Sometimes the most important part of any big cleanse is what you do afterwards. If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.  Today I’m sharing a simple guide to use after your liver cleanse and flush is completed.

I know that you’ll get busy and forget some of these. Please don’t feel the need to be perfect, this is just a guideline! There’s no shame in ordering takeout pizza one night (hopefully on gluten free crust) because you didn’t have a chance to go to the grocery store and everyone is starving. Yes, I’ve been there.

That said, be sure to listen to your body. If you overdid it one day, give your body some love the next day. You deserve to treat yourself well and your body will thank you for it!

Food

• Eating organic is essential in order to reduce overall toxic load (pesticides, heavy metals and herbicides).
• Eat foods that are in season for your area, not only are they fresher they also help us adapt our own biorhythms to the seasons.
• Drink plenty of water and herbal teas and consider juicing celery juice to drink on an empty stomach. Celery juice helps stimulate digestion.
• Eliminate gluten and dairy products because both will often create inflammation in the body. That said, some of you might tolerate sheep and goat milk products well but eat them in moderation.
• Rethink your meals. Not every one of them needs to have animal protein. Load up on lots of veggies and then spread out fish or meat throughout the week. SMC recommence 2-3 times a week and eggs 1-2 times a week. Remember always eat organic and pasture raised for eggs and meat. For fish, stick with wild caught and lower-on-the-food-chain fish like cod as opposed to tuna.
• Ditch the carbs for dinner. Avoid breads, pastas and sweets that can cause a spike in blood sugar and tax your pancreas.
• Finally, chew your food. It’s the first place digestion starts!

Getting Some Sun

• We don’t normally think of vitamin D as a hormone, but it is and we need it! Vitamin D is involved in thousands of immunological processes. It’s essential for preventing cancer, reducing inflammation, building bones and reducing fibromyalgia to name a few.
• Be sure to test your levels twice a year, once in March and once in October to see if supplementation is needed.  SMC recommends a range of 100 – 130 nmol/l (40-55 ng/ml) but other functional medicine doctors I’ve met with prefer the upper range of that being the minimum you want to strive for. If you’re below range you may want to take anywhere from 4,000 iu of D3 with K and up to get you in the right range. Be sure to work with your functional or naturopathic doctor for this.
• Optimal Vitamin D can help slow the aging process as well, and you can read about that here.
• Sunbathe! If you can, sunbathe for 30 minutes a day and be sure to expose that skin. If you live in the Pacific NW like I do, you probably are bundled up for half the year at least. In that case go back up to the second bullet.

Continue to Support Your Liver

• Make the liver cleanse and flush at least twice a year.
• Make a coffee enema once a week to help remove toxins from your intestines and colon.
• Take regular baths with epsom salt – 1 to 2 cups and soak for 20 minutes.
• Eat bitter veggies and fruits and consider an herbal bitters 10 to 15 minutes before each meal.
• Reduce carbs to a minimum and avoid these in the evening.

Remember, don’t be hard on yourself for falling off the liver detox wagon! Just get back on it as soon as possible.

To learn more about ways you can reduce your toxin exposure and rebalance your body, join my 5 Day Summer Detox for Beginners. This program starts on July 13th but early bird sign up ends July 8th and space is limited! Hope to see you there.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes only and is not designed to diagnose or treat any diseases.