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10 foods that can keep your liver healthy.

July 30, 2020

10 foods that can keep your liver healthy.
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The liver is the largest organ in the body and it sits on the right side of the abdomen, beneath the rib cage. The liver is responsible for filtering out blood from the digestive tract before passing it on to the rest of the body. The liver also helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, regulates blood clotting among several other vital functions. The liver not only filters all the blood in the body but also breaks down poisonous substances like alcohol and drugs. The liver is also responsible for secreting bile that helps digest fats and carry away waste, eventually ending up in the intestines. Liver health is thus vital to overall health of the body. In this blog let’s take a look at how to make your liver healthy again. Liver healthy foods especially fruits that are good for the liver are an important and effective way of regulating and maintaining liver health.

How to make your liver healthy again

When it comes to liver disease, prevention is always better than cure. Let us look at some of the things you can do to make your liver healthy again! These are small steps that you can take that will make a big impact on your liver health in the long run.

Maintain a healthy weight

Maintaining a healthy BMI is key to a healthy liver. If you are obese or overweight, it significantly increases your risk of developing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease. Weight loss plays a pivotal role in helping to reduce liver fat.

Drink alcohol moderately

When you consume alcohol it is broken down by the liver. While the liver can handle moderate levels of alcohol , excessive alcohol can damage and scar the liver. Consult your doctor on what is the right amount of alcohol that you can safely consume. The doctor may also advice you to quit alcohol based on the circumstances.

Eat a balanced diet

Avoiding high-calorie foods, saturated fats, refined carbohydrates and sugars is a great start to making your liver healthy again. To maintain a balanced diet, consume foods that are rich in fiber like in fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, rices and cereals. Eating meats (apart from red meats) , low fat dairy products and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like fish also greatly benefit your liver health.

Exercise regularly

Exercise helps in your overall body and organ health including the liver. Regular exercise helps in burning triglycerides for fuel that help in reducing liver fat.

Avoid the use of illicit drugs

Illicit drugs including marijuana, hashish, cocaine, crack, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants and psychotherapeutics all negatively affect your liver health. As illicit drugs are toxins, the liver is responsible for filtering these out of your system. This can cause liver damage over time.

Practice safe sex

Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are infections that affect the liver and that can seriously injure your liver. Practiving unsafe sex or sex with multiple partners increases your risk of contracting these diseases.

Get vaccinated

Get vaccinated against hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, especially if you are travelling. Additionally getting vaccinated against diseases like malaria and yellow fever that grow in the liver can help in protecting you against liver damage.


Also Read: How to Cure Gastric Trouble Permanently


10 Best Liver healthy foods

The amazing thing about the liver is its ability to regenerate itself in case of limited damage. Eating foods that increase your liver health can help make your liver healthy again. Let’s take a look at some of the foods that aid your liver health.

Grapes and Berries

Grapes, grape seeds, grape juice and berries are all rich in antioxidants which help reduce inflammation and prevent further liver damage and liver cancer.

Garlic

Garlic is effective in reducing and maintaining your body weight. This is especially beneficial to people who are suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Green tea

Green tea is another superfood that is rich in antioxidants. It helps reduce fat content and combats oxidative stress. Green tea is beneficial to people who suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It also reduces the risk of developing liver cancer.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a low-fat food that is rich in fiber and beta-glucans that fight against inflammation thus protecting the liver.

Coffee

Consuming coffee helps protect the liver against fatty liver disease. It also reduces the risk of chronic liver disease.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber that help in protecting liver health.

Fatty fish

Fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids aid the liver by reducing inflammation and maintaining healthy enzyme levels.

Nuts

Consuming nuts helps in fighting non alcoholic fatty liver disease, reduces inflammation and reduces oxidative stress. Nuts are rich in unsaturated fats, vitamin E and antioxidants that can help prevent liver cancer.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit contains the antioxidants naringin and naringenin that reduce inflammation and help in protecting liver cells

Avocado

Avocado is the superfood of this modern world. It contains a good amount of different vitamins, minerals which improves the overall health of the liver.

Why liver health is important

The liver alone is responsible for more than 500 vital functions that keeps the body healthy. One of the primary functions of the liver is to flush out toxins from the system. Additionally the liver also processes food, produces bile, helps regulate blood sugar levels and much more. Let’s take an in-depth look into why liver health is key to overall well being.

Liver processes food

When we consume food it is broken down by the digestive system and nutrients are let out into the bloodstream which is then passed through the liver. The liver then processes the nutrients according to what is needed by the body. The reason that this is so important is that no matter how much immunity foods you eat are, without a healthy liver the appropriate nutrients will not be used by the body.

Liver Stores and utilises nutrients

After processing nutrients from the food you have consumed, the liver stores portions of it for the future by converting them into a form that the body can rely on for quick energy. In case your liver is damaged or diseased with fatty liver disease, liver cancer or other ailments, it greatly hinders this process and can lead to nutritional deficiencies.


Also Read: Fatty Liver Disease in Children


Liver Produces Bile

Bile is a yellowish fluid that helps in breaking down foods and aids the digestive process. It is essential to cholesterol and lipid digestion. Bile especially helps in breaking down fats as it passes from the stomach to the intestines. If the production of bile is disturbed by illnesses like fatty liver disease, it can lead to indigestion and also a decrease in the production of fatty acids.

Liver Supplies energy

The liver is vital in maintaining blood sugar levels and is responsible for keeping our glucose levels within a certain range. While digesting food, the liver converts some of the sugars to glycogen and preserves it. When blood sugar levels drop, the liver converts this glycogen into glucose and sends it to your muscles which then acts as fuel for your cells.

In conclusion – Liver Health at Rela

Rela multispeciality hospital dedicated to fostering and responding to the needs of a diverse set of patients. It is a quaternary care hospital with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities. The hospital boasts 450 beds out of which 130 beds are dedicated to critical care. Rela also has 9 operating rooms, contemporary reference laboratories and radiology services. Rela specialises in liver diseases and liver transplants and houses one of the largest liver care units. If you suspect you may be suffering from liver diseases like non alcoholic fatty liver disease or liver cancer, reach out to our experts for specialised care.

Disclaimer: We recommend consulting a Doctor before taking any action based on the above shared information.


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Doctor

Dr. Vaibhav Patil

Dr. Vaibhav Patil

MBBS, DNB (Medicine), DNB (Gastroenterology)

Consultant

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