Detox and Tone the Liver With Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Oriental Medicine, the nature and quality of food including its flavour, taste and heat/cold nature, determines its healing potential and its ability to balance or unbalance the body, through affecting the Blood, Qi and other body fluids. There are many 'diets, and the aim of this perspective on food and nutrition, is not to give you another 'diet' to follow rigidly, but rather, to give you some simple guidelines from a combined western and oriental perspective. These will give you a way to gently nurture and support your body from the inside.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Wood element relates to the Liver and Gall Bladder organs and the season of Spring. It is the time when the energy moves upwards like a new plant or tree. The energy is active and dynamic, seeking to expand and express itself.

The Liver and Gall Bladder organs which are the organs responsible for maintaining the smooth flow of Chi and Blood and keeping the body free of toxins. In Spring, think Green. Green, light, young foods that promote cleansing and cooling, and encourage movement and activity. Also sweet and pungent flavours which have an expansive, rising quality are good in spring.

Spring is the most appropriate time to do a cleanse or fast. The Liver tends to be the most congested of all the organs, suffering from the effects of too much fat, chemicals, intoxicants and refined foods. When the energy in the Liver is congested or blocked, the energy flow throughout the body is affected, causing numerous emotional and physical problems.

Anger related emotions such as frustration, resentment, aggression and repressed emotions resulting in depression, can be symptoms of a Liver energy imbalance. Physical symptoms include problems with the eyes, headache, heat signs, acne, eczema, tendon and muscle spasms and problems with the production and flow of menstrual blood. To stimulate the flow of energy in the Liver, eat raw and lightly cooked foods, fresh fruit and vegetables and sprouted grains, seeds and beans.

Pungent foods are stimulating, such as onions, tumeric, basil, bay leaf, cardamon, marjoram, cummin, fennel, dill, ginger, black pepper, rosemary and mint.

Other foods that are good for the Liver but not so pungent are beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. To harmonise the flow of energy in the Liver, add some sweet grains, legumes and vegetables such as carrots and sweet potato, and use a little honey, rice syrup, stevia or molasses.

When the Liver becomes swollen and sluggish because too much food has been eaten or other excesses imposed on it, Bitter and Sour foods help to remove the stagnant energy and improve the flow of Chi and Blood.

Sour foods include vinegar (mix with honey for best effects), lemons and limes. Bitter foods include asparagus, alfalfa, citrus peel, romaine lettuce and rocket. To detoxify and cool the Liver, include mung beans and sprouts, celery, seaweeds, lettuce, cucumber, tofu, millet, chlorophyll rich foods, mushrooms and radish.

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Asian World Diet Detox Plan - Amazing Foods That Detoxify The Body

The Asian diet, a plant food based natural diet, is popular for being one of the healthiest diets in the world. However little is known about its detoxifying or cleansing properties of this amazing Eastern world diet plan. There are many detox supplements out there in the market, but nothing can beat the cleansing and detoxifying effects of healthy natural foods.

The traditional Asian world diet detox plan lists hundreds of herbs, fruits and vegetables. However, what we will be discussing here are natural detox foods that are common or easily available:

1. Green leafy vegetables and other green foods. Foods such as spinach, barley, spirulina, blue green algae, chard, wheatgrass, arugula and alfalfa will cleanse your digestive tract by giving it a chlorophyll boost.

Aside from helping in liver detoxification, chlorophyll flushes out harmful toxins from the environment such as heavy metals, smog, cleaning products, herbicides and pesticides.

2. Fruits. They are among nature's best detoxification agents. With their high fiber content, vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants and high water content, they are extremely useful in washing out toxins.

3. Garlic. Long known as the herbal wonder drug, garlic acts on the liver by inducing it to produce detoxification enzymes that block harmful residues in the digestive system. It's easy to prepare garlic. Just add sliced or cooked garlic to your food and there you go.

4. Broccoli sprouts. Broccoli has been found to have cancer-preventive and detoxification properties. Its sprouts are high in antioxidants that aid in stimulating the digestive tract's detoxification enzymes very effectively. The 3- to 4-day old sprouts are actually more nutritious and potent than the mature vegetable.

5. Citrus fruit. Oranges, mandarin, lemons and limes aid the body in getting rid of toxins, as well as priming the digestive tract by boosting the enzymatic processes. Citrus also helps the liver perform its cleansing functions. To use citrus as detoxification agent, start your day with a warm glass of lemon water. Bear in mind that citrus is rich in vitamin C, which is one of the most potent detox agents. Vitamin C detoxifies the body by converting toxins into digestible substances.

6. Seeds and nuts. These are important sources of protein and natural fat that can greatly enhance your detox diet. They include almonds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, walnuts, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and Siberian cedar nuts. However, you need to avoid nut butters.

7. Green Tea. This amazing drink is packed full of antioxidants that slows the aging process, arrest the growth of cancer cells and wash toxins out of the system. Catechins, a special kind of antioxidant in green tea has been found to enhance liver function.

8. Raw vegetables. They are great taken raw or for juicing. So start storing up on beet, carrots, asparagus, kale, broccoli, artichoke, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, turmeric, onions and oregano. Being high in sulphur and glutathione, these foods aid the liver in getting rid of harmful chemicals.

9. Mung beans. For thousands of years, the mung bean has been used in traditional Asian medicine for detoxifying the digestive tract. This food cleanses the intestinal walls by absorbing toxins clinging to them.

10. Omega-3 oils. These oils lubricate the intestinal walls, absorb toxic residues and eventually flush them out of the body. You can use olive oils, avocado, hemp or flax seed oil.

Aside from eating these foods, it would also help if you drink plenty of water and exercise regularly. Natural detoxification should not just be a one-time process. It should be incorporated into your lifestyle and applying its principles daily.

Eat the way Asians have for centuries and keep yourself youthful, vigorous and slim. Learn about Toxic World Diet Detox Plans and exercise in ways your body will react favorably to and reap the highest benefit without wasting effort. Find out more at Asian Diet Pyramid!