So after having celery juice for a year and witnessing the amazing results, I immediately read the book The Liver Rescue,by The medical medium,Anthony William, to learn more of what useful information he had to share.
The book can be found on Amazon any your local bookstores. It is a big book! Has a lot of information about so many diseases and illnesses and all explained in easy layman words so all can comprehend and relate. My take away from reading the book was that our livers are overburdened with all the toxins we encounter everyday, and that there are so many people with sluggish livers who don't even know about it, and are facing health challenges. They could be having difficulty to lose weight, mystery weight gain, aging, skin conditions,constant bloating, chemical and food sensitivities, night sweats, chronic fatigue,fibromyalgia and even diabetes.
At the end of the book he reveals the Liver cleanse, which I decided to do and a few other people joined me which was great! During detoxes and cleanses its very important to have a community so we all share our experiences and learn from one another.
Its a 9 day liver cleanse with 3 phases,avoiding fats so that the liver can focus on detoxing instead of breaking fats and producing bile.
I did this cleanse to give my liver a break so it could release some of the toxins it has accumulated over the years to protect me and my health.
Facts about the liver
The Liver is the largest internal organ and a great multi-tasker.
1. Its a Detox Centre:
All you eat and drink gets filtered through your liver, medications too!
Nutrient rich blood from the digestive system passes through the liver to be metabolized, stored or detoxified. It then passes back to the bloodstream or bowel for elimination.
2. Its an energy centre:
The liver removes sugar(glucose) from your blood, converts it to glycogen and stores it. When your body needs energy the liver breaks it down to glucose and sends it to your bloodstream.
3. It produces
Bile is a fluid made by the liver that breaks down fats into smaller particles. Bile also eliminates waste products such as excess cholesterol.
4. Stores vitamins:
Essential vitamins like A,D,E& B 12 and minerals like iron,copper are stored in the liver, then supplied to the cells when needed.
5. Most amazingly can regenerate itself
The liver is the only organ that can do this! isn't that incredible! only takes between 8-15 days to create new liver tissue.
6. Helps in managing your weight:
Liver breaks down fat but if you are overweight the fat can accumulate and makes it hard for the liver to do its job the way it should, and this can lead to a sluggish liver.
Days 1- 3
During the first phase you had to cut down your usual daily fat intake by 50% and if you wanted any animal protein you could have it for dinner only.
Avoid gluten,dairy,eggs,lamb,pork,canola oil.
This phase was quite easy for me as I follow a whole food plant based diet, I just substituted whole wheat pasta for lentil pasta and avoided bread throughout the cleanse which was a bit hard as I do love wholewheat bread.
Not having avocodo for breakfast was a bit tricky but I remembered why I was doing the cleanse and started making fat free meals.
Every morning you have lemon water and before bed some lemon balm tea and lemon water again. I had around 12 apples in 3 days, and will still have more the next 6 days.
Symptoms some of the group experienced were some bloating, constipation,headaches, diarrhea. These are all expected in the detox, as the liver warms up to focus on detoxing and releasing toxins.
Days 4-6
This is when things get restricted, and I will be honest can get repetitive and boring however you feel so much more energetic and lighter. Celery juice and the breakfast smoothie is introduced in the mornings, and I must say the liver detox smoothie was delicious!
There will be a lot of greens, asparagus and Brussels sprouts in this phase, so yes alot of toilet trips. You will not feel hungry at all as there are no portion control which is great.
Bowel movements were healthy, I had no more bloating however there were some that still had bloating. We are all unique and react differently to the same food and thats what amazing about this cleanse it gives you time to understand your body.
Days 7-9
Celery juice intake doubled and spinach soup over cucumber noodles was introduced. It was my first time having spinach soup and was actually good!
Day 7 was a feast as we could have some steamed squash and potatoes with the asparagus & Brussels sprouts.
Mostly everyone in the group experienced high levels of energy in this phase, some lost weight, and one had fewer period cramps than normal and better glowing skin.
Day 9 was only on juice all day, however it was surprsingly easy. The celery juice,cucumber and apple juice, blended melon,blended papaya and fresh orange juice were very satisfying.
Overall Group feedback:
Weight loss between 2 -4kg
Increased energy levels
Better bowel movements
Overall feeling of happiness
I personally enjoyed the cleanse and plan to do another one in November, if you would like to join the group please send me a message. I will share the shopping list and detailed menu plan for all the phases. I will also offer support and guidance everyday during cleanse.