There are lots of foods that are perfect for a liver detox, as they help the liver process fat-soluble toxins and convert them into harmless water soluble compounds which can then be easily passed from your body. Here’s a list of some well known and very effective liver detox foods that are also easy to prepare.

Beetroot

Beetroot is a real powerhouse for any detox program, not just a liver detox. It contains betaine, which protects the liver from alcohol, and it also thins the bile and helps it to flow along the bile ducts more easily.

Dandelion roots

Dandelion roots contain inulin, which nourishes beneficial gut bacteria, stimulates the liver detoxification function, and helps to lower blood sugar. You can buy dandelion tea and coffee in health food shops.

B vitamins

Contained in whole grains and pulses, such as oats, millet, chickpeas and brown rice, the B vitamins are essential in a liver detox. Vitamin B1 helps to deal with the effects of alcohol, smoking and heavy metals. Vitamin B2 is used to produce glutathione. Vitamin B3 is needed for the breakdown of several toxins, while B4 detoxifies the acetaldehyde byproduct of alcohol breakdown.

Magnesium

This essential mineral is found in dark green, leafy foods and is one of the key nutrients that your liver needs to manufacture enzymes for toxin breakdown. Choose bitter green leaves, such as watercress, rocket, chard, dandelion greens or mustard greens, to help your digestive enzymes and to provide the chlorophyll which purifies the blood.

Oranges, lemons and limes

These stimulate the production of glutathione and help the process by which the body eliminates sulpha drugs. Start finding some new ways to use them; for example, by making a refreshing detox drink by adding some lemon juice to a cup of hot water to start the day; or mixing it with olive oil as a salad dressing; or squeezing some fresh orange and lime juice over a variety of crisp, wok-fried vegetables.

Turmeric

The key spice found in curries, giving them their distinctive yellow color as well as flavor, turmeric slows down the first stage of detoxification in the liver but speeds up the second, so that you are less prone to damage from the intermediate toxic chemicals and their associated free radicals.

Live yoghurt

Live yoghurt is a superfood that contains probiotics: beneficial bacteria that displace harmful toxins in your intestine. However, you must be sure that you get the right kind which has a high lactobacilli content. It should always say ‘made with live and active cultures’ on the label. If it has been frozen, or has artificial colors and fruit flavors added, you are on the wrong track, and it will have little if any impact in a liver detox program.

Probiotic bacteria

These are fragile, and those that are found in ‘bio’ yoghurt which has been standing around on a supermarket shelf or in your fridge for a week or more will contain fewer live bacteria than freshly made cultures. If in doubt, you can buy probiotic supplements for liver detoxing in health food shops – select one that supplies at least 1-2 billion colony-forming units (CFU) of acidophilus per dose.