Good Liver Function is essential for life!
Your liver must remain healthy, as it is responsible for detoxifying your body. It is the largest organ in your body, it weighs about 3 pounds, and is about the size of a football.
What does a healthy liver do?
Your liver works around the clock, performing more than 500 vital functions essential for good health and a long life. Below find just a few vital functions of the liver:
- Production of bile. Your liver continually produces bile which turns fat into energy for your body. Bile is necessary for digestion and creates albumin, a blood protein that helps carry hormones, drugs, and fatty acids through your body and helps you clot blood after an injury.
- Removal of waste. When you take in a toxic substance, like drugs, alcohol, medicine, environmental toxins, processed foods, etc., your liver helps remove it from your body.
- Processing bilirubin. The liver helps your body get rid of bilirubin. Bilirubin comes from the breakdown of red blood cells. Too much bilirubin in your body can cause jaundice. This is a yellowing of the skin and eyes.
- Controlling immune responses. When bacteria, viruses, and other harmful organisms enter your body, your liver can find and destroy them. This is done by specialized cells in your liver.
- Controlling glucose. The liver helps your body maintain a healthy level of blood sugar. Your liver supplies glucose to your blood when it’s needed. It also removes glucose from your blood when there’s too much. Glucose is needed for energy.
Day-to-day tips for keeping your liver healthy
Keeping your liver functioning well reduces your risk of liver disease. Below are day-to-day tips for keeping your liver healthy.
- Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
- Keep your cholesterol within a normal range.
- Watch your sugar intake.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Liver and Intestinal cleanses.
- Limit alcohol intake.
- Limit exposure to toxins like cleaning supplies, hair colour, and other chemicals.
- Wash your hands often, especially after using the bathroom, touching pets, and before eating.
- Do not share needles, razors, toothbrushes, or other personal items.
- Do not smoke or use other tobacco products.
- Limit use of medications, and supplements including over-the-counter products, such as pain relievers.
- Practice safe sex to reduce the risk of contracting hepatitis.
Foods for keeping your liver healthy:
- Garlic – Garlic is great for all types of ailments: from immune system weakness to bad skin, garlic can help fight it all. Some of garlic’s most useful components include allicin and selenium, which are helpful in cleansing the liver and promoting good health. Try adding some fresh garlic into your meals to see your liver health improve.
- Turmeric – A spice often used to give an tasty kick to different dishes. Turmeric improves liver detox ability, removing unwanted toxins, and dietary carcinogens. In turn, Turmeric helps to improve overall health. Add turmeric to your favorite sautés, or take in supplement form.
- Lemons – High levels of Vitamin C, combined with plenty of antioxidants, make the lemon an essential element in any diet. We recommend a glass or two of lemon water per day, which can be made by mixing a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice with room temperature water. Be careful not to consume too much lemon, as the acidity can be harmful to the stomach.
- Beets and Carrots – Both similar in structure are two of the healthiest foods for the body. In relation to the liver, these root vegetables work by increasing your intake of beta-carotene as well as other nutrients that work together to improve the functioning of the liver. They support the detox process by removing toxins from the body. Also rich in plant-flavonoids, beets and carrots help break down fats in our diet.
- Cabbage – Cabbage is a wonderful source of enzymes that help the liver eliminate toxins from the body. Cabbage is cheap and easy to use in soups, stews, raw in salads, and many other dishes. Add cabbage to your and increase your overall body health.
- Kale – A delicious and healthy food, rich in fibre, antioxidants, and chlorophyll. Dark leafy greens like kale work by removing heavy metals, pesticides, and toxins from the blood, such as those caused by the environment. Try adding more kale to your smoothies, add to a salad, or make delicious kale chips for a healthy snack.
- Avocados – A great choice for improving liver health. An outstanding source of healthy fatty acids, fibre, and other nutrients, making this super food one of the best for your health. Avocados also help the body produce glutathione, which improves liver function. Add avocado onto your toast or into your favorite smoothie for a surprising boost for your health.
- Walnuts – No diet is optimal without nuts. The benefits of walnuts include their high content of omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids which assist in liver cleansing, therefore helping to remove toxins. One of the most overlooked benefits of nuts is their versatility, making them easy to use as a quick snack or an addition to many different dishes. Soak them, grind them or simply eat them raw or lightly roasted.
- Green Tea – Tea is a great way to cleanse the body and you can drink it hot or cold. Green Tea is packed full of nutrients and antioxidants that help repair damaged cells in our body, and it is rich in vitamin E which help increase liver function.
