Detox Daily for Your Best Health

April 27, 2016
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

Why sulforaphane is your most powerful spring detox aid.

Spring—the season of the liver and gallbladder, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine—has always been synonymous with internal cleansing. But these days detox should not just be relegated to a seasonal event, and instead should become a daily affair to assist the liver in its 400+ daily processes.

A lean, mean, chemical-clearing machine, the liver cleans one and one-half quarts of blood every minute of the day so that other organs can be nourished by purified blood, and it neutralizes toxic wastes, sending them off to the kidneys for elimination.

The liver also chemically deactivates vital hormones (such as estrogen), thereby maintaining hormonal balance, sustains the body’s major detoxification pathways, makes bile salts, produces cholesterol and amino acids, stores vitamins A, D, B12 and Iron, metabolizes fat for energy, and regulates blood sugar for energy. Plus, it cleanses toxins via the blood stream, bile and the two-step (Phase 1 and 2) enzyme process.

Quite the powerhouse, wouldn’t you say?

However, alcohol, high fructose corn syrup, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, fatty foods, smoking, and a plethora of environmental toxins (from pesticides and exhaust fumes to hair spray and gasoline) thwart the work of this all-star organ.

Toxic Overload

If toxins, rancid fats, or drugs clog up the liver’s detoxification pathways, secondary symptoms will arise. Blood sugar levels fluctuate, and chronic fatigue and hormonal problems such as bloating, anxiety, and irritability manifest.

Plus, when the liver is congested, it presses on the vein that connects it to the colon and causes hemorrhoids, sometimes referred to as the “varicose veins” of the colon. If toxins run rampant, the body chooses to store them in fatty tissues—which are metabolically less active than other tissues—where they can stay for years!

Disastrous for Beauty

When your liver is on overload, toxins find their way through your skin, and radically affect its clarity and elasticity. The skin, like the liver, is a major detoxifying organ, so waste materials exit through the skin’s pores and show up on your face, hair and nails.

Even worse, wrinkles, blotchy patches, acne, and blemishes will also appear, and your complexion may start to look sallow, grayish, or discolored. There will be more bad hair days that you care to mention, and your fingernails can turn yellow, split easily, or develop white spots—which are major alert signals that vital nutrients are lacking.

Your body has become deficient in major nutrients like vitamin A (the wrinkle fighter), B complex (the stress soother), C (the collagen builder), E (the rejuvenator), and the beautifying minerals zinc, manganese, and magnesium. These are needed for eliminating toxins in the liver’s detoxification pathways and without them your system is aging prematurely!

The Most Fabulous Food

But, one of the best ways to help the liver detox is with the phytonutrient with nutrigenomic powers known as sulforaphane. If you’re going to make only one change to your diet, I strongly encourage you to add broccoli sprouts (and plenty of them) to your daily diet.

Broccoli sprouts—unlike their cruciferous sister veggies (think broccoli, cauliflower, and kale)—are packed with sulforaphane. This small molecule enters human cells with ease, behaving like a “signaling molecule” to communicate with other cells. With the ability to affect over 2,000 genes, activating numerous defense mechanisms and neutralizing free radicals, sulforaphane allows your body to reprogram its DNA to perform at the optimum ability.

The great news is that broccoli sprouts are absolutely delicious and delightfully easy to add to salads, wraps, sandwiches, you name it! Your liver will love you for it!!

(For those of you who are not broccoli sprout lovers, powdered sulforaphane is available which provides a standardized amount of the bio-active product. When mixed with water, the enzyme myrosinase is activated providing you with therapeutic levels.)

Related Articles and Podcasts

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

14 Comments

  1. Lisa

    But, what about those with hypothyroid, celiac, etc? Can we eat broccoli sprout?

    Please advice!

    Reply
  2. Laura B.

    Yes, I was wondering the same thing. Do broccoli sprouts contain goitrogens like their more mature counterparts?

    Reply
  3. Kathy

    Yes, I would also like to know the impact on hypothyroid. I avoid uncooked cruciferous vegetables for that reason.
    Is it easy to grow broccoli sprouts?

    Reply
  4. Mylissa

    What is the suggested daily amount of sprouts to receive optimal benefits?

    Reply
  5. Team ALG

    Lisa, Laura, Kathy, and Mylissa –

    Great questions! They are safe, but you need to watch how the sprout is grown to ensure that they don’t have salmonella. ALG recommends trying Cell-Logic-USA >> https://www.cell-logic-usa.com/ Since there isn’t a specific recommended amount, ALG adds the Cell-Logic powder to her smoothies in addition to eating ample broccoli sprouts with meals.

    Reply
  6. Ann

    Are they actually sprouted broccoli seeds? Can these seeds be purchased in bulk? Would I sprout the the same way I do alfalfa and beans?
    How best to avoid salmonella?

    Reply
    • Team ALG

      Ann — Yes you can purchase broccoli sprouting seeds. Here’s a quick link we found online for you: https://www.wheatgrasskits.com/sprouting/broccoli_sprout_seed.htm

      They sprout like any other seed and sprouting them yourself can usually prevent salmonella contamination which was found years ago in commercially sprouted alfalfa seeds.

      Reply
  7. Kimber

    But what is considered an “ample” amout or “a lot” for us to know if we are consuming that quantity? I can’t translate.

    Reply
  8. Team ALG

    Kimber — Ideally, you should aim for 2 1/2 ounces daily of the broccoli sprouts.

    Reply
    • Kimber

      thank you. I’ll look for this at the store.

      Reply
  9. Jamie @ Garcinia

    What is the suggested daily amount of sprouts to receive optimal benefits?

    Reply
  10. Zyla

    I always find about the spring detox aid. thank you so much for briefly explain this

    Reply
  11. sarah

    Hi! I want to know will bile builder help with hemmrhoids? I have been taking broccoli sprout as a supplement but still am having hemmrhoid flare ups around certain times of the month.

    Reply
    • Team ALG

      Hemorrhoids are related to liver congestion. Bile Builder will help think the bile so the liver is healthier, decreasing the chance of having hemorrhoids.

      Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Essential Foods To Include In Your Diet for Health and Longevity - […] Broccoli needs to be high on your list of healthy veggies if you care to have better eyesight, lower…
  2. My Top 3 Radical Longevity Foods to Expand Your Lifespan – DietMarkets - […] Broccoli needs to be high on your list of healthy veggies if you care to have better eyesight, lower…

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This