"Happiness Lies First Of All in Health" - George William Curtis

For many around the world, January marks the time to start afresh, to set new goals, reset, recharge and revive. January can be a wonderful time to bid farewell to the delightful indulgence from the holidays and restore vitality and wellness to the body.

Health trends around the world welcome events such as dry January, detoxes and veganuary! Today we explore a few simple steps to bring wellness to the body through supporting the body's natural detoxification process and kick off the New Year afresh! 

Our Wonderful Liver 

Our liver's are separated into a right and left lobe, the right lobe being much larger than the left lobe. The working cells of the liver are known as hepatocytes, which have a unique capacity to reproduce in response to liver injury.  Although the liver's ability to react to damage and repair itself is remarkable, repetitive insults can produce liver failure and death.

The liver is a metabolically active organ responsible for many vital life functions. The primary functions of the liver are:

• Bile production and excretion
• Excretion of bilirubin, cholesterol, hormones, and drugs
• Metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Enzyme activation
• Storage of glycogen, vitamins, and minerals
• Synthesis of plasma proteins, such as albumin, and clotting factors
• Blood detoxification and purification

Detoxification

Supporting the body's natural detoxification process.

An adult's liver weighs approximately 3 pounds and extends approximately from the right 5th rib to the lower border of the rib cage.

Our livers break down the toxins from our environment and our food. When our livers are not functioning properly, toxins that would normally be filtered out accumulate in the body. When our liver is working well, it can clean up to 99% of bacteria and toxins from the blood.

The liver is a girls best friend. Truly and remarkably! It has the ginormous task of metabolising and removing poisons in the body, weather it be too much alcohol, or too many environmental toxins.

When it comes to detoxification, the liver has two phases. Phase 1 detoxification and phase 2 detoxification.  The overall purpose of the whole detoxification process is to convert fat soluble toxins (toxins that dissolve in fats and thus the body, remaining inside fat cells) into water soluble toxins that can dissolve in water and be eliminated from the body.

In phase 1detoxification, a series of chemical reactions cause the liver to convert toxic chemicals into less harmful chemicals.  This reaction takes place via an enzyme group known as the cytochrome P-45 system.

Phase 2 converts the less harmful chemicals from phase 1 into water soluble substances that the body can excrete via the kidneys and bladder. To work efficiently, phase 2 detoxification requires sulphur containing amino acids as well as substances like glutathione, the liver's most potent antioxidant.

When the pathways become overloaded from foods, beverages and environmental toxins, a build up of toxins begin to accumulate within the body.  The good news is, the liver is more than capable of regenerating itself, so with a good diet, lifestyle and the right supplements, there is no reason why you cannot maintain liver function at optimal level at any age.

Love Your Liver

Ways to support the liver include:

• Begin by eliminating as many un-natural chemicals as possible from your home environment
• Reduce caffeine, aspirin and paracetamol intake
• Avoiding excess alcohol
• Eat organic and fresh foods where possible
• Reduce intake of saturated fats, heavy red meats and large meals
• Reduce intake of refined foods and foods that contain fructose
• Consume food that naturally raise glutathione levels such as fresh asparagus, avocado and walnuts.  Curcumin (the pigment that gives turmeric it's yellow colour) has a great ability to increase glutathione production 
• Reduce dairy, egg and gluten consumption
• Increase intake of fruits and vegetables such as sweet potato, beetroot, carrots, papaya and mangoes
• Include sulphur rich foods such as garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus and broccoli in your diet

Beautifully Nourished’s detoxification formula aims to support the liver whilst it naturally cleans and purifies the body of toxins and impurities.

The blend features Konjac Fibre, Aloe Vera, Anise Seed, Rhubarb root and probiotic Lactobacillus Acidophilus, which can help to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the digestive tract.