The liver is the primary way that your body rids toxins, it detoxifies and cleanses your body by filtering the harmful material from the bloodstream and helps digest food.
Here are just 8 important foods you may want to considering including into your everyday diet to help keep your liver healthy.
Avocados – Including more avocados to your diet can help your body produce a type of antioxidant called glutathione, which our livers need to filter out harmful materials boosting its cleansing power. Some research has shown that eating one or two avocados a week for as little as 30 days can repair a damaged liver (i).
Garlic – Contains a number of sulfur-containing compounds including allicin and selenium two powerful nutrients proven to help protect the liver from toxic damage, and activate the liver enzymes responsible for flushing out toxins from the body.
Grapefruit – Is rich in natural vitamin C and antioxidants, two powerful liver cleansers. Like garlic, grapefruit contains compounds that boost the production of liver detoxification enzymes. It also contains a flavonoid compound known as naringenin that makes the liver burn fat rather than store it. Either eating or drinking grapefruit juice can help your liver flush out carcinogens and toxins.
Green Tea – Is loaded with antioxidants known as catechins, which have been known to improve the functions of our liver and has been shown in studies to eliminate liver fat accumulation and promote proper liver function (ii). This powerful herbal drink also protects the liver against toxins that would otherwise cause serious damage.
Walnuts – Are also high in l-arginine, an amino acid, glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids, which help our liver through its cleansing process and helps detoxify the liver of disease-causing ammonia. Walnuts also help oxygenate the blood and extracts from their hulls are often used in liver-cleansing formulas.
Leafy Greens – Such as spinach, bitter gourd, arugula, dandelion greens, mustard greens, chicory and lettuce are able to neutralize heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides that may be in our foods, and act as a protective mechanism for the liver encouraging the making and flow of cleansing bile.
Cruciferous Vegetables – Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts also increase the amount of glucosinolate (organic compounds) in our bodies that helps create enzyme production for digestion.
Turmeric – Is one of the most powerful foods for maintaining a healthy liver, it has been shown to actively protect the liver against toxic damage and even regenerate damaged liver cells. Turmeric also boosts the natural production of bile, shrinks engorged hepatic ducts, and improves overall function of the gallbladder, another body-purifying organ. It acts as a natural form of detox for your liver.
