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Top List Of Liver-Friendly Foods!
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The liver is one of the most important organs in the body. As the name implies, you need it to live: If the liver gives out, it really doesn’t matter if everything else is in working order. In this article, you’ll learn about which foods you can add to your diet to help it do its job and keep you healthy and alive for many years to come.
What is the liver, and why is it so important?
The liver is the largest gland in the human body. Its primary purpose is to detoxify your body and protect it from potentially harmful substances you might ingest. It breaks down alcohol and drugs that enter the body (when you drink alcohol at a rate faster than your liver can metabolize it, you become drunk). The liver also stores iron and vitamins to help the immune system and helps break down stored sugars in the body into a usable form to provide energy.
The liver also helps break down old red blood cells so that fresh ones can take their place, as well as insulin and hemoglobin. As you can see, the liver plays a key role in so many different systems in the body that if something goes wrong with it, the whole body will go haywire.
Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the liver, effectively causing it to age prematurely by building up scar tissue, a condition called cirrhosis. Certain types of medications, like acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) can be very taxing on the liver, and it should be used sparingly, especially if you’ve been or drinking alcohol or plan to do so the same day.
In addition to making sure you drink only in moderation, diet plays a big role in ensuring the health of your liver. There are many different foods that help nourish the liver and keep it functioning properly, and these are presented below.
1. Cruciferous (leafy) green vegetables
Cruciferous (leafy) green vegetables are excellent for the liver. In addition to being packed with vitamins A, C, and K, leafy greens like kale, mustard greens, and spinach contain chlorophyll, which negates the harmful effects of heavy metals and environmental toxins. This helps take some of the burden off your liver. (Chlorophyll is also what gives leafy plants their green color).
Other leafy greens, such as cabbage and Brussel sprouts, contain glucosinolates, which help the liver produce enzymes that assist in detoxifying the body.
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