How to Take Care of the Liver
Unfortunately, with the lifestyle that we are following now, our liver has become vulnerable to liver diseases that are rapidly emerging. To protect our liver, we need to take measures.
- Lifestyle
The first and the foremost step to take to ensure proper care of the liver is to change one’s lifestyle for the better. This would mean that the liver will have to work less to detoxify and, as a result, it would strengthen the liver functions.
A good-for-the-liver lifestyle would mean incorporating exercise into one’s schedule that would simulate digestion and the excess sweating would remove the toxins through the skin instead of the liver, chew our food well which would help to release digestive enzymes, avoid drinking and smoking, avoid abusing over-the-counter drugs and use personal and cleaning products that are free from chemicals.
- Diet
Some diet rules should be followed to protect our liver from getting damaged. Bad carbohydrates like sugar, pastries, flour, etc. should be avoided. Instead, switch over to the good carbohydrates – vegetables, whole grains, fruits and beans.
Likewise saturated and trans fats like those in cheese, butter, cookies, fried foods, lamb, pork, etc. are harmful. So incorporate the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats into your food – olive oil, sunflower oil, peanut butter, walnuts, flaxseeds, salmon, tuna, etc.
Cut down on salt and sugar and start using vinegar or lemon juice and honey. Spices and cumin have the power to heal fatty liver conditions.
- Food to Clean the Liver
When we consume fried foods or overeat or even stress ourselves, the liver is unable to process the fat and the toxins efficiently. To simulate the natural ability of the liver of cleaning toxic waste from our body, certain food should be taken. These help to clean the liver.
Garlic can activate those enzymes in the liver that flushes out toxins, Grapefruit enhances the cleaning abilities of the liver, the wonderful Green Tea contains the oxidant catechins which assists in liver functions. Leafy Vegetables do the job of cleaning the liver, avocados help the body in producing glutathione required by the liver to rid the body of harmful toxins, beetroot and carrots help in improving the overall function of our liver and olive oil in moderate quantity helps in sucking up harmful toxins from our body.
Alternative grains, lemons and limes, walnuts and cabbage all play their part in the process of detoxification and supporting the liver to remain hale and hearty.
- Home remedies
Ayurvedic science uses gooseberry (amla) to treat liver. Rich in vitamin C and with its ability for protecting the liver, it can maintain optimum performance by the liver.
Licorice (Jethimad) is used to manage the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease that reduces the concentration of transaminase enzymes ALT and AST to beneficial levels.
Turmeric (haldhi) has the power to strengthen the functioning capabilities of the liver.
- Supplements for the Liver
Under professional guidance, herbs, and other liver supplements can be taken to maintain the health of our liver and also to repair any damage. Some of these play a great role in the longevity of the liver – milk thistle helps to fight free radicals and oxidation, aloe vera helps in digestion, burdock root assists in detoxification and cleanses the liver and dandelion is the naturally detoxing flush.
Ayurvedic medicine promotes the use of the juices of sugarcane and pomegranate for cleaning the liver, activated charcoal protects the liver by absorbing toxins and turmeric helps to reduce inflammation and protects the liver.
Inference
The liver is an important organ of our body, and it would only make sense to educate ourselves and learn more about it. Let us give credit to the liver as being one of the busiest organs of our body, and make sure that we take steps to protect it.