Our liver plays a very important role in expelling toxins from our body. This cleanses the body and filters the blood from toxins and poisons that enter through the skin, digestive tract, and the respiratory system. When it is exposed too many toxins, the liver can get stressed and overworked which can potentially throw your system off balance and compromise your health. Aside from its filtering abilities, the liver also releases bile, a substance that plays a big role in breaking down the food that we consume.
Because of the very big role that this organ plays, it is important that its optimal health is always ensured. Otherwise, the body will greatly suffer from its inability to cleanse itself and absorb nutrients. In time, this can lead to big health disasters.
Below are seven of the healthiest foods that you should start incorporating in your diet for a healthier liver.
Seven Foods That Will Naturally Cleanse Your Liver
Garlic
Garlic is one of those food items that contain a big amount of sulfur-laden compounds that will activate liver enzymes, allowing it to flush out toxins from the body. This is a close relative of the onion and contains selenium and allicin, which are very powerful substances that will protect the liver from acquiring any damages as well as help in its process of detoxification.
Grapefruit
Two of the most powerful liver cleansers – antioxidants and vitamin C – are found in grapefruit. This food possesses the same compounds as garlic which allows it to improve the liver’s ability to produce enzymes necessary for detoxification. Grapefruit also contains the flavonoid naringenin so the liver is able to burn fat instead of storing it.
Green Tea
Green tea is teeming with the antioxidant catechins, a plant that has been proved in many studies to eliminate fat accumulation in the liver and promote the organs’ proper function. This is a powerful herbal beverage that will protect the liver from toxins that can accumulate and cause potentially serious damage.
Leafy Green Vegetables
Arugula, bitter gourd, chicory, dandelion greens, mustard greens, and spinach are a few of those leafy green vegetables that contain many cleansing compounds helpful in neutralizing heavy metals that can greatly burden the liver. These food items are also able to eliminate herbicides and patricides from the body by increasing the amounts of the bile released.
Avocado
Avocadoes are rich in compounds that produce glutathione. This substance will promote the health of the liver by ensuring that it is protected from being overloaded with toxins. It even is able to boost the cleansing power of the organ. In fact, research has shown that eating an avocado or two a week for 30 days can repair a liver.
Walnuts
Walnuts have high amounts of the amino acid l-arginine, omega-3 fatty acids, and glutathione that can detoxify the liver from ammonia. These nuts will also help in oxygenating the blood.
Turmeric
This is one of the best foods to maintain a healthy liver. Turmeric has the ability to protect the liver from toxins, regenerate damaged cells of the liver, boost bile production, shrink inflamed hepatic ducts, and improve gallbladder function.