What are the best foods to improve liver health?  Each time that you overeat or when you eat fried or processed foods, what you are doing is exposing yourself to the environmental pollutants and the stressors that are harmful to your liver. As a result, you overwork as well as overload your liver. When your liver is overworked and wears down, it will not be able to process the toxins and the fat in the most efficient way possible. There are various foods to improve your liver health so as to maintain a proper functioning of the liver. The following are foods to improve liver health.

The Best Foods to Improve Liver Health

Garlic

You will only require a small amount of this pungent white bulb to activate the liver enzymes. The liver enzymes are the ones responsible for helping your body to flush out toxins. [1] Garlic also holds high amounts of the two compounds which your liver requires to cleanse itself. These two naturally occurring compounds are known as allicin and selenium.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit is one of the foods to improve liver health and is as high amounts of both the vitamin C and the antioxidants which aid to improve the natural cleansing process of your liver. You only need to have a small glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice to aid you in the production of liver detoxification enzymes. These enzymes are what will help you to flush out all the toxins and carcinogens.

Green tea

Green tea is also one of the foods to improve liver health. It is a beverage which is full of antioxidants known as catechins. Catechins are compounds which work to assist the functions of your liver. Remember that it is actual green tea which will offer you these benefits and not green tea extracts. Just make sure that you keep it simple and not drink excessive green tea, use it just to enjoy the benefits.

Beets and carrots

Both the beets and the carrots are high when it comes to plant-flavonoids as well as the beta-carotene. Consider eating beets and the carrots so as to help in the stimulation as well as the improvement of your liver functions.

Green vegetables

These are great foods to improve liver health! [2] The good thing about green vegetables is that you can eat them raw or you can cook them or even juice them. Due to the high number of chlorophylls, green leafy vegetables can suck up the toxins from your blood stream. They also have a distinct ability to neutralize heavy metals and chemicals as well as the pesticides. They are cleansing foods which will offer you a robust mechanism to protect your liver. You can choose from leafy vegetables such as arugula, bitter gourd, spinach, dandelion greens, and chicory and mustard greens. They will help you greatly in the creation and the flow of bile which is a substance that your body requires in the removal of waste from organs as well as the blood.

Apples and avocados

Apples are also foods to improve liver health, and they contain pectin in high amounts which you need for your body to be able to cleanse as well as release the toxins from your digestive tract. By eating these fruits, you will be making it easier for your liver to handle the toxic load in your body during the process of cleansing.

Avocados are also a super food which is rich in various nutrients. Avocado will help your body produce glutathione which is a compound that is necessary for your liver to ensure that it cleanses all the harmful toxins.

Olive oil

Organic oils such as olive, hemp, and flaxseed will help you greatly when you are looking for foods to improve liver health but only when you use it in moderation. [3] Olive oil will help your body in that it will provide it with a lipid base which works to suck up the harmful toxins in your body. As a result, it relieves the work of the liver by taking some of the burdens of the overload of toxins that your liver has.

Turmeric

Add some turmeric in your lentil stew or any veggie dish. It is a favorite spice of your liver with its detoxifying goodness because the liver always sucks it up instantly. Turmeric will help to boost the detoxification process of your liver by helping the enzymes that are actively involved in the flushing out of the dietary carcinogens.

Walnuts

Walnuts are important foods to improve liver health.[4] They have high amounts of the arginine which is the amino acid that aids the liver in the detoxification of ammonia. When it comes to the standard cleansing actions of the liver, walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids and glutathione which support this work. What you need to do is chew the nuts very well until they are in a liquefied state before you swallow them.

Lemons and limes

Lemon and limes are rich in vitamin C which your body requires to synthesize the toxic materials into the substances which the water in your body can absorb. To help your liver detoxify, you can drink freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice every morning.

Cabbage

Just like broccoli and cauliflower, cabbage will also help you to stimulate the activation of the two most important enzymes that will assist your liver in the detoxification process. You can try and eat more cabbage soup, kimchi, coleslaw, and sauerkraut.

When you eat these liver boosting foods above, you are putting yourself on the right track to help your liver function properly. You can also perform cleansing of the liver at least twice a year for best results.

 

References:

[1] http://www.medicaldaily.com/5-foods-are-good-your-liver-garlic-grapefruit-404918

[2] http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/liverlowdown/ll0813/healthyfoods/

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670406/

[4] http://www.liversupport.com/four-nuts-that-support-your-liver/