color
Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that “green enters the liver.” I didn't believe in this before, thinking it was metaphysics.
But when I checked the nutritional data later, I found that the chlorophyll, vitamin C, and folic acid in spinach, and even the chlorophyll, vitamin C, and folic acid in dark green vegetables such as broccoli, are indeed absolutely indispensable supplements for the liver to synthesize detoxification enzymes.
Just like you need bricks to build a building, you also need cement and sand.
If you only eat one kind of food, you won't be able to build a building.
There is a mung bean that has been given a mythical color. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it can detoxify various poisons. However, the modern nutrition society will tell you that once cooked for too long, the active ingredients will be destroyed. See, even how to cook it will test your patience.
## What’s really scary is not “not eating right”
At present, there is a consensus in the scientific community that the greatest harm to the liver is not that you have not eaten broccoli today, but that you are consuming a "Western-style diet" every day. The so-called "Western-style diet" is a diet that contains high sugar, high fat, and ultra-processed foods.
A study, published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, plotted the effects of a Mediterranean diet versus a Western-style diet on the liver.
The Western diet line points directly to inflammation, fibrosis, and even liver cancer.
The Mediterranean diet line points to insulin sensitivity and fat loss.
What's the difference?
Not one magic food, but an ongoing, stable lifestyle full of plants and good fats.
## A truth you may not like to hear
At the end of 2024, there was a study published in the journal "Gut Microbes". The main content of the study was how a high-fiber diet can regulate intestinal flora to protect the liver from drug damage.
Researchers have found that beneficial bacteria grown in a high-fiber diet, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, can metabolize a substance called "indole-3-lactic acid" and activate the liver's own antioxidant defense line.
To put it bluntly.
The fiber you eat feeds the bacteria in your intestines.
The bacteria in your intestines, in turn, help your liver.
This is not a one-way "you get what you eat", this is a complete ecosystem.
As for your symptoms called "poor detoxification", that is, depression, migraines, and breast hyperplasia, these symptoms may not be caused by the liver at all, but by an imbalance in the ecosystem.
## Give you an "imperfect" but true suggestion
Don't stick to a certain food.
Don’t ask, “What is the best food for liver detoxification?”
Ask, "Have I given my liver a good rest this week?"
Try to eat enough of five colors of vegetables every day, and don’t keep pointing to just a few.
If you drink, give yourself a day off tomorrow.
Switch snacks to a handful of nuts or a green apple.
When you’re stressed, go for a walk. The liver governs catharsis, and exercise is the best catharsis agent.
Have you heard of it? There is a Meta-analysis just published in the European Journal of Nutrition, which summarized 68 clinical trials. The conclusion is very simple: it is believed that the Mediterranean diet and intermittent fasting are very effective in improving liver function indicators.
It's not about eating a certain thing.
It’s a pattern of eating.
Let the green coconut sprouts be responsible for detoxification, let the cauliflower be responsible for cleaning, let the colorful vegetables be responsible for providing ammunition, and let your good habit be responsible for giving the liver time to breathe.
The ridges on the nails will gradually smooth out.
The acne on your face will slowly subside.
The nameless fire in my heart will slowly subside.
Stop looking for the “best” detox food.
Starting today, you have to make a decision to treat yourself in the best way, which is to eat well and sleep well, which is also a way to detoxify.
It's that simple.
It’s also so difficult.
Comments NOTHING