Nowadays, liver transplant surgery has become a success. You must have heard of it, right?
Ever wondered why people need to get their liver replaced? That’s because certain foods or lifestyle habits damage the liver beyond repair.
The liver is a vital organ of the body. It must be protected and taken care of at all costs. But our unhealthy eating habits and unhealthy routines make the liver work overtime. It gets rusted in the process.
But NO WORRIES!!! I will tell you some amazing foods you must add to your diet to have a healthy liver for a long, long time. Keep on reading this article to find out.
Table of Contents
What Does the Liver Do in Your Body?
Your liver rests on top of your stomach and your right kidney in the upper right region of your abdomen. It’s located below your diaphragm.
The liver is only roughly three pounds in weight. It is, nevertheless, extremely effective.
The liver performs approximately 500 vital roles.
The liver controls the chemical levels in your blood and excretes bile to remove waste from your body. It also creates nutrients by processing and breaking down the blood from your stomach and intestines.
Some other liver functions include:
- Producing proteins for blood plasma
- Producing cholesterol and special proteins to move fats
- Converting excess glucose into glycogen to store energy
- Regulating blood levels of amino acids
- Controlling blood clotting
- Flushing out bacteria from the bloodstream to fight infections
- Ridding the blood of toxins and poisonous substances
- Processing hemoglobin and storing the iron content
- Clearing bilirubin
So many tasks, right?
Do you get why the liver is so important for you? You can never risk harming it. That’s why you need to modify your eating habits to a liver-friendly diet.
Foods Good for the Liver: What to Eat for a Healthy Liver?
Eating more fresh, raw foods are best friends of the liver but certain foods can potentially help you with your liver health. Here is a list:
Green Leafy Vegetables
Dark leafy vegetables such as spinach, fenugreek, mustard greens, arugula, wheatgrass, and beet greens are high in antioxidants, fiber, nitrate, potassium, manganese, and magnesium, all of which support and nourish the liver.
These leaves are also high in chlorophyll, which helps the liver eliminate toxins and heavy metals.
The Mighty Berries: Blueberries
If you ask which fruit is best for liver health, I would suggest blueberries without a doubt.
Blueberries include polyphenols, which may help protect you against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
If blueberries aren’t your thing, dark chocolate, olives, and plums are also high in polyphenols.
Grapefruit
The antioxidants naringin and naringenin are found in grapefruit. By lowering inflammation and protecting liver cells, they may help protect the liver from harm.
The study suggests that naringin may reduce oxidative stress and thus protect against alcohol-induced liver steatosis.
That’s how grapefruit is a holy fruit for people with alcohol problems.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mustard greens, and kale.
They are high in flavonoids, phytonutrients, and carotenoids, which help to neutralize pollutants.
They also contain glucosinolates, which cause an enzymatic process that aids in the detoxification of heavy metals from the bloodstream.
Beetroots
This amazing root vegetable is high in antioxidants and nutrients like betalains, betaine, folate, pectin, manganese, potassium, vitamin A, Vitamin C, etc. It is a good source of fiber.
It stimulates bile flow that breaks down wastes so that they can be excreted from the body faster.
Nuts: walnuts and Almonds
Nuts are a great source of monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are both good for you.
These good fats are anti-inflammatory and help to prevent fat storage.
Walnuts, in particular, contain arginine, which aids in the removal of ammonia from the body.
There is another well-known nut, the almonds. They are good sources of vitamin E, a nutrient that may help protect against fatty liver disease.
Grab a handful of almonds the next time you feel like snacking. Or try them in salads, where they add a nice crunch.
Oatmeal
Food with lots of fiber can help your liver work at its best.
Want one that’s a great way to start your day? Try oatmeal.
It can help you shed some extra pounds and belly fat, which is a good way to keep away liver disease.
Read more about the benefits of oats for your health.
Coffee
If you can’t get through the day without a mug or two of coffee, you’ll be relieved to learn that it may have liver-health benefits.
Drinking two to three cups of tea every day can protect your liver from damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption or a poor diet. It may reduce the risk of liver cancer.
But remember!!! Always consume coffee in moderation.
Green Tea
Green tea is brimming with a type of antioxidant called catechins. It may protect against some forms of cancer, including the liver.
You’ll get more catechins if you brew tea yourself and drink it hot.
Iced tea and ready-to-drink green teas have much lower levels.
Hydrate Yourself: Get Your Fill of Water
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for your liver.
Make it a habit to consume water instead of sugary drinks such as sodas or sports drinks.
You will be surprised how many calories you will save each day.
Things to Avoid: Protect Your Liver
There are certain lifestyle habits that you must change to avoid damaging your liver in the long run:
Avoid Too Many Fatty Foods
French fries and burgers are not good choices for a healthy liver.
If you eat too many foods heavy in saturated fat, your liver will have a tougher time doing its job.
It may induce inflammation over time, which can develop into cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver.
So the next time you’re at the drive-thru, consider ordering something healthier.
Ease Up on Sugar
You can harm your liver if you consume too much sugar.
This is because one of its functions is to convert sugar to fat. If you overuse it, your liver produces too much fat, which ends up in places it shouldn’t be. You can develop a condition like fatty liver disease in the long run.
So, do your liver a favor and keep sweets to a minimum.
Be Moderate with Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol might harm your liver. Cirrhosis can develop as a result of this.
Even binge drinking, which is defined as four drinks in one sitting for women and five drinks in one sitting for males, can be dangerous.
Limit Your Intake of Packaged Foods
Instead of reaching for the vending machine, reach for healthy food next time.
Chips and baked products have the disadvantage of being high in sugar, salt, and fat.
Try peanut butter on an apple. You will love it, and it will curb the cravings.
Bottom Line!!
Your liver is extremely essential, and you should do everything you can to protect it to live a long and healthy life.
The foods listed above have been shown to have beneficial effects on the liver. Including them in your diet is a natural and healthy way to help keep your liver functioning at its best, including lowering your risk of liver disease and protecting your liver from harmful toxins.
If you feel like you are damaging your liver, or if you already have liver disease, consult with a well-known Hepatologist to get yourself treated. You can book an appointment via Healthwire.pk or call at (042) 32500989.
