Diet Dos And Don'ts For A Healthy Liver

The liver is one of the most crucial organs in the human body. It performs an estimated 500 functions, the most important of which are:

• The liver filters blood, and removes toxins, such as turning ammonia into urea and sending it to the kidneys to be excreted.
• It cleanses the body of alcohol and narcotics.
• It metabolizes medication into forms that are easier to use for the body.
• It produces good cholesterol, which is one of the key components of cellular structure in the body.
• It generates bile, the cleaning fluid that removes fat and waste.

Not enough, however, is understood of the liver, and few people are aware of how to maintain a healthy liver or what the ramifications of liver diseases are.

The liver, like most other organs, is affected by what we eat and drink. While it cleanses the body, this hard-working organ itself needs a liver-friendly diet, so that it can stay in good shape.

If we don’t follow a healthy liver diet and continue to make bad food choices, addictions, and poor lifestyle choices, then that may lead to viral diseases like all the types of hepatitis — hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C — as well as fatty liver disease or liver cirrhosis.

Hereditary diseases like hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease affect the liver, too. Another threat is liver cancer, a prevalent condition in today’s times.

To protect the liver from these perils, one of the first things to do is to avoid bad foods for the liver and build the best diet for liver health.

Let’s take a look at various liver health conditions, how they affect our body weight, and what are the dietary dos and don’ts for liver health.

Liver conditions

Here are some liver conditions that are caused by viral agents or lifestyle factors and poor diet. It’s necessary to be knowledgeable about them, as they can be avoided with proper precautions and a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy drinks for a healthy liver

It's not just what you eat, but also what you drink that can make or break liver health. Here are some beverages that support liver health:

1. Coffee

Coffee in the right amounts might aid liver health. Studies have shown that moderate consumption of coffee helps with keeping liver diseases at bay. Consuming coffee reduces the risk of fatty liver and increases antioxidant capacity by increasing glutathione production in the body.

2. Green tea

Green tea, coupled with the right amount of physical exercise, promotes liver health. Green tea is brimming with antioxidants and flavonoids, which reduce the inflammation in our body and cut the risk of liver disease. Green tea is also advised for weight management by many healthcare professionals.

3. Beet-root juice

Beetroot is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients such as folate, pectin, betalains, and betaine. It can also provide an adequate amount of fiber, manganese, potassium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. These nutrients can improve the flow of bile and help remove the toxic waste from our bodies, thus promoting liver health.

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4. Amla juice

Amla (or Indian gooseberry) is loaded with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, Vitamin C, and several essential nutrients. These can help flush out the toxins from the liver. Studies have stated that amla might help prevent the onset of liver fibrosis and other conditions like hyperlipidemia and metabolic syndrome.

5.  Turmeric tea

Curcumin in turmeric might reduce markers of liver damage in people with NAFLD. Turmeric is high in antioxidants and has been used in detoxification for ages. Studies have shown that turmeric might reduce the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the two enzymes that are abnormally high in people with fatty liver disease.

Drinks to avoid for good liver health

Here are some drinks that you should limit or completely avoid for your liver health:

1. Alcohol

Drinking a lot of alcohol causes damage to liver cells. These cells do regenerate over time, but continuous and heavy alcohol intake can leave the liver damaged, not giving the cells enough time to regenerate. This can slowly progress to liver failure. Try to limit, space out, or altogether avoid drinking alcohol and be mindful of your liver health.

When choosing an alcoholic beverage, try to pick one that has low alcohol content, so that you get the taste of alcohol but minimize its impact on liver health.

2. Sugary soft drinks

Sugary fizzy soft drinks might be tempting, but they can cause weight gain over time. They're also packed with preservatives and sugars that can be a hard task for the liver to break down. Avoiding or minimizing these sugary drinks can help you live healthier.

3. Energy drinks

Energy drinks contain caffeine, taurine, sugar, preservatives, and other ingredients, which, if consumed in excess, can harm the liver. Avoiding such energy drinks can take you a step closer to a healthy liver.

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