Nutrition Prescription: Eating for Liver Health
Life is hard on the liver, no way around it! No matter how much you take care of yourself, your liver is working over time. This is a product of our increasingly busy world. Whether you have weekends packed with dinner parties, a stressful work life or simply living and being in this increasingly toxic environmental, it is the liver takes the brunt.
More than ever, we need to support our liver. This will aid the body in flushing our bodies of the toxins used beauty products, ingested chemicals, overloaded stress hormones and bad cholesterol. The liver is also where estrogen metabolism occurs. Detoxifying the liver will help to balance hormones levels, and lower your chance of chronic disease. If the liver is over-worked or clogged the body will be unable to rid itself of dangerous toxins and they will instead circulate the body and over stimulate the genes. The largest contributors to liver overload are poor diet, excessive alcohol, drugs, and toxic chemicals. Support your liver with a good detoxifying diet and bi-yearly cleanses.
Symptoms of liver impairment
Hormonal Imbalances
Immune dysfunction
Mood swings, (anger and irritability), depression
Poor concentration (foggy brain)
Constipation and/or light-colored stool
Jaundice
Lack of appetite or nausea
Rash on back
Bloated stomach.
Abnormal metabolism of fats
Blood sugar problems
Recurrent headaches (including migraines)
Overheating of the body (especially face and torso).
Digestive problems
• EXTERNAL SIGNS
Brownish spots and blemishes on the skin (pruritus), excessive sweating, skin rashes, red palms and soles (which may also be itchy and inflamed), coated tongue, bad breath, acne rosacea, dark circles under the eyes, offensive body odor, red swollen itchy eyes, and flushed facial appearance or excessive facial blood vessels. Tenderness/ aches on right side of body
Liver supporting foods
1. Garlic
Just a small amount of this pungent white bulb has the ability to activate liver enzymes that helps your body flush out toxins. Garlic also holds high amounts of allicin and selenium, two natural compounds that aid in liver cleansing.
2. Grapefruit
High in both vitamin C and antioxidants, grapefruit increases the natural cleansing processes of the liver. A small glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice will help boost production of liver detoxification enzymes that help flush out carcinogens and other toxins.
3. Beets and Carrots
Both extremely high in plant flavonoids and beta-carotene, eating both beets and carrots can help stimulate and improve overall liver function.
4. Green Tea
This liver-loving beverage is chock-full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, a constituent known to assist the livers overall functions. Green tea is not only delicious, it’s also a great way to improve your overall diet. Learn more about the benefits of green tea.
5. Leafy Green Vegetables
One of our most powerful allies in cleansing the liver, leafy greens can be eaten raw, cooked or juiced. Extremely high in plant chlorophylls, greens literally suck up environmental toxins from the blood stream. With their distinct ability to neutralize heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides, these cleansing foods offer a powerful protective mechanism for the liver.
Try incorporating leafy greens such as bitter gourd, arugula, dandelion greens, spinach, mustard greens and chicory into your diet. This will help increase the creation and flow of bile, the substance that removes waste from the organs and blood.
6. Avocados
This nutrient-dense super-food helps the body produce glutathione, which is necessary for the liver to cleanse harmful toxins. Recent studies indicate improved liver health when avocados are eaten regularly.
7. Apples
High in pectin, apples hold the chemical constituents needed for the body to cleanse and release toxins from the digestive tract. This, in turn, makes it easier for the liver to handle the toxic load during the cleansing process.
8. Olive Oil
Cold-pressed organic oils such as olive, hemp and flax-seed are great for the liver, when used in moderation. They help the body by providing a lipid base that can suck up harmful toxins in the body. In this way, it takes some of the burden off the liver in terms of the toxic overload that many of us suffer from.
9. Whole Grains
Grains, such as brown rice, are rich in B-complex vitamins, nutrients known to improve overall fat metabolization, liver function and liver decongestion. If possible, do not eat foods with white flour instead try eating whole wheat alternatives.
10. Cruciferous Vegetables
Eating broccoli and cauliflower will increase the amount of glucosinolate in your system, adding to enzyme production in the liver. These natural enzymes help flush out carcinogens, and other toxins, out of our body which significantly lowers our risk of cancer.
11. Lemons & Limes
These citrus fruits contain very high amounts of the vitamin C, which aids the body in synthesizing toxic material into substance that can be absorbed by water. Drinking freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice in the morning helps stimulate the liver.
12. Walnuts
Holding high amount of the amino acid arginine, walnuts aid the liver in detoxifying ammonia. Walnuts are also high in glutathione and omega 3 fatty acids which support normal liver cleansing actions. Make sure you chew the nuts well (until they are liquefied) before swallowing.
13. Cabbage
Much like broccoli and cauliflower, eating cabbage helps stimulate the activation of two crucial liver detoxifying enzymes that help flush out toxins. Try eating more kimchi, coleslaw, cabbage soup and sauerkraut.
14. Turmeric
The liver’s favorite spice. Try adding some of this detoxifying goodness into your next lentil stew or veggie dish for an instant liver pick-me-up. Tumeric helps boost liver detox, by assisting enzymes that actively flush out known dietary carcinogens.