How to Support Your Liver During the Holidays (Without Giving Up the Fun Stuff)
December has its own… personality.
It’s joyful, chaotic, full of parties, meet-ups, late nights, and “sure why not” moments
And through it all, your liver needs to keep up so you can enjoy the season without feeling like a wrung-out dishcloth.
If you want to give your liver a helping hand so you can continue to feel good even while enjoying everything the season brings, keep reading for some easy, actionable tips you can get going with straight away.
The Holidays Are Hard on Your Liver (But Here’s the Good News)
The holidays bring more of everything - more food, alcohol, stress, sickness, Ibuprofen, late nights, family and expectations!
While you’re busy keeping all your plates spinning, your liver is equally busy processing everything you eat, drink, swallow, and absorb.
This happens all day, every day - but December asks more of it than usual.
If it could talk, it would probably ask a polite but slightly panicked “hey… quick question… how many parties are we actually going to this week?”
But it can’t - so you’ve got to figure out where you can help it out without making it feel like a day job.
What Your Liver Actually Does (In Plain English)
Your liver is basically mission control. It:
Keeps your energy levels steady throughout the day
Helps process hormones
Filters alcohol, sugar, medications, hormones, chemicals
Supports your skin, digestion, and metabolism
Clears out everything your body doesn’t need
It does all of this work quietly - without taking as much as a minute off - so the least we can do when we ramp up our demands on it is to give it a helping hand.
1. The 60-Second Morning Ritual Your Liver Will Love
What to do:
Warm water + fresh lemon on waking
Follow with a gentle 1-minute ribcage expansion breath (hands on ribs, slow inhale into the sides, slow exhale)
Why it helps:
Lemon water helps your liver ease into the day with the hydration it needs
The ribcage breath encourages circulation and gives your nervous system a calm, grounded start. They’re both small shifts but ones that will set you up for the rest of the day.
2. The Easiest Herbal Support for Your Liver During the Holidays
Milk thistle! It contains silymarin, a natural antioxidant that supports how your liver processes and clears things - especially handy when the season brings richer meals, celebratory drinks, and a little extra of everything.
If you're looking for a simple hack that slots easily into your routine, this one is really worth considering.
3. The Holiday Plate Formula: How to Eat Well Without Missing Out
Foods like beets, bitter greens, and artichokes give your liver helpful nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs to work well.
Whether you’re faced with a buffet, or the finest spread of all your favourite seasonal foods, try the holiday plate formula to steer you right without restriction:
The Holiday Plate Formula:
½ plate of colourful veg (beets, brussels sprouts, salad - whatever’s there)
¼ plate of protein (turkey, nut roast, fish etc)
¼ plate of starch (roasted roots)
+ the joyful extras you really want
If you eat according to the amounts and order laid out above, you will keep your energy levels nice and steady so you can enjoy everything that’s on offer over the festivities, without feeling sick, bloated, or ready to fall into bed!
4. This Soothing Tea Blend Is Perfect for Holiday Evenings
A calming, liver-supportive blend you can use over the holidays - or all year long:
You’ll need:
A heaped Tablespoon of some or all of the following herbs:
peppermint leaf, fennel seed, fresh ginger, nettle, dandelion root, fenugreek seeds, orange peel, black peppercorn, juniper berry, cinnamon bark, cardamom pods
To prepare:
Quick method: Steep herbs for 15 minutes in hot water.
Stronger method:
Simmer herbs in 1 pint of water for 10 minutes
Strain the herbs , and enjoy your therapeutic tea
Save the strained herbs and repeat the steps above for more tea the next day
Note: Do NOT drink this tea if you’re pregnant.
This tea a great end-of-day, end-of-meal ritual especially on evenings where everything feels like it’s been “go go go” since dawn.
Save This Post To Come Back To
Your liver does a huge amount for you every day, and these small habits make its job a little easier - not only at Christmas but all year round.
If you’re not sure where to start, pick the one from the list that feels easiest and try it out for the next few weeks.
And fingers crossed, you won't be the one frantically googling “detox programmes” on January 1st, next year!
If you’d like to go deeper on liver support, check out this post for even more tips and insights you might find helpful. You can read it here
