What Does a Liver Cleanse Actually Mean?
A whole-food approach to supporting liver function, digestion and the body as a whole.
Annual cleansing has become a sort of ritual for me. It’s become a time for me to come back to myself, reconnect to awareness, and give deeply to the functioning systems of my body.
And I remember the first time that I cleansed because it was harder than I thought, and I was surprised by the effect that first cleanse had on me. I was a young mom and was juggling all the “things” — parenting, partnering, working, homemaking — and a cleanse was the last thing that I wanted to add to the list. But with all the thyroid issues that I had been dealing with, it just felt like a necessary step toward more balanced health.
The results from that first cleanse felt life-changing. I felt more “here.” I was sleeping better, my body felt more alive than it had been, and my brain felt clear. And those feelings didn’t go away the day I stopped cleansing. They lasted for a few months, and that was surprising and welcome.
Fast forward many years later, and as I became a health coach and then a Functional Nutrition Lifestyle Practitioner. I wanted to offer cleansing as a support to the community at large. I’ve always carried the belief that when we feel our best, we show up in the world more fully and love one another more deeply. It’s in this spirit that I’ve been offering the Enso Cleanse seasonally for seven years now.
The Enso Cleanse was originally created by my colleague and friend, Dr. Holcomb Johnston, ND. Over the years, I have come to appreciate it less as a “detox” and more as a short period of intentional support. Because if I’m being precise, the liver doesn’t actually need us to “clean” it.
Your liver is already working for you every day. It helps process nutrients, hormones, medications, alcohol and many other substances, while playing a central role in metabolism and the body’s normal detoxification processes.
Now, I do believe that the liver and the body’s detoxification and elimination systems can be placed under greater demand. The world we live in today is very different from the world of even 50 years ago. In modern life, our bodies are continually responding to environmental exposures, medications, alcohol, stress and many other inputs. I think a cleanse can be a useful opportunity to reduce some of that everyday load while intentionally supporting the systems already doing this work.
And the liver and detoxification pathways do not work alone.
Bile production, digestion, bowel movements, hydration, movement, sleep, stress and nourishment all influence one another. The kidneys, digestive tract, lungs, skin and lymphatic system have their own roles as well.
That is why I think of the Enso Cleanse as liver-centered, but whole-body in its approach.
Simple, not fancy.
My motto with health is “simple, not fancy.” In today’s world of social media and the constant proliferation of health information into our daily lives and brains, it can be all too easy to move right to fancy or complex when it comes to our health.
Inadvertently, this can cause us to overlook the fundamental basics of health when we get distracted by the next shiny object, supplement or procedure.
In my mind, a cleanse should bring us back to those fundamental basics.
For two weeks, we simplify what we are eating and emphasize whole, deeply nourishing foods. We step away temporarily from some of the foods and habits that can make it harder to notice how we are actually feeling.
This is not a juice fast, and you should not spend two weeks hungry.
There are vegetables, soups, salads, smoothies, grains, beans, healthy fats and protein. We pay attention to hydration, bowel regularity, movement and sleep. The cleanse also includes targeted nutritional and supportive supplements designed to support liver, bile and digestive function as part of the larger process.
What interests me most, though, is what happens when we simplify.
People often start noticing things that were harder to see in their everyday “native habitat.”
During a cleanse, a participant may realize how much that evening glass of wine has been influencing her sleep. Or she may notice that digestion feels different when she eats regular meals. She might recognize how heavily she has been relying on caffeine to get through the afternoon. Or perhaps she simply notices that she has been moving so quickly that she hasn’t really checked in with herself for a while.
That kind of information can be incredibly useful and impactful for supporting long-term health.
A cleanse is not meant to become another restrictive diet
This is especially important to me in my work with women who have already spent years removing foods, following protocols and trying to figure out what they are “supposed” to eat.
A two-week cleanse is a temporary structure.
Gluten, dairy, coffee or every other food removed during the cleanse doesn’t need to disappear from your life forever. Instead, temporarily changing what you eat can create an opportunity to observe what happens and decide what is actually worth carrying forward.
In this way, a cleanse can also help you rediscover your baseline — how you feel when some of the everyday “noise” is temporarily stripped away.
This is where the magic happens.
In this process, a person gets to learn more about what helps them feel their best. We are all unique, so what works for one person doesn’t mean it works for everyone. When a client begins to understand this, she can become less distracted by the noise of social media, influencers, and all the health content she reads online.
Over the years, cleanse participants have told me they have experienced easier digestion, more regular bowel movements, better sleep, steadier energy, less bloating and a greater sense of connection to their bodies. And many participants tell me that some of what they notice, and some of the habits they establish, continue well beyond the two-week cleanse.
But I am just as interested in what someone learns as I am in what she feels.
It’s in the learning and the feeling that sustainable habits are formed and awareness is honed.
The point of the cleanse is not to become better at following more health rules or to be more compliant.
It is to create enough space to notice what helps you feel your best.
Why I still offer the Enso Cleanse:
There is certainly no shortage of detoxes, supplements and wellness protocols available today. In some ways, I think that makes a simple, whole-food approach even more valuable.
For two weeks, we nourish the body, support the liver and digestive system, move, hydrate, sleep, pay attention to elimination, and become a little more intentional about how we move through our days.
None of that is particularly fancy.
But simple does not always mean easy, which is why I also think there is value in doing it together.
I lead the Enso Seasonal Cleanse each spring and fall, with live classes, education, recipes and support throughout the process. We typically cleanse in April/May and September/October.
This year, our Fall Cleanse begins with our first class on September 23, followed by a second class on September 30. Both classes are recorded, and you can choose the cleanse window that works best for you.
Learn More About the Enso Fall Cleanse
Be well,
Karen Mitchell, NBC-HWC, FNLP