Ankh Rah's Healthy Living Guide: 5 juice cleanses that anyone with a sluggish liver, kidneys or lungs needs to know about!

Thursday 6 October 2016

5 juice cleanses that anyone with a sluggish liver, kidneys or lungs needs to know about!

When you perform a cleanse, or as I like to call it; a ‘cleanup’ of the body, you are naturally supporting your detoxification pathways. Cleanses work by taking the stress away from your digestive system. In food cleanses your trigger foods which are dairy, gluten, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol are removed, and in a juice cleanse you are indeed resetting your digestion by simply nourishing your body with pure liquids that do not require chewing or extensive digesting.

What you put into your mouth is the biggest factor in how effective a cleanse will be, when you follow a program such as my 3-Day Reset Juice Cleanse you can be successful in converting toxins to waste which can now be easily eliminated from your body in a safe way. After the completion of the 3-Day Reset Cleanse, you can notice increased energy, improved digestion, glowing skin, clear thoughts and a better nights sleep.

This is where your Superstar Cleansing Organs come in, here are their behind the scenes roles that you might not feel – but this is what they are doing to support you.

How Your Superstar Cleansing Organs Support You

The Liver

By far the top highlighted cleansing organ, our liver alone is responsible for over 500 functions, including the amazing ability to regenerate itself. This organ’s main function is to filter blood coming from the digestive tract before passing it to the rest of the body. Our liver removes toxins we may have ingested from foods, additives, toxic minerals like chlorine and fluoride, medications and excess hormones. Our liver also plays roles in managing blood sugar levels and protecting the body against bacteria, viruses, and cancerous cells.
Supporting the Superstar: Dandelion greens, turmeric, garlic, leafy greens, lemons, cabbage

Practicing Mindfulness: Negative emotions such as anger, frustration, jealousy, irritability, resentment and envy slowly eat away at both the liver and gall bladder.

The Kidneys

These little guys are essential for keeping our bodies in a state of balance. They regulate fluid levels in the body, control blood pressure, and keep our blood stable. Each kidney is made up of about a million filtering cells called nephrons which filter toxic waste out of our blood by excretion through the urinary system.
Supporting the Superstar: Watermelon, celery, cucumber, dandelion, parsley, apple cider vinegar, tart cherry, cranberry

Practicing Mindfulness: The emotion of fear is well related to the kidneys. When we are in fear, we experience increased urination. Prolonged periods of anxiety can also weaken the kidneys.

The Colon

A healthy colon eliminates toxins from the body one to three times daily, whereas an unhealthy colon produces toxins and adds a hardness and fullness to our lower abdomen.
Supporting the Superstar: Flax, aloe vera, ginger, fennel, garlic. Be sure to continuously sip a clean source of water daily and eat natural sources of fiber like leafy greens, chia seeds, avocados and other fresh fruits with every meal to support healthy elimination.
Practicing Mindfulness: Our colon is very sensitive to the feeling of anxiety, which can be related to IBS tendencies.

The Skin

Our largest organ is our skin, which also makes our skin the biggest surface area of detoxification pathways. We can tell a lot about what is happening inside of our bodies by the appearance of our skin; for example, blemishes are a signal of rooted toxins trying to escape.
Supporting the Superstar: Avocado, coconut oil, hemp, green tea, berries, filtered water, flax, neem. Cease in the use of drugstore skin care products; try organic coconut oil or shea butter as a moisturizer. Exercise daily, hop into a sauna (infrared is ideal) and stimulate your lymphatic system through dry brushing your skin and then alternating hot and cold water in your shower.

Practicing Mindfulness: Understand the connection between the digestive system and the skin. Emotions play an impact on our skin when hormones are not in the balance due to emotional, physical, and mental stress it can lead to inflammation as your body’s natural response. In Chinese medicine Skin Mapping is practiced, where you can relate certain breakout areas to what is happening inside of your body, read more here.

The Lungs

Our lungs oxygenate our blood when we breathe in and release carbon dioxide when we breathe out. Respiration is the term for “the exchange of oxygen from the environment for carbon dioxide from the body’s cells.” Many of us, by habit, take short, shallow breaths due to anxiety and stress in our lives and this relates to the inability to relax. This is not optimal for this important detoxification pathway. Focus on making your breaths deep and calm, plus I think you should laugh a little more! Another cool point is that 80% of fat loss is exhaled in the form of carbon dioxide, so proper breathing is essential in that respect as well.
Supporting the Superstar: Green tea, ginger, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, apples, pomegranates, filtered water.
Practicing Mindfulness: Sadness, depression, and grief target the lungs and can result in shortness of breath and fatigue. Our lungs need a feeling of space, and when we are without “breathing room” the lungs feel constricted, overwhelmed and smothered.