Liver Detox Salad

A New Take on a Famous Russian Beet Salad

Living in a polluted city, going through the rush and stresses of the modern life, and eating more fat and sugar than our ancestors ever did, we put a huge burden on our liver. Liver is responsible for purifying our body from all the toxins. It helps to break down fats and sugars besides all the medications that we mindlessly put in our body. It also plays an important role in the metabolism of protein and stores the vitamins A, D, K, B12 and folate and synthesizes blood clotting factors. In one word, you can’t afford to have a malfunctioning Liver if you want to live an active happy life. Unfortunately, if you have ever been to a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda, you were likely told that you Liver needs some help, that it needs to be strengthened and purified.

Weak liver that is not carrying out its functions effectively can lead to an array of seemingly unrelated symptoms like abnormal metabolism of fats, excessive weight gain, sluggish metabolism, indigestion, intolerance to fatty foods and alcohol, bloating, constipation, craving for sugar, mood changes such as anger and irritability, allergies – sinusitis, hay fever, asthma, dermatitis, hives, food and chemical sensitivities, bad breath, offensive body odour, dark circles under the eyes and various hormonal imbalances.

To keep liver healthy, we need to take occasional breaks from hard-to-breakdown foods and toxic substances. As, Sandra Cabot, the Liver Doctor says: Just think about what happens if you do not cleanse the filters in your kitchen sink, lawn mower, pool-pump or car engine. It stops working! It would be easy if you could remove your liver everyday and give it a good wash with soap and water! This is obviously not possible, so we need to come up with a more practical solution – diet!

This salad was inspired by my grandmother who always looked for simple ways to use naturally healing foods in our everyday menu. Since I was a kid I loved her salad made with baked beets, walnuts, and prunes.

My grandmother in her garden

Today, I created my own variation by using flax and sesame seeds instead of walnuts. It came out amazing! Here is how to make your own:

Liver Tonifying Beet Salad

Use cilantro for decoration 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 5 small roasted or boiled beets
  • 1 cup soaked prunes
  • 3 tbsp cold pressed virgin Olive oil
  • 2 tsp of roasted sesame and flax seeds mix with coarse Celtic sea salt. I used Toasted Sesame salt grinder from Celtic Sea Salt. It is certified organic, low in sodium, kosher certified, gluten-free, and made with Celtic Sea Salt® Brand Salt. It is presented in an un-ground state to guarantee optimal freshness and exquisite taste.

What to do:

  • Cut beets into cubes, slice up prunes into small pieces. I cut each one into 3-4 pieces.
  • Mix olive oil, and seeds mixture
  • Pour seeds dressing over beets and prunes. Mix together.

This is why this salad will rock your Liver’s health:

Beets are not only tasty, they also help support and improve liver function. They do this by thinning the bile, which enables it to flow more easily through the liver and small intestine, according to Emily A. Kane, ND, LAc, in an article excerpted on the Vitality Magazine. According the Tao of Nutrition by Maoshing Ni, Ph.D., OMD and Cathy McNease, BS, Dipl CH, beets nourishing for the blood and help to cleanse the liver from drug intoxification or alcohol.

Prunes reverse stomach acidity and promoting digestion according to traditional Chinese medicine. Since prunes aid in digestion and work against constipation, they keep the intestines clean and healthy. Their soluble fiber on the other hand allows food to stay in stomach longer, which leads to better digestion and a more gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream. Sesame seeds are nourishing to the Liver and Kidneys and act as an overall body tonic. Similar to flax seeds they need to be ground to be digested properly. Flax seeds have immunity-enhancing properties prevent the number of respiratory infections which is very timely for the oncoming Winter season. Flax is very useful for the colon: rich fiber source and lubricate properties of the plant lower the risk of the constipation. The omega-3 fatty acids in flax seed lower bad cholesterol, high blood pressure and promote cardiovascular health in general. This salad is full of fiber which acts like a broom in your bowels and sweeps their walls clean of accumulated layers of waste products and help the work on Liver a lot easier.

Cheers to a healthy liver!

Nadya

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