Skip The Cleanse: These Foods Support Your Liver Better

Holistic Health for Women of Color Podcast, Episode #122

Skip the Cleanse and focus instead on what truly supports your liver, and we are talking about real food, consistent nourishment, and simple habits that help your body function the way it was designed to. Your liver does not need extreme restriction or trendy quick fixes. It needs the right nutrients to support its natural detoxification process, hormone balance, digestion, and overall health.

So, if you’ve ever wondered whether your body needs a detox tea, juice cleanse, or supplement reset to “help” your liver, you are not alone. The wellness world has made liver cleansing sound like a necessity, especially when you’re feeling tired, sluggish, bloated, or trying to lose weight. But the truth is, your liver is already working hard for you every single day.

In this article, you’ll discover the everyday foods that support your liver better than a cleanse ever could, including cruciferous vegetables, bitter greens, sulfur-rich foods, colorful root vegetables.

Losing Weight on a GLP-1 But Wondering What Happens When You Stop?

If you’re currently on a GLP-1 and the weight is coming off, but part of you is quietly wondering what happens when the medication ends, you are not alone.

These medications can be powerful tools for appetite control and weight loss. But they were never designed to teach you how to eat well when you’re barely hungry, how to protect your muscle while the weight comes off, or how to build the habits that help you maintain your results long-term.

And that matters.

Because as you eat less, you may also be getting less protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which can increase the risk of muscle loss, fatigue, hair loss, poor immune function, and bone loss over time. The number on the scale may be going down, but your health still needs support underneath that weight loss.

That’s exactly why I created the GLP-1 Protocol.

This 8-week program is designed to help you:

Learn how to eat well even when your appetite is low.

Protect the muscle that helps support long-term weight maintenance.

Avoid common nutrient gaps that can leave you feeling weak and depleted.

Work through plateaus without panic or all-or-nothing thinking.

Prepare for life after the medication with more confidence and less fear.

You’ll walk away with a plan you can continue using long after the medication is over.

The first round begins January 11, 2027, and I’m opening it first to a small group. Right now, you can get early access at 50% off Black Friday pricing.

Learn more here!

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Holistic Health for Women of Color Podcast Mission Is Empowerment!

Hello and welcome to the Holistic Health for Women of Color Podcast, where we talk about real-life wellness in a way that feels supportive, grounded, and culturally relevant. I’m your host, Donna Williams, Certified Holistic Health Coach and founder of holisticbphealth.com.

As a Black woman myself, I care deeply about helping Black women and women of color reclaim their health in a way that feels personal, practical, empowering, and sustainable. And while this space is rooted in that mission, every woman who feels seen, supported, and encouraged here is truly welcome.

I’m so glad you’re here.

So, let’s get into today’s conversation: Skip the Cleanse: These Foods Support Your Liver Better.

Skip the Cleanse: These Foods Support Your Liver Better Podcast Transcript, Episode #122

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to feel like your body always needs fixing? There’s always some new cleanse, detox tea, juice fast, or supplement protocol being sold as the answer, especially if you’ve been feeling sluggish, bloated, tired, or frustrated with your weight. And somewhere along the way, a lot of women started believing that if their liver just got a good enough “cleanse,” everything would reset.

But that’s really not how the body works.

Your liver is already doing a huge amount of work for you every single day. It doesn’t need a trendy cleanse. It needs support. And that support comes from everyday foods, not extreme interventions.

So today, I want to walk you through what actually helps your liver do its job well, why consistency matters so much more than any detox plan, and why this conversation matters even more if you’re currently losing weight, especially if you’re on a GLP-1 medication.

First, let’s clear up the big myth.

The wellness industry has made a lot of money convincing people that the liver needs to be “flushed,” “reset,” or “cleansed.” But your liver is not sitting around waiting for a detox tea to come save it. Your liver is already detoxing all day, every day. That is literally one of its main job functions.

It helps process hormones, break down medications, filter blood, support digestion, and prepare waste products so the body can eliminate them. It has its own built-in systems for doing this work. What it needs from you is not a dramatic cleanse every few months. What it needs is regular nourishment.

And honestly, that message becomes even more important when someone is trying to lose weight.

Because if you’re on a GLP-1 medication and the weight is coming off, it can feel exciting, and maybe relieving, but there’s often another feeling underneath that people don’t talk about enough.

It’s that quiet worry: Okay… but what happens when I stop?

If that thought has crossed your mind, you are absolutely not alone. In fact, that exact concern is why I created my new GLP-1 Protocol.

Because yes, these medications can be very effective at reducing appetite and helping weight come down. But what they do not do is teach you how to eat well when you’re barely hungry, how to protect your muscle while the weight is dropping, how to avoid nutrient deficiencies, how to handle plateaus without panicking, or how to prepare for life after the prescription changes.

And that gap is where so many women get blindsided.

So as we go through today’s episode on skip the cleanse, I want you to keep that bigger picture in mind too. And if you know that “what happens when I stop?” worry is yours, I’ll include the link in the show notes to learn more about my 8-week GLP-1 Protocol.

The first round starts January 11, 2027, and right now there’s a 50% Black Friday early access discount.

You can learn more here:

Alright, let’s talk about the foods that really support your liver.

The First Group Is Cruciferous Vegetables!

That includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale all of those vegetables that people know are healthy, but maybe don’t always know why.

These vegetables contain compounds that help support what’s called phase 2 detoxification in the liver. That’s one of the pathways your liver uses to make substances safer for your body to eliminate.

So, when people talk about “detoxing,” what they often don’t realize is that your liver already has a detox system. It just needs the right nutrients to do that work well.

And cruciferous vegetables are one of those supports.

This doesn’t mean you need to eat a giant raw kale salad every day if you hate kale.

It can be roasted broccoli with dinner. Cabbage in a slaw. Cauliflower in soup. Brussels sprouts a couple of times a week.

The goal is not perfection. The goal is rhythm. Regularity. Giving your body support over and over again. And honestly, that same idea applies to sustainable weight loss too.

Not extremes. Not fear. Not all-or-nothing eating. Support.

That is one of the biggest reasons I’m so passionate about this GLP-1 Protocol. I do not want women thinking the medication alone is the plan. It is not the whole plan. The long-term plan has to include nourishment, strategy, and skill-building.

The Second Group Is Bitter Greens.

These are foods like arugula, dandelion greens, radicchio, endive, and watercress.

I know bitter foods are not everybody’s favorite, but they can be incredibly helpful because they support bile production and flow. And bile matters. Bile helps your body digest fats and helps carry certain waste products out of the body.

That bitter taste also stimulates the digestive process. So even though people often chase sweet, smooth, easy foods, there is something really supportive about adding a little bitterness back into the diet.

I am one of those people who truly enjoy certain foods and beverage that has a bitterish taste.

That could look like a handful of arugula in your salad, a mix of greens instead of just iceberg or romaine, or sautéed bitter greens with a meal. Again, this is not about overcomplicating things. It’s about helping the body do what it already knows how to do. And if you’re on a GLP-1, this matters even more than people realize.

Because when appetite is low, it becomes very easy to eat too little overall, and especially too little protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. And yes, you may still be losing weight. But weight loss alone does not automatically mean your body is being well supported.

That’s a huge distinction.

J.P. Morgan Global Research

J.P. Morgan Global Research estimated that more than 10 million Americans were being treated with GLP-1 weight loss drugs as of 2025, and that number is projected to rise to 25 million by 2030.

That means millions of people may be losing weight without fully understanding what it takes to protect their health while they do it.

And that matters, because when nutrition gets too low, people can end up dealing with muscle loss, fatigue, impaired immune health, hair loss, and even increased bone risks over time.

That is not a small thing. That is not something to brush off. And that is exactly why this conversation is urgent.

The Third Category Is Sulfur-Rich Foods

These include garlic, onions, leeks, eggs, and again, cruciferous vegetables too. Sulfur helps support glutathione production, and glutathione is one of the body’s major antioxidants. Sulfur also helps power one of the liver’s detox pathways.

So once again, what does liver support look like?

Not a seven-day cleanse. Not starving yourself. Not living on juices. To me it looks like real food. It looks like cooking with garlic and onions that are mother nature’s healing spices. It looks like eggs for breakfast. It looks like vegetables showing up regularly.

This is what I wish more women were being told, especially women on GLP-1s.

Because appetite suppression is not the same thing as nutrition. A smaller appetite is not the same thing as a solid plan. And fast weight loss is not the same thing as knowing how to maintain that weight loss later.

That is where so many women start feeling anxious, and understandably so. Because deep down they know, I may be eating less… but am I eating well enough to sustain this?

And if that’s you, I want to say this clearly, that concern is valid. That is exactly what my GLP-1 Protocol is designed to help with.

Over 8 weeks, I’ll be walking women through how to eat well even when hunger is low, how to protect muscle mass, how to navigate a plateau without spiraling, and how to prepare for the day they come off the medication so it feels like a transition, not a crash.

So if that speaks directly to the question you’ve been carrying, definitely check this link.

Now Let’s Talk About Beets and Colorful Root Vegetables

Beets are one of those foods that often come up in liver support conversations for good reason. They contain beneficial compounds and antioxidants, and they also bring fiber to the table.

And fiber matters because your gut helps clear what your liver processes.

This is another thing people miss when they’re chasing detoxes, liver health and gut health are connected.

If digestion is sluggish, if bowel movements are inconsistent, if fiber intake is too low, the body’s elimination pathways are not being supported well. So adding foods like beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes can be really helpful.

And these foods are also easy to include in normal life.

You can roast them. Add them to soups. Grate beets into a salad. Keep cooked sweet potatoes on hand.

Nothing dramatic. Just supportive. And I really want to pause here and say something important.

If you are actively losing weight right now, especially on a GLP-1, do not let the scale fool you into thinking everything underneath is automatically okay.

Because sometimes what looks like success on the outside is being held together by too little protein, too little fiber, and too little nourishment overall.

And eventually the body starts asking for the bill.

That may show up as exhaustion. Weakness. Hair shedding. Constipation. Plateaus. Or rapid regain later.

Which brings me to what may be the most important piece of this whole skip the cleanse episode, protein.

The Importance of Protein

Your liver needs protein. Your muscles need protein. Your metabolism needs protein. Your recovery needs protein. And your long-term weight loss success absolutely needs protein.

This is huge.

The liver relies on amino acids from protein to support detoxification pathways. And when people under-eat protein, which is extremely common on GLP-1s, they may be losing weight while quietly losing muscle too.

And muscle loss is not just about appearance.

It affects strength. Balance. Metabolic health. Injury risk. Energy. And your ability to maintain your results later.

This is one of the biggest reasons I felt so strongly that I needed to create the GLP-1 Protocol now. Because I do not want women waiting until they feel weak, depleted, frustrated, or scared to start learning how to support their bodies properly.

I want them, You, to know now.

I want them to understand what to eat when appetite is low. How to make smaller meals nutritionally count. How to prioritize protein. How to support muscle preservation. And how to build habits that can carry them beyond the medication.

For many women, around 30 grams of protein per meal is a helpful benchmark, depending on their needs.

That might come from eggs, Greek yogurt, fish, chicken, cottage cheese, beans, lentils, or a thoughtful combination of foods that helps them actually meet their needs.

If you’re listening to this and realizing you’ve mostly just been eating less, but not really eating strategically, please don’t ignore that awareness. That is exactly the kind of thing that can make the difference between short-term weight loss and long-term success. We are talking sustainable success.

And again, if that resonates, you can learn more about the GLP-1 Protocol here.

It begins January 11, 2027, and the Black Friday early access pricing is 50% off.

Coffee and Green Tea

And finally, let’s end with some good news: coffee and green tea.

A lot of people are surprised to hear that both coffee and green tea are associated with better markers of liver health in research.

Coffee contains compounds like polyphenols and chlorogenic acids. Green tea contains catechins. These compounds offer antioxidant support that can benefit the liver over time.

So if you already enjoy coffee or green tea, that can absolutely be part of your supportive routine.

And I love ending there because it brings us back to something simple, supportive routine.

Not punishment. Not extremes. Not another cleanse. Not another restart. Just giving your body what it actually needs, over and over again.

So if I could leave you with one core takeaway today, it would be this - You do not need a liver cleanse. You need nourishment.

You need foods like cruciferous vegetables, bitter greens, sulfur-rich foods, beets and colorful root vegetables, enough protein, and supportive habits you can actually stick with.

And if you are on a GLP-1, I want to lovingly but very clearly remind you that your continued health depends on more than the medication doing its job.

You need a plan for your nutrition. You need a plan for protecting muscle. You need a plan for avoiding nutrient deficiencies. And you need a plan for what happens next. Because the medication may help the weight come off. But it will not build the lifelong habits for you.

That part is still yours.

And that is exactly what the GLP-1 Protocol is here to help you do.

It’s an 8-week program designed to help you eat well even when hunger is low, preserve muscle while the weight comes off, navigate plateaus with more confidence, and prepare for life after the medication so you can hold onto your results with more peace and less fear.

The first round starts January 11, 2027. There is a 50% Black Friday early access discount. And you can learn more at the link in the show notes, or here.

Thank You For Listening To Skip The Cleanse Podcast

Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. If this skip the cleanse episode supported you, encouraged you, or gave you a new perspective, I’d love for you to share it with someone who may need to hear it too.

And until next time, take good care of yourself.

Returning from Skip The Cleanse to Creating A Self-Care Routine

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