A Fresh New Year Start

Do you know the saying, “it’s not what you do from Christmas to New Years, but what you do from New Years to Christmas.” With that in mind, let’s kick the year off right, and focus on good health for 2016, by bringing attention to the organs that detoxify the body and will help to keep you in tip top shape post-holiday season.

The Mighty Liver: To keep our bodies clean, we need to thank the liver. It cycles toxins out of our body, and dumps them into our digestive system for removal. Pretty, I know.

A few simple ways to support the liver are;

Lemon water first thing in the morning. Take a ¼ of a wedge of lemon and squeeze it into a glass of warm water. The bitter flavour of the lemon stimulates the liver and gallbladder as well as supporting digestion. It’s a simple and healthy habit to start your morning off right.

Eat either an apple or a grapefruit every day. These fruits are high in calcium-d-glucarate, which promotes the liver detox pathways. They also decrease the risk of hormone dependent cancers.

1 cup of dark green vegetables daily. Think kale, chard, collards, arugula, spinach, bok choy, mustard greens, watercress. You get the point. These greens are rich in phytochemicals, antioxidants, and are nutrient dense. The liver loves anything green!

Support the Kidneys: In Chinese Medicine the kidney are located in the “lower burner” also known as the “drainage ditch”. It’s where the impure water goes for removal from the body.

To support the kidneys;

Drink Water! There really is no better way to flush out your system.

Add cucumbers and parsley to your diet. Both these foods have diuretic properties, and have cleansing properties for the urinary system.

Lastly, you want to support the bowels. A great addition to your diet is 2 tbsp of ground flax seedsdaily. You can add these to cereal, applesauce, yogurt, smoothies, oatmeal or sprinkle it on salad. Just don’t want to heat them. Ground flax seeds are high in fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and a phytochemical called Lignans.. I give ground flax seeds two thumbs up.

Wishing you all a wonderful and healthy 2016.