If you’re one of such people who does not care about their liver (probably because you don’t see it every day), then this is a wake-up call for you. Without a healthy liver, your body cannot produce protein, cholesterol, bile, store vitamins, minerals, or even carbohydrates. And what this means is that your liver will start to fail gradually until it gets to a point of no return.
Naturally, the liver has the ability to self heal and regenerate. It tries the best it can to fight any dangers on its own, but when the fight is too much and when there is no support and effort from your end, it will eventually fail. And you don’t want that.
So, what can you do to make sure you have a healthy liver? One of the things you can do is to eat well. That brings us to the question; what are the best foods for the liver?
1. Tea
There is evidence proving the health benefits of tea on the liver. That’s an interesting one considering that tea is a widely consumed liquid food with a lot of other health benefits already.
If you can take 5 to 10 cups of green tea per day, you’ll have improved effectiveness on your liver health. If you make it a part of your daily menu, then your liver enzymes level will improve while oxidative stress and fat deposit on the liver will decrease.
2. Berries
Berries are delicious, good for your health, and specifically beneficial to the liver. Blueberries and cranberries especially contain Anthocyanins, antioxidants that give berries their distinctive colors. Not only that, but they also contribute towards the good health of the liver.
An experiment found that berries contain a type of antioxidant which slows the development of Lesions, Fibrosis, and Scar tissues in the liver. Make berries a regular part of your diet and your liver will thank you for it.
3. Prickly Pear
Prickly pears have long been used as traditional medicine as a result of its healing effects. It has been successfully used in treating ulcers, fatigues, wounds, and liver diseases. It also normalizes enzymes and cholesterol level, decreases the amount of oxidative damage and injury to the liver after alcohol consumption. Even the inflammation level and antioxidant are stabilized by eating prickly pear.
4. Cruciferous Vegetables
Mustard green, broccoli, Brussels, and sprouts are examples of cruciferous vegetables. They are not only delicious but also beneficial to your general health, including your liver.
Eating a good quantity of cruciferous vegetables increases the level of detoxification enzymes in the body and protects the liver from damage as well. They are also good for decreasing oxidative stress.
5. Fatty Fish
There is no way this list will be complete without mentioning fatty fish, which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acid. This one compound (omega-3 fatty acid) has a lot of health properties, and for this reason, fatty fish is seen as a superfood.
Fatty fish helps to maintain enzyme level, prevent fat build up, and fight inflammation in the human body. All these properties are directly or indirectly beneficial to the liver.
6. Nuts
If you’re a fan of nuts, then good for you; if you’re not, well bad for you! Not eating nuts does not sound as bad as smoking 20 stick of cigar a day, but studies have shown that low nut consumption can be linked to a higher risk of developing liver problems.
7. Garlic
Do you know any part of the world that does not celebrate garlic? It’s hard to tell where it originated from, but somehow, everyone seems to know that garlic is a superfood. There are a lot of health benefits of garlic, but let’s stick to its effects on the liver.
Consuming garlic causes the liver to activate enzymes that help the body to get rid of harmful toxins. The more garlic you consume, the more it boosts the “liver power” and the more you get your body rid of toxins. Garlic also contains Allicin and Selenium that are good for cleansing the liver.
8. Avocado
Health benefits of avocado are numerous to mention, including the reduction of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body. And as you may already know, high levels of cholesterol can cause fat deposits on the liver thereby exposing it to danger. So avocado is loaded with powerful antioxidants and compounds that are good for the liver and other body organs.
9. Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the most vastly used oil there is, which is not surprising because it offers a lot of health benefits. As per the liver, consuming olive oil may help reduce oxidative stress and improve liver functions. It also helps to reduce the level of fat in the liver and increase the rate of blood flow.
Although olive oil is great food for the liver, care must be taken not to consume it in excess. It contains healthy fat but too much of it can cause weight gain and many other health complications that come with being overweight or obese.
10. Oatmeal
A general rule of thumb for taking care of your liver is to avoid anything that may cause you any digestive issues like constipation. Eating a lot of fiber-rich foods like oatmeal can help you maintain a healthy liver. Oatmeal is not the only fiber-rich food there is, but it made it to this list because it contains a special compound known as Beta-glucan.
A research study was carried out about the beta-glucan compound and it was discovered that they are very biologically active in the human body. It appears to help reduce how much fats stored on the liver, which could help to protect the liver.
Be it as it may, your health is your wealth. Even though you may not get to see your inner body organs on a daily basis, you still owe it to yourself to take care of them the best way you can. If you can eat healthy and clean, you’ll rarely have health issues like liver failure.
