Table of Contents
- 1. Is It Safe To Liver Cleanse While Pregnant?
- 2. Why It Is Important To Liver Cleanse Safely During Pregnancy?
- 3. Ways To Perform A Liver Cleanse:
- 4. Recipes For A Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
- 5. Food To Add During The Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
- 6. Food To Avoid During The Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
- 7. Precautions and Recommendations
- 8. Potential Side Effects Of A Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
- 9. Safely Liver Cleanse While Pregnant:
The liver has a wide variety of functions that are vital to numerous different bodily systems.
The liver is responsible for the production of bile, blood sugar regulation, filtration and removal of harmful chemicals and toxins from the body, storage and utilization of nutrients from food and much more.
Therefore, maintaining liver health is an extremely vital aspect of ensuring that complex bodily functions and systems are working appropriately.
One of the most effective ways to maintain liver health is by undergoing a liver cleanse.
A cleanse or detox is a short-term process that usually involves certain dietary changes to remove harmful toxins and chemicals from the body.
Performing a liver cleanse has been shown to not only optimize liver function but can also have numerous different benefits that expecting mothers can take advantage of such as a reduced risk of liver disease, a heightened immune response, higher energy levels and weight loss.
If conducted safely, undergoing a liver cleanse while pregnant can have many advantages for both expecting mothers as well as the unborn child.
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1. Is It Safe To Liver Cleanse While Pregnant?
Expecting mothers are required to ingest an adequate amount of nutrients and minerals at regular time intervals to ensure the health of both themselves and the child.
Therefore, if undergoing a liver cleanse, pregnant women must ensure that their nutritional and caloric intake is being closely monitored.
It is also not advised for pregnant women to undertake liquid-based cleanses, fasting detoxification processes or other intense cleanses at the risk of malnutrition which can ultimately harm both the expecting mother and the unborn child.
However, as long as the expecting mother’s dietary intake is being closely monitored in terms of nutritional and caloric value, it may be safe to perform a liver cleanse while pregnant.
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2. Why It Is Important To Liver Cleanse Safely During Pregnancy?
The presence of external toxins or chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, and artificial food coloring in the body may affect the efficiency and overall functioning of various bodily functions.
Toxins in the liver may affect an expecting mother’s ability to break down and absorb nutrients, produce bile and regulate glucose levels.
These issues may also ultimately affect the health and long-term development of the unborn child.
Therefore, performing a liver cleanse while pregnant can be an extremely effective method to ensure that the expecting mother remains healthy and that the child receives all the nutrients and minerals it requires. (1)
NCBI says nearly 3% of the pregnancies are complicated by some or the other form of liver diseases. (1)
3. Ways To Perform A Liver Cleanse:
1. Dietary Changes
One of the biggest sources of external toxins and chemicals is the diet.
Many foods may contain external toxins and chemicals which can ultimately be harmful to the body.
Therefore, expecting mothers undergoing a liver cleanse should replace processed foods with organic fruits and vegetables which are high in nutritional value.
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Many follow a diet plan such as 3 6 9 Liver cleanse diet and 7 day liver cleanse diet.
Organic and pasture-fed foods can not only ensure that the child has all the required substances it requires for long-term growth.
Expecting mothers may also continue taking prenatal vitamins to ensure that the unborn child receives all the nutritional value it requires during the duration of the liver cleanse.
2. Hydration
A large concern for women undergoing a liver cleanse while pregnant is the possibility of experiencing dehydration. (1)
Since detoxification or cleansing processes usually involve substantial dietary and lifestyle changes, expecting mothers must be extremely careful to ensure that they are staying hydrated at all times.
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Dehydration can significantly impact the liver’s ability to filter out bodily toxins, monitor blood sugar levels, produce adequate amounts of bile and much more.
Therefore, pregnant women undergoing a liver cleanse must ensure that they stay hydrated at all times.
Expecting mothers may be able to increase hydration levels through liver cleanse juice which are extremely effective for liver cleanses.
3. Introduce Mild Physical Activity
Many toxins escape the body through the skin in the form of sweat or skin reactions.
Therefore, women undergoing a liver cleanse while pregnant may find it helpful to introduce mild levels of physical activity into their routines.
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Furthermore, physical activity can help stimulate blood and lymph flow which can ultimately help eliminate bodily toxins much more efficiently.
4. Evaluate Personal Care Products
Certain personal care products such as whitening toothpaste, makeup and other cosmetics may contain external toxins that can ultimately affect the pregnant woman’s liver functioning as well as the development of the unborn child.
These products may include external toxins such as parabens, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, oxybenzone, and other harmful chemicals.
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Therefore, women undergoing a liver cleanse while pregnant can eliminate toxins by evaluating the use of day-to-day personal care products and replacing them with more natural, organic products.
5. Increase Intake Of Probiotics
Probiotics are live microorganisms that can restore natural bacteria and yeast levels in the gut.
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Increasing intake of probiotics can help expecting mothers undergoing a liver cleanse more tolerant towards harmful bacteria, absorb nutrients more effectively and detoxify harmful toxins from the body more efficiently.
Foods that are rich in probiotics include yogurt, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, and buttermilk.
As an alternative, you may also try our liver detox tea.
4. Recipes For A Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
Juice cleanses are an extremely efficient way for expecting mothers to obtain a large number of nutrients while staying hydrated at all times.
Therefore, it is recommended for women that are undergoing a liver cleanse while pregnant to drink juices and smoothies made from organic fruits and vegetables.
The following list of liver detox juice can help expecting mothers obtain the various benefits of a liver cleanse without having to sacrifice nutritional value or hydration levels.
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1. Carrot Juice
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Ingredients:
- Carrots
- Lemon
- Ginger
Method:
Step 1: Peel and chop the carrots
Step 2: Mix with the chopped ginger and blend till liquid.
Step 3: Squeeze the lemon into the blended mixture as per taste.
Benefits: Retinoic Acid
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2. Green Juice
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Ingredients:
- Kale
- Spinach
- Celery
- Lemon
- Salt
Method:
Step 1: Blend the kale, spinach, and celery until liquid.
Step 2: Squeeze the lemon and sprinkle salt as per taste.
Benefits: Antioxidants
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3. Beetroot Juice
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Ingredients:
- Beetroot
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Apple
- Mint
Method:
Step 1: Blend the beetroot, celery, cucumber, apple and mint until liquid.
Benefits: Antioxidants, Vitamin C
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4. Orange Juice
Image Credits: Unsplash
Ingredients:
- Orange
- Carrot
- Radish
- Tomato
Method:
Step 1: Blend the oranges, carrots, radishes and tomatoes until liquid.
Benefits: Antioxidants, Potassium, Vitamin C
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5. Lemon Juice
Image Credits: Unsplash
Ingredients:
- Lemon
- Turmeric
- Honey
Method:
Step 1: Blend peeled lemon and add to water.
Step 2: Add honey and turmeric as per taste.
Benefits: Vitamin C, Antioxidants, Anti-inflammatory Benefits
5. Foods To Add During The Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
Women that are performing a liver cleanse while pregnant must ensure that they only consume foods that are rich in nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids and fiber.
These foods must also be low in external toxins such as herbicides, pesticides, processed sugar, preservatives and artificial food coloring.
The following list of foods are not only beneficial for the liver health of the expecting mother but are also extremely beneficial for the unborn child’s health.
- Organic fruits and vegetables
- Pasture-fed meat such as chicken or turkey
- Fish that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna, and sardines
- Foods rich in antioxidants and antibiotic properties such as garlic
- Green tea
- Olive oil
- Nuts that are rich in antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids such as walnuts, cashews, and almonds
- Drinks that are rich in probiotics such as kefir and kombucha
Note : The following list can be used for both liver and bladder cleanse
6. Food To Avoid During The Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
Although there are many foods that can help pregnant women speed up or optimize the liver detoxification process, there are also numerous foods that expecting mothers should avoid while on a liver cleanse
The following list of foods should ideally be avoided by women on a liver cleanse while pregnant to ensure the health and safety of both the expecting mother as well as the unborn child.
- Foods that contain added sugar
- Foods that contain artificial food coloring or flavors, pesticides, herbicides, pesticides, and other external toxins
- Foods that are high in saturated fat as red meat
- Processed foods that are high in sodium
RECOMMENDED READING: Foods To Avoid During A Liver Detox
7. Precautions and Recommendations
Women that are pregnant must be extremely careful to ensure that they are intaking an appropriate amount of calories and nutrients.
Malnutrition or dehydration can lead to complications that can significantly affect the health of both the expecting mother as well as the child.
Therefore, pregnant women must carefully monitor and regulate their diet to ensure that they derive the best benefits possible from the liver cleanse without harming the child.
Furthermore, it is recommended for expecting mothers to consult a doctor before undergoing a liver cleanse.
8. Potential Side Effects Of A Liver Cleanse While Pregnant
Women that are on a liver cleanse while pregnant may experience certain side effects during the duration of the detoxification process.
These may include acne and other skin reactions due to the release of bodily toxins through the skin, fatigue or a general lack of energy, nausea, and digestive issues.
RECOMMENDED READING: Liver Detox For Acne
If an expecting mother undergoing a liver cleanse experiences these side effects, it is important to monitor hydration levels as well as caloric and nutritional intake.
In the event of extreme side effects, it is advised to discontinue the liver cleanse and visit a doctor.
9. Safely Liver Cleanse While Pregnant:
Liver cleansing or detoxing is believed to have a wide variety of benefits that expecting mothers can take advantage of.
These include reduced risk of liver disease, weight loss, optimized glucose regulation, regulated bile production, increased energy levels, a heightened immune system, and much more.
It is safe for expecting mothers to undergo a liver fluke cleanse as long as they consult a doctor and carefully monitor their caloric and nutritional intake to ensure that the unborn child is not negatively affected by the dietary change.
Therefore, although undergoing a liver cleanse while pregnant may require careful attention to numerous different internal and external factors, it also has a wide variety of benefits that can be highly advantageous to both the expecting mother and the unborn child.