Gut Health and Liver Detox: How They’re Connected 

Did you know that your gut and liver communicate with each other? The gut and liver work together to maintain your health not only physically, but also mentally. This is why it’s so important to ensure that your gut and liver are both happy and healthy. If you’re experiencing gut health issues, a liver detox may be the answer, making sure to use the best herbs for liver repair.

When your gut is imbalanced, it can lead to all sorts of problems. From bloating, gas, and constipation to more serious issues such as fatty liver disease. Let’s look at how gut health and your liver are connected, how to start and how to detox the liver. 

How Does Gut Health Affect the Liver?

First, we need to understand how gut health and the liver affect each other. It’s NOT a one-way street. Think about the gut and your liver as site managers within your body. They both need to be at peak performance for you to be at your best. Your gut and liver are in constant communication through a connection called the portal vein. 

The relationship between the gut and the liver is commonly referred to as the gut-liver axis. Within this axis is the microbiota. The gut microbiota is the population of microorganisms living inside your gastrointestinal tract. Every person has a unique balance within the microbiota that starts at birth. Your environment, diet, and experiences all affect your microbiota. 

The bacteria in the microbiota are responsible for maintaining homeostasis within the gut. When there are more bad bacteria than good, it creates an imbalance that results in health issues. On average, there are about 100 trillion bacteria in your gut. 

The good bacteria are called probiotics, and you’ve surely seen that word slapped onto your supplements and yogurt containers. The probiotics are working hard to make sure you’re digesting food properly and that your liver doesn’t overwork itself by filtering out toxins. 

This is where the liver and gut connection comes into play. Every two and a half minutes, 4.5 litres of blood pass through the liver. 75% of this comes from the intestine. If your gut isn’t balanced, more toxins will travel through the blood, and create more work for the liver. 

It’s also important to understand what exactly your liver is doing in there. The main function of the liver is to remove toxins from your blood. It then breaks them down into a water-soluble form and sends them back to the gut. This is where the large intestine takes over and filters them back out of the body. 

So, the gut sends things to the liver, and the liver sends them right back into the intestine. Both the gut and the liver work together back and forth to ensure your body is balanced. When you’re gut and liver aren’t working properly, this process tends to backfire and can cause discomfort. Your body is absorbing fewer nutrients from the food you eat, and toxins can get into your blood and move around the entire body. This can be a recipe for disaster resulting in health conditions. 

When you're dealing with issues such as leaky gut, the liver has to break down the toxins and filter them to ensure they don’t spread throughout the rest of the body. If you’re concerned that you’re dealing with gut and leaky liver issues, there are signs and symptoms to look out for. 

Signs You Should Start a Liver Detox

Liver problems can be scary, but the good news is that a leaky liver detox and the best herbs low liver repair can help get you back on track. If you’re seeing these signs and symptoms, it’s time to get your gut health and liver in check with liver detox. 

Fatigue 

One of the earliest signs of liver and gut health issues is fatigue. Your liver is a crucial tool in converting what you ingest into energy. So, when it’s not working properly you will likely experience fatigue. If you find yourself losing energy quicker than normal, or struggle to get up in the morning you might need a liver detox. 

Fatty Stools 

Your liver relies on bile to separate nutrients from waste. When your liver is working in overdrive because of an imbalanced gut, it may produce less bile which can lead to a build-up of toxins. This can cause fatty stools that float because the fats aren’t being absorbed in the body like they normally would. 

Sudden Weight Gain 

Your liver plays a huge role in your ability to maintain weight. It’s alright to indulge sometimes, but when we’re consistently eating a poor diet it can lead to an excess of bad bacteria in the gut. This makes it more difficult for your liver to break down fats, which can cause weight gain. So, if you’re starting to notice odd weight gain, try a liver detox. 

Food Sensitivities 

One of the main signs of improper function in the liver and gut is new food sensitivities. If you’re experiencing food sensitivities that you never have before, consider a liver detox. Food sensitivities can present as allergies or other discomforts in the body such as abdominal pain and an upset stomach. 

How Often Should I Detox My Liver? 

If you’re dealing with gut health issues like leaky gut -heal leaky gut in 2 weeks-, a liver detox may be in order. The question is, how often should I detox my liver? A good rule of thumb is to do a liver detox once or twice a year, depending on the severity of the issues you’re having. 

Detox Tips to Improve Gut Health and Liver Function

Now that we know how important liver function is to gut health, what can we do to improve it? If you’re experiencing issues, a liver detox may help. There are several simple ways to detox your liver at home. 

Eat Liver Cleansing Foods

One of the best ways to start a liver detox is with liver cleansing foods. 

• Garlic
• Garlic is a great place to start because you can put it in almost anything you eat. Research has shown that garlic can activate liver detox enzymes to kickstart the process. 
• Beets
• Beets are perfect for a liver detox because you can juice them. They’re high in antioxidants and also activate liver enzymes. They also affect bile which is vital for liver function. 
• Fermented Foods 
• Fermented foods are an excellent source of probiotics to kickstart your liver detox. The probiotics will make a new home in your gut and work hard to keep your gut healthy. Examples of fermented foods include: 
• Sauerkraut 
• Kefir 
• Pickles
• Kimchi
• Miso

Bile Salt Supplements 

Bile is essential for your liver to function properly. This fluid is made by your liver but is stored in the gallbladder. If you are low on bile salts, you can take supplements to combat this during your liver detox. Bile salts allow your liver to do essential functions, such as:

• Aid digestion by breaking down fats 
• Eliminate waste products 
• Absorb fat-soluble vitamins 

Use Chicory Root 

Chicory root has been a staple in liver health for centuries. It dates back to the Egyptians who used chicory root to purify the liver and blood. Chicory root comes from the dandelion family with bright blue flowers. It’s very fibrous, so it maintains its shape while it moves through the digestive tracts. Chicory root is also rich in antioxidants and known to be able to pick up and remove harmful free radicals in the gut. 

For more information on liver detox, check out our holistic approaches and best herbs for liver repair article here. 

Learn More About Liver Detox in Dr. Ameet’s Holistic Course 

If you’re interested in learning more about the connection between gut and liver health, sign up for our free online holistic medicine course today! During the course, you’ll get an in-depth look at how a liver detox will help you with gut health and maintain your overall health. Check out Dr Ameet gut health book and his other holistic medicine books.

Before beginning a liver detox, it’s important to understand the why and how behind it. If you don’t know what you’re trying to fix, you won’t see results. Our course offers a holistic approach to a liver detox to keep you healthy and lose weight. 

If you’d like to know more: 

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Get well soon!