A less known fact, the liver performs more than 500 vital functions for the body. Few are the synthesis of essential molecules, storage of vitamins and energy (in sugar form), and elimination of toxins. The liver is also held responsible for detoxing the body, breaking down carbohydrates and making glucose. It also creates bile and stores nutrients, which is very much essential for digestion and absorbing the nutrients in food properly. There are many drinks and foods that a person can consume to protect liver health.
The liver is one of the major jobs is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before flowing it out to the rest of the body, and it metabolizes drugs and detoxifies chemicals to keep the body safe. Long story short, we simply cannot live without our livers, so it’s very important to fuel it with the right foods and proper diet to live a healthy lifestyle and to maintain health.
There are few things that can damage your liver real bad, like taking high doses of medications or heavy drinking. However, many foods are available that can be good for your liv health, too. And it’s very important to keep your liver healthy, as it’s a powerful and essential organ that handles a ton of functions that our bodies need to run smoothly and evenly. The liver performs very essential functions that no other organ can perform. Once the liver is severely damaged, there’s no other way to treat it through medication, other than a liver transplant, which is a very serious proposition with a lot of negative impacts.
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Signs that your liver is not functioning properly are listed here:-
- Dark urine
- Compromised immunity
- Bloating
- Inability to lose weight
- Heartburn and acid reflux
- Chronic fatigue
- Yellow skin and eyes
- Excessive sweating
- Anxiety
- Hypertension
- Headache
- Constipation
- Depression
- Bruising
- Rosacea
Foods to boost your liver health
Oatmeal
Eating oatmeal is an easy way to add fiber and essential nutrients to the diet. Fiber is a very important and essential nutrient for digestion, and the specific fibers in oats may be especially helpful in keeping a liver healthy. Oatmeal and oats are high in compounds called beta-glucans.
As a 2016 study in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences reports, beta-glucans are biologically active in the body and is very essential in the functioning of your body. They help to fight against inflammation and modulate the immune system, and they may be especially helpful in the fight against obesity and diabetes.
The review also notes that beta-glucans from oats appear to help in reducing the amount of fat stored in the liver in mice, which could also help protect and keep the liver healthy. More clinical studies are very essential to confirm this, however. People looking to add oatmeal or oats to their diet should look for steel-cut oats or whole oats, rather than pre-packaged. Pre-packaged oats or oatmeal may contain fillers such as sugars or flour, which will not be as beneficial as the steel-cut oats or whole oats for the body.
Ginseng
It is a medicinal herb found in the roots of the plant Panax ginseng (Please, don’t confuse it with Siberian or American ginseng). It contains compounds known as ginsenosides that are believed to be responsible for its medicinal properties. There are around 40 ginsenosides present in ginseng.
It has been found to protect against cirrhosis, fatty liver, liver injury, and liver toxicity. For Healthy Liver consume 2 cups of ginseng tea per day.
Fatty fish or Fish oil
Fatty fish or fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are the good fats that help reduce inflammation and irritation. These fats may be especially helpful in the liver, as they turn-out to maintain enzyme levels in the liver and prevent the build-up of excess fats. According to recent studies, you should be eating oily fish or fatty fish three or more times each week. If it is not easy to assimilate fatty fish such as salmon or herring into the diet, try taking a daily fish oil supplement.
As a study conducted in the World Journal of Gastroenterology points out some important points, consuming fish oil supplements and fatty fish may help to reduce the impact of conditions such as Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Coffee
What’s more reassuring and comforting than knowing that your morning coffee has other benefits than to help you wake up. Indeed, consuming coffee one to two cups per day would also be beneficial for the liver, since it would reduce its rigidity and harshness. Consequently, this flexibility protects your organ against laceration such as fibrosis, and regardless of your external factors and health condition.
Small amounts of tea (especially green tea) can have the same effect. Our food choices and behavior influence their proper functioning and maintenance of the health of organs. Setting realistic goals and accurately monitoring can prove to be very valuable in preserving our health.
Start with an increase in the consumption of green-colored vegetables and fruits and also opt for cereal products. Coffee has proven to be very good for the liver, especially because it protects against issues such as a fatty liver disease like Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Coffee seems to reduce fat build-up in the liver and protect it from internal damage. It also activates the protective antioxidants in the liver. Compounds in coffee also help liver enzymes in the body to get rid of the cancer-causing substances.
Beetroot Juice
Beetroot juice is a source of antioxidants and nitrates called betalains, which reduce oxidative damage, inflammation and benefit heart health. It’s reasonable to presume that eating beets themselves would have similar health effects as drinking beetroot juice. However, most studies use beetroot juice as a rich source of betalains.
You can buy beetroot juice from the store or online or juice beets yourself. Several rat studies have shown that beetroot juice reduces inflammation in the liver and oxidative damage to the liver, as well as naturally increases detoxification enzymes. While animal studies look promising but similar studies have not been done on humans ever.
Other beneficial health effects of beetroot juice have been observed in replicated in human studies and animal studies. However, a large number of studies are needed to confirm the benefits of beetroot juice on liver health in humans. Long-term feeding of beetroot juice can help reduce liver damage induced by carcinogens and DNA damage.
Turmeric (Haldi)
Haldi (Turmeric) is a yellow-pigmented root that is mostly used in cooking. It contains Curcumin which is the bioactive compound that is responsible for its varied medicinal properties. It has antibacterial properties, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral and antioxidant. Curcumin helps to protect the liver from injuries by reducing inflammation or irritation and liver diseases, improving lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity and minimizing oxidative stress.
Scientists from the various Medical Centers conducted an experiment on rats with induced liver cirrhosis. They were supplemented with turmeric for 13 weeks, and by the end of the 13th week, the scientists found that turmeric’s anti-inflammatory property inhibited and repressed the development of liver cirrhosis in rats.
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Garlic
Adding garlic to the diet may also help stimulate the liver and keep it healthy. A 2017 study that appears in the journal Advanced Biomedical Research gave a statement that garlic consumption reduces fat content in people with Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and body weight, with no changes to lean body mass. This is beneficial, as being obese or overweight is a contributing factor to NAFLD.
