The Best and Worst Foods for Your Liver

Think of your liver as your body’s filtering unit: it sucks and traps in the bad things, while letting the good things just pass. Just like any other organ in your body, it needs to be taken care of. You can do so by eating the right kinds of food and avoiding ones that can lower your liver’s performance. This helps in keeping your body protected from harmful elements and bacteria found in your food. Although it is the immune system that protects the body from diseases, it is your liver that protects your immune system from getting overloaded.

Here are the best foods to take and worst foods to ensure optimum liver health.

Best Foods for Your Liver

1. This is good for your liver because it is a rich source of protein. Your liver needs amino acids to execute detoxification after sucking out the toxins from the food that you take in. The enzymes needed for the first and second phases of the detoxification process of the liver depend on amino acids, which is abundantly found in fish.

2. Incorporate lots of vegetable to your diet for better liver health, and broccoli can help a lot to achieve this. Some studies have shown that crunchy vegetables can help protect you from fatty liver disease. If steamed broccoli is too bland for you, cut it up into small pieces and toss it with dried berries and almonds, drizzled with home-made vinaigrette. It is also appetizing with roasted garlic and some balsamic vinegar.

3. Technically not a food, but if you can’t start a day without it, you’ll be happy to hear that a cup of Joe a day keeps liver illness a way. Studies suggest that drinking one to two cups of coffee everyday can protect your liver from the damage caused by unhealthy diet or drinking too much alcohol. Some studies also suggest that it lowers the risk of liver cancer.

4. This pungent-smelling herb is brimming with benefits for your body, including keeping your liver healthy. Garlic has high amounts of sulphur, which is necessary for the phase two detoxification process of your liver. In most people, phase two detox process of liver is sluggish, but garlic can help speed it up. Other foods high in sulphur are eggs, leeks and onions.

5. Brazil Nuts. This specific kind of nuts is rich in mineral selenium. This mineral is beneficial to your liver for it to be able to detoxify your bloodstream. Moreover, selenium contains powerful anti-viral properties, making it especially helpful for people with hepatitis B or C.

Worst Foods for Your Liver

1. Fast Food. This should come as no surprise. Foods served from your favourite fast food chain are full of fat and sugar, which can cause serious damage to the liver. However, you can easily reverse the effect by simply giving up your unhealthy diet. Make your own meal at home and incorporate more fresh produce in your diet.

2. Although your body needs some salt, it’s not as much as you probably get on a daily basis. Research says that a diet high in sodium can lead to fibrosis—the early stage of liver scarring. Don’t worry, though. There are some simple ways you can do to curb down your sodium intake, like choosing fresh over canned veggies and fruits, avoiding processed meats and simply storing your salt in a lid-top container instead of in a shaker—it’s easier to control if you have to pinch than to shake to your heart’s content.

3. Excessive Amount of Fruits. Anything in excess is not good, and this is certainly true when it comes to your liver health. Too much fruits aren’t beneficial to your liver because of the high amounts of fructose. Although fresh produce are all natural, they won’t do your liver much good. Moderate amounts are good, of course, but too much can lead to fatty liver. Take note of these healthy-but-not-so-healthy foods for your liver and try not to get too carried away when munching on them: raisins, apples, grapes, fruit juices, honey and trail mix.

Do you often find these foods in your diet? If so, make sure you’re taking more of the good than the bad ones for your liver.