Beet & Lemon Juice Liver Detoxifying Diet

The liver is responsible for metabolizing, producing bile and removing toxins from the body. Without a healthy liver, the body can't function at peak capacity. A yearly liver detox diet primes this organ to do an effective job of clearing toxins out of the body and restores it to a healthier state.

Why Beets?

• Beets are essential to liver improvement because they thin the bile, allowing it to flow more easily through the body and into the small intestine, where it is broken down and peristalsis is stimulated. This enhanced bile flow aids in the prevention of gallstones, a leading cause for surgical removal of the gallbladder. Because of this, beets are are a good diet addition for preventing and reducing the chance of gallbladder attacks. The pigments found in red and yellow beets, called betaxanthin, protect liver cells from harmful chemicals by providing powerful protection from antioxidants.

Why Lemon?

• Lemon juice aids in the digestion of food and prevents undigested or partially digested food from entering the blood stream; this syndrome is know as "leaky gut." Your liver recognizes undigested food as toxins and has to work to filter them out. As the digestion process is improved, the liver can relax. Lemon juice also contains antioxidants from vitamin C. As the liver removes toxins from the blood stream they become free radicals, and their negative effects are then neutralized by the antioxidants.

Beet & Lemon Juice Detox

• 1/2 small beet
  Handful of beet greens
  1/2 fresh lemon
  4 dandelion leaves
  2 cored apples with skin
  1 inch fresh ginger
  1 cup distilled water

  Preblend the beet in a blender or food processor, then add other ingredients. Strain liquified ingredients through a cheesecloth until smooth. Drink this detoxifying juice as a breakfast substitute. The recipe makes one serving.