The best way to love your liver

It has taken me what feels like a lifetime to understand that what I put into my mouth really and truly effects how I feel emotionally and physically. Our bodies are not equipped to withstand constant abuse and neglect, thinking that they will always be able to bounce back on their own. Most importantly, our livers are what end up suffering the most. Without a healthy liver, there isn’t a single organ or system in the body that can function optimally. So what am I getting at? If you’re reading this blog thinking to yourself ” hey, i wonder if this pertains to me?” It probably does. As an Acupuncturist and as patient myself, I’m here to share the one key thing that I do on a daily basis to cleanse and nourish my now happy healthy liver.

My day starts with a shake. No It’s not shakeology, isagenix or an of those other trendy drinks. It’s something I make from scratch that helps to not only detox my liver but to strengthen and nourish it. I’ll lay it out there for you then break it down for you so that you can understand what each component is used for.

1 cup goat milk kefir
1 tablespoon cod liver oil
1 tablespoon flax seed oil
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 raw ORGANIC egg ( yes I said raw)
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1 large piece of fresh ginger root
1/2 a lemon with the seeds ( no rind)
Blend it all together in a nutribullet or strong blender and drink!

Yes this sounds awful. Yes this sound scary. Yes the first time I drank it I wanted to cry. But now I find myself craving it in the morning because my body now recognizes it as a nourishing revitalizing food source. Now here are the reasons these ingredients are combined as so:

Goat kefir- it’s one of the most nourishing and easily digestible probiotic drinks on the market. It’s not always easy to find, but stores such as Whole Foods and Grassroots both carry this product. I use it in my shake because it’s the perfect carrying agent for all of the other ingredients, and the fact that it has billions of live probiotics makes it soothing and replenishing to your gut.

Cod Liver Oil, Chia Seeds and Flax See Oil- these are three of the most nourishing foods for the liver. These two oils and seeds actually help to replenish the liver by providing omega 3 fatty acids, as well high doses of vitamin A and D.

Turmeric- it’s not only one of the most anti inflammatory foods in the world, but it actually helps to repair and regenerate damaged liver tissue.

Raw Organic Egg- when eaten in its natural state, it will help eliminate stored toxins better than any other food or supplement, and will provide the liver with a tremendous amount of sulphur. (Sulphur is the key agent in detoxing the liver.) Cooking the egg changes the structure of the proteins and eliminates the enzymes, sulphur and mostly all the nutrients. You don’t have to worry about salmonella with an organic egg, because in reality only sick chickens lay sick eggs.

Ginger root and lemons- these are nice additions to boost the liver, further reduce inflammation, and soothe the stomach. The lemon seeds are thrown into the drink because they actually possess a pain reducing effect, similar to an aspirin, and help ease any aches and pains your body may have in the morning!

Drinking this shake once a day on an empty stomach will give your liver all the vital nutrients and detoxifying properties that it needs to stay healthy. In Chinese medicine we say that the liver not only detoxes physical waste, but it also detoxes emotional waste i.e. anger, frustration and by products of stress. The more physically clogged your liver is the more emotionally imbalanced you will be. So do yourself a favor and make this one change to your diet and help your liver get on the road to recovery.