Let me get something straight- I love coffee, pizza, whiskey, hot dogs, chocolate, and basically all carbs. In my Chicago neighborhood I enjoy the convenience of being able to walk around the corner to the plethora of Greek fast-food restaurants. Moreover, like any woman in her early 20’s I adore the nightlife, which is usually accompanied by way too many drinks and a cigarette trailing soon after. To my dismay, this way of living has had its negative impacts. For one, it made me cranky because I looked and felt like crap. However, when I dove deeper in to this “feeling like crap” phenomena I realized it was so much more than that. I was harming my body and literally damaging my organs. The machinery on the inside wasn’t properly fueled, which meant the outside looked pretty banged up. My skin was broken out, irritatingly dull, and I was having a hard time keeping that extra five or ten pounds off. I felt imbalanced and out of control, so I started dieting and cutting myself off from the big bads!
Well, that commitment did not last too long. I was constantly craving naughty foods and eventually fell back in to all my bad habits. Completely cutting myself off for a long period of time was not the way to go. I threw my body in to shock from eating too little and lacked proper nutrition, and I also stunned myself mentally. You crave something for so long, and then when you finally get it you end up binging while watching re-runs of Sex and the City and hating Carrie for being such a hot, tan, skinny be-yotch. Back to the point, my skin ended up breaking out again and my tummy was not looking so tiny. Why did I gain all that weight back so quickly, and why did it feel like my skin freaked out overnight?
Happy liver = tighter tummy!
Thanks to one of my girlfriends on Pinterest, I found the answer. Most of my friends are obsessed with fitness and health, often finding the newest and latest ways to stay on top of their game! I came across a picture of a woman’s beautifully fit, bronzed bod and found a link taking me to an educational video regarding weight loss and the liver. What I came to find is that the liver is one of the most vital organs to your health and well-being, and it is funny how often it is forgotten. This little guy does wonders for your skin and weight! All the toxins from the nasty processed foods, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and other unnatural items that we ladies almost unwillingly try to avoid, filter through our liver during digestion. Eventually, like any filter, it becomes clogged with these pollutants. Our abilities to burn fat at maximum capacity decrease while also losing the power to keep future impurities from damaging our skin cells. Fortunately, all is not lost.
A lifestyle change must be made through diet and mindset. In order to kick-start this new way of living it is necessary to begin a temporary, initial cleansing stage. I finally began to understand that a crash diet or insane amount of exercise would not fix my issues. I had to be clean from the inside to be vibrant on the outside, and balance my diet in a healthy way versus cutting myself off from everything. I removed the contaminating factors from my body’s chemistry, and gave my face and figure a fighting chance. I must say, I prefer the subtler version of the many liver cleanses that exist. I do not believe you have to go through a day or two of misery in order to flush out your body, instead just eat and drink your way to internal harmony. My program might take more time, but it works just the same. You will need a few things from the grocery store:
- Complex Carbs: Whole grains, brown rice, oatmeal, rye and a few other carbs of this nature provide protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Fruits: Tasty and full of fiber and antioxidants! Ever heard the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Apples (among a few other fruits) contain pectin, which is a great intestinal tract cleanser!
- Veggies: All vegetables provide vitamins and minerals and also aid in cleansing and nourishing the body. However, specific kinds are high in sulfur like garlic and onions. Sulfur is effective because it traps toxins and helps excrete them from the liver.
- Liver-friendly drinks: This references freshly-squeezed juices and other natural beverages. I am not talking about sugared-up, flavored, dyed, bottled phonies. Veggie juice, fruit juice (like lemon and grapefruit), and sweet almond milk- all great choices when thirst takes over.
Now I know this list seems a little limited, and at first it may be difficult to follow my plan. Nonetheless, it is okay to slip in a sweet treat or cup of coffee here and there, whatever your poison may be. I still recommend a two-week period before regularly incorporating less liver-compatible foods back in to your diet. When it comes to curbing less favorable intakes, attempt to avoid white flour, coffee, sodas, alcohol, greasy foods, dairy products, fish, poultry, and meats. After those first fourteen days add protein back in to your diet while the rest of the items on the no-no list can be consumed one or two days out of the week. I usually give in to temptation on the weekends in small doses (even then I will skip a weekend here and there to keep me on the healthy side). Happy cleansing Chiq ladies!
P.S. Visit the website of Dr. Charles D.C. and learn about your liver, the Fat Loss Factor, and also Google other amazing liver cleansing diets- there are tons of them all over the internet. Just make sure you stick to the all-natural ones. Shy away from the plans that are oddly expensive or difficult to follow. Taking care of your body the right way should not be mission impossible!
