Dish up some lovin' to your liver and gallbladder with this simple and delicious detox relish! Wonderful as a refreshing salad with your favorite protein or as a side dish. Easy to digest and fun to crunch on-- your digestive tract (thus your hormones, mood and brain) will thank you for this mega boost of cleansing fiber and nutrients!
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10,000 Toxins Per Day!
There are estimates that we are each exposed to thousands of toxins and chemicals DAILY. That sounds outrageous! But let's think about it.
From cosmetics and personal care products to furniture to mattresses and carpet to cans to plastic containers to pesticide residues on clothing and food to cleaning supplies to unfiltered water to car exhaust and industrial pollution to dental work to pharmaceutical drugs to children's toys etc. etc.-- it's easy to believe our daily exposure is very, very high! Some estimate we are each exposed to more than 10,000 toxins per day.
In fact, there are more than 80,000 registered chemicals used in the United States right now and the majority do not have any safety testing.
There is no doubt we ALL encounter plenty of indoor and outdoor air pollution everyday.
That's why gentle detox is a great habit to get into. Every. Single. Day!
Why Gentle, Everyday Detox?
Detoxing doesn't have to be intense. In fact, I prefer everyday detoxing to hardcore cleansing because it doesn't overwhelm your body with a flood of toxins. When you enter a gnarly detox program you run the risk of toxins getting backlogged and recirculating into your bloodstream, making you feel MUCH worse than when you started!
And what is the point of that?!
When you do daily, gentle detoxing through yummy foods and drinks, you support your body's natural cleansing machine-- namely the liver, gall bladder, digestive tract and immune system.
If you do choose to do a more intensive detox program be sure to read my article on how to know if and when your body is ready for nutritional detox.
In the meantime, try more mild methods like this nourishing relish and this morning hydrating tonic!
6 Simple Superfoods with Major Super Powers
This recipe includes some simple, but powerful cleansing foods that support your digestive tract and especially your liver and gallbladder-- your body's major cleansing organs
Beets: shown to have protective effects on the liver and also shown to boost glutathione production, our body's most powerful antioxidant which scavenges for free radicals including various environmental toxins.
Carrots: supportive of bile flow and loaded with toxin-binding fiber, that some believe binds up excess estrogen (which many of us are subject to due to the high number of xenoestrogens in many personal care products such as shampoo and lotion); also shown to provide antioxidant protection.
Green Apple: high in malic acid and traditionally used for gallbladder cleansing and also shown to help bind up heavy metals such as aluminum for elimination in urine.
Lemon: used in for centuries in tribal medicine for liver health and bile flow; high in vitamins and disease-fighting phytonutrients which have been shown to scavenge free radicals (toxins) throughout the body; particularly high in citric acid shown to bind to aluminum and other heavy metals for excretion in poop.
Ginger: supports the GI tract in numerous ways such as reducing bloating, gas, nausea and heartburn/reflux. It also promotes movement of the intestines (digestion/elimination), boosts immunity, reduces inflammation and offers improved circulation for cardiovascular health.
Raw Honey: soothing for the digestive tract and works against a variety of harmful gut pathogens, including H. pylori
Let the cleansing begin!
Green Apple, Beet, Carrot Relish with Ginger & Honey
You can easily double this recipe if you want a bigger batch. It stores well in the fridge up to 3 days and gets more delicious as it marinates. The ginger makes it spicy so add as much or as little as you like (or skip). Enjoy!
Prep: 10 minutes Dress: 2 minutes Total: 12 minutes Serves: 2-4
The links in the recipe below are affiliate links chosen for product quality and purity.
Ingredients:
1 whole organic beet, peeled and grated
1 large organic carrot or 2 medium organic carrots, grated
1 organic green Granny Smith apple, grated (with skin on)
1 organic lemon
1-2 inch knob of organic ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 heaping teaspoon of raw honey (add more if needed)
sea salt to taste
Optional Extras:
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
You can use a food processor with a shredding blade or box grater to shred the veggies and fruit. I grate the ginger on the small grate of a box grater (all others on large grate). Place all grated ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Squeeze lemon over everything and toss lightly with your heaping teaspoon of raw honey until mixed. Mixi in any optional ingredients. If you want more of a relishy vibe, you can mash a bit with potato masher or squeeze with your hands to release more juices.
Let me know in the comments if you make this relish and what you think! Or tag me in your Instagram photo @nourishandcherish.ntp.
If you need personalized nutrition help feel free to contact me for your free 20-minute Discovery Session to see if we are a good fit. You can learn more about my services here.
Be sure to check out my Clean Shop for all my favorite non-toxic resources for your kitchen, home and family! You can grab a FREE BRAIN HEALTH BREAKFAST GUIDE below to get started on your hormone balancing journey!
References:
Bhavsar, S. K. (n.d.). Investigation into Hepatoprotective Activity of Citrus limon. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13880200701214995
Clifford, T., Howatson, G., West, D. J., & Stevenson, E. J. (2015). The potential benefits of red beetroot supplementation in health and disease.Nutrients,7(4), 2801–2822. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7042801
Domingo, J. L., Gómez, M., Llobet, J. M., & Corbella, J. (1988, May). Comparative effects of several chelating agents on the toxicity, distribution and excretion of aluminium. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3391623
Haenen, G. R., & Bast, A. (2014). Glutathione revisited: a better scavenger than previously thought.Frontiers in pharmacology,5, 260. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2014.00260
Miller, M. (2020, May 5). Toxic Exposure: Chemicals Are in Our Water, Food, Air and Furniture. Retrieved from https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/06/407416/toxic-exposure-chemicals-are-our-water-food-air-and-furniture
Nikkhah Bodagh, M., Maleki, I., & Hekmatdoost, A. (2018). Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials. Food science & nutrition, 7(1), 96–108. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.807
Raichel, D., Sass, J., Reade, A., Sass, J., Fedinick, K. P., Lam, Y., … Nrdc. (2018, September 4). Toxic Chemicals. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/issues/toxic-chemicals
Robertson, Brydon, Tadesse, & Eastwood. (1979, September 1). effect of raw carrot on serum lipids and colon function. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/32/9/1889/4692446
Srivastava, S., Siddiqi, Z., Singh, T., & Bala, L. (2019). Beetroot Supplementation on Non - Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients.Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal,7(1), 96–101. doi: 10.12944/crnfsj.7.1.10 Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332759371_Beetroot_Supplementation_on_Non_-_Alcoholic_Fatty_Liver_Disease_Patients
About the Author
Roxie Daggett is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) with a virtual holistic nutrition practice in Sedona, Arizona. Her passions include studying nutritional research pertaining to brain health, gut health, genetics and longevity. When she is not geeking out on nutrition she enjoys cooking, hiking, organic gardening and hanging out with her wonderful husband, and her adorable, energetic son who happens to have Down syndrome. Learn more on her About page and stay in touch by grabbing your FREE BRAIN HEALTH BREAKFAST GUIDE above or below!