The liver is truly one of the hardest working organs in the body. Each day, the best food and habits the liver cleans the blood of toxins, converts food into nutrients, stores energy, and it regulates metabolism. Without a healthy liver the entire body suffers. Nowadays, lifestyle choices like fast-food, alcohol, processed sugar, and lack of exercise increase the risk for liver diseases such as fatty liver and cirrhosis. The positive? You can protect your liver by being intentional with the foods you consume and developing healthy daily habits. Let’s take a look at the most significant foods and lifestyle habits that support and protect the liver.
1. Why liver health is important best food habits
Before we jump into the foods, it’s helpful to know what your liver does. Your liver:
- Filters toxins to drugs and waste from the blood.
- Converts fat, protein, and carbohydrates into energy for the body.
- Produces bile to digest food.
- Stores Vitamins and Minerals such as iron and copper.
If your liver is stressed by an unhealthy diet, alcohol, and/or toxins, fat can build up inside of liver cells. This may lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a silent but dangerous disease that affects millions of people worldwide. If not treated, NAFLD can progress to liver inflammation (hepatic steatosis), and advanced fibrosis and/or cirrhosis, and lead to liver cancer.
This is why following a healthy liver diet, not just to prevent illness to your liver, but to protect your body’s energy source, is vital.https://honalives.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=496&action=edit
2. Best Foods habits to Promote a Healthy Liver
2.1 Leafy Green Vegetables Spinach,
kale, and arugula all have powerful antioxidants and chlorophyll, which helps detoxify the liver. They contain healthy fibers that encourage digestion and fat accumulation.
2.2 Garlic
Garlic contains sulfur compounds that activate liver enzymes responsible for flushing out toxins in the body. Garlic directly lowers cholesterol and blood pressure which decreases stress in the liver
2.3 Fatty Fish
Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel are the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids contain healthy fats that help to reduce inflammation and fat accumulation in the liver.
2.4 Green Tea
Green tea is high in catechins, which is a particular antioxidant that helps preserve liver cells from stress and damage. Studies have shown that regularly drinking green tea can reduce your risk of liver disease.
2.5 Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is a healthier oil for cooking than unhealthy oils; olive oil can enhance eliminating harmful fats in the liver.
2.6 Coffee (in moderation)
Contrary to you’re probably expectation, coffee is one of the best drinks for liver health. Decreased risk of cirrhosis and protection from liver cancer (when consumed in moderation, 2-3 cups) have been linked with coffee consumption.
2.7 Nuts and Seeds
Walnuts, almonds, chia seeds and flaxseed are all antioxidant-powerhouses and provide omega-3s and vitamin E to protect the liver from oxidative stress. 2.8 Citrus Fruits Lemons, oranges and grapefruits are all vitamin C and viable sources of antioxidants that aid naturally detoxifying processes in the liver.
3. Signs of Trouble in the Liver
It’s important to listen to symptoms that your body is trying to tell you something is wrong. The above symptoms may indicate liver damage:
- Tirelessly tired
- Yellow pallor in the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Swelling in the abdomen
- stomach Loss of appetite
- Dark urine and pale stools
Link :Mayo Clinic – Liver disease and prevention
5. Conclusion
Your liver is a little like your body engine: it works around the clock. You should keep it tuned properly with healthy, nutrient-dense foods, regular exercise, and more intentional lifestyle changes, and your liver can last for a long time. If you start adding things like leafy greens, garlic, nuts, green tea, and fish to your Best Foods and Habits food, and avoid processed food and alcohol, you’re already making significant progress for a healthy liver. Remember: you don’t need to do everything today, but small changes over each day in your diet and lifestyle will help your long-term health. Take a moment today to make food and lifestyle changes to honour your liver
