What to eat to improve liver health? How to maintain liver health?
The liver plays an important role in the human body. Without this organ, the human body cannot function properly. It filters the blood, metabolizes drugs, eliminates toxic chemicals, and maintains the health of the body. However, if detoxification work is done for a long time, the function of the liver will be somewhat weakened, so we need to “maintain” it well. In this article you can know how to maintain liver health.
The liver is not indestructible. When there are too many toxins in the body, it is inevitable that it will “strike” actively or passively.
Once the liver is “poisoned”, it will not function properly and many symptoms will appear. Symptoms of liver poisoning include:
Heartburn
Excessive sweating
Abdominal swelling
Weight gain
Dark spots on the skin
Difficulty digesting fat
Discomfort and pain in the liver area
If you have these symptoms, you should read this article to the end, because the foods listed below are your liver-saving “medicine”.
Top 10 Foods to Detox Your Liver
A toxic liver can be detrimental to your overall health and can even cause pain and discomfort.
Fortunately, many of these symptoms can be improved through diet.
1. Carrots
If you are planning on a liver detox diet, then including carrots is a must.
Carrots not only detoxify the liver, but also thoroughly cleanse it, thereby greatly promoting liver function.
For normal people, it is recommended to eat about 2 to 3 small carrots a day. But if you are a diabetic, the intake of carrots per day is about 1.
Carrots are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, biotin, and a variety of other essential nutrients that are good not only for your liver but for your entire body.
If you don’t like carrots, you can squeeze carrots into juice with lemon and fresh ginger.
2. Spinach
The spinach is part of the leafy green vegetable family, and it’s one of the best plant sources of protein.
Of course, this plant also contains many other beneficial nutrients, such as vitamins, vitamin B1, zinc, choline, protein, vitamin B6, vitamin K, iron, magnesium, folic acid, copper and many other beneficial nutrients.
These nutrients can help neutralize various substances in the liver, including chemicals, heavy metals, etc.
If you don’t think it’s good to eat alone, you can also make it into a vegetable salad.
3. Broccoli
It is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin B1, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, selenium, protein, and iron.
It is also rich in diindolylmethane, which has been shown to be beneficial in preventing cancers associated with high estrogen levels.
Additionally, broccoli contains compounds that activate liver detoxification enzymes, making it a healthy vegetable that can be consumed for several weeks.
4. Garlic
Garlic is a common ingredient in our cooking and is known to contain powerful antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds.
What many people don’t realize is that garlic also contains special compounds that activate enzymes in the liver that help eliminate toxins.
In other words, eating garlic can improve liver function.
5. Tomato
The tomatoes are good for many health issues – including your liver.
This food is rich in a compound called lycopene, which is a powerful natural antioxidant.
It protects cellular DNA from free radical damage, detoxifies, and reduces liver damage.
Tomatoes also contain vitamin C, vitamin A, and many other antioxidants, which help detoxify the liver.
6. Apple
Apples are rich in soluble fiber, which helps eliminate toxins and cholesterol from the blood and reduces the burden on the liver.
Additionally, it contains malic acid, a natural cleansing nutrient that also helps the liver cleanse carcinogens and other toxins from the blood.
7. Avocado
These are not only delicious, but they are also considered a superfood.
It contains a large amount of nutrients, including vitamin K, vitamin B5, vitamin E, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, magnesium, etc.
It also contains compounds that boost the natural production of glutathione, which helps flush toxins out of the liver.
8. Grapefruit
Grapefruit has many benefits. It is rich in fiber, vitamin C, lycopene, choline, potassium, and many other healthy nutrients. It is the best food to support heart health.
The antioxidants in it can also help remove harmful toxins from the liver, making a liver cleansing diet more efficient.
9. Green Tea
Green tea is also a good choice for cleansing the liver.
For example, catechins in green tea can improve liver function, and many health products contain this active ingredient.
However, we would like to remind everyone not to directly consume green tea extract supplements, as this may cause liver damage. Just drink green tea normally.
10. Lemon
Lemon is also essential for keeping your liver clean.
Lemons are rich in vitamin C, a natural antioxidant that can protect stem cells and reduce the damage of toxins.
However, lemon is a highly acidic food, so people with high stomach acid should drink it in moderation.
The liver deals with toxins all day long. The toxins accumulated in it will reduce the efficiency of the liver and cause a variety of adverse symptoms.
Therefore, it is necessary to eat these high-fiber foods rich in antioxidants to detoxify the liver and protect liver function!
The liver’s top five favorite foods
1. Cruciferous vegetables.
They contain various phytonutrients, flavonoids, carotenoids, sulforaphane and indoles, which can comprehensively help the liver to dissolve various chemical toxins and carcinogens. Common cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, Chinese cabbage and white radish.
2. Seaweed.
Seaweed such as kelp and laver can help the liver detoxify and prevent the body from absorbing toxic heavy metals such as cadmium and other environmental toxins. Researchers at McGill University in Canada found that compounds contained in brown algae can reduce the absorption of radioactive particles by bones.
3. Bean sprouts.
Bean sprouts are rich in various enzymes, which can promote the decomposition and absorption of protein.
4. Foods rich in sulfide. Onions, garlic, scallions and other vegetables rich in sulfide can promote the liver to produce glutathione, neutralize free radicals in cells, and play a role in detoxification and anti-aging.
5. Berries.
Berries such as blueberries and strawberries are rich in phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins and polyphenols, which have strong antioxidant effects and can help the liver protect human cells from attacks by free radicals and oxidative stress.
Drinking alcohol is equivalent to taking poison for hepatitis B patients
Hepatitis B and alcohol are important causes of liver cancer. The combination of these two factors will accelerate liver degeneration and necrosis. If a normal male consumes more than 40 grams of liquor per day and a female consumes more than 20 grams per day, it is considered excessive drinking. However, this standard is far beyond the standard for hepatitis B patients. The liver of hepatitis B patients is already damaged. If they drink alcohol again, alcohol will cause secondary damage to the liver, causing liver cells to degenerate and necrotize. The human liver can only decompose 10 ml of alcohol in 1 hour. If you drink excessively for a long time, the liver will be overloaded and will inevitably not have time to decompose it, which will continue to cause immeasurable damage to the liver.
There is a saying in the medical community that for hepatitis B patients, drinking alcohol is like drinking arsenic, so they should stay away from both white wine, beer and red wine.
Eating too much garlic can damage your liver and eyes
Garlic is a common condiment in every household. It not only has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, but also can fight cancer. However, eating more does not necessarily mean better.
Garlic has a hundred benefits, but only harms the eyes. From clinical experience, long-term and large-scale consumption of garlic is indeed harmful to the eyes. Garlic tastes spicy, and it is clear and can open the eyes, which can easily cause eye damage. Traditional Chinese medicine theory also believes that the liver opens the eyes, and sufficient liver blood can nourish the eyes. If the liver blood is deficient, the eyes will have nothing to nourish, which will manifest as blurred vision and dry eyes.
Garlic is pungent and warm in nature. Eating too much garlic will not only easily lead to liver blood deficiency and lack of nourishment for the eyes, but also help fire to hurt the eyes and aggravate eye diseases. Not only that, garlic is a hairy food, and it is highly irritating. Improper consumption can easily induce certain diseases or aggravate existing diseases. For example, if you eat garlic when you suffer from non-bacterial enteritis or diarrhea, the strong stimulation will aggravate the congestion and edema of the intestinal mucosa, promote exudation, and worsen the condition.
Drinking too much juice can damage your liver
Recently, the official website of the American Journal of Physiology published a study that found that consuming large amounts of high-fructose foods such as fruit juice, honey, corn syrup (commonly found in candy and carbonated drinks) may damage liver health.
Eat more green leafy vegetables to nourish the liver
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the liver belongs to wood in the five elements. To nourish the liver, you should often eat green leafy vegetables, because the chlorophyll in them helps the liver detoxify, and carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the liver after entering the body, which can nourish the liver and improve eyesight. In addition, eating green leafy vegetables has many benefits. The vitamin K in them helps calcium absorption and prevents osteoporosis; dietary fiber can absorb a lot of water and help moisturize; flavonoids can prevent and relieve the three highs.
Liver care follows the principle of “three more and three less”
To nourish the liver, you should follow the “three less and three more” principle – less sour and more sweet, less blood and more qi, less anger and more movement.
Eat: Eating too much sour food will damage the liver, sweet food is the most suitable
Eating too much sour food will make the liver qi too strong. The correct approach is to eat less sour food and more sweet food to nourish the spleen and nourish the earth.
However, sour food does not mean sour food, but food with sour nature and flavor, such as pomegranate, schisandra, etc. Sweet food does not mean sweet food, but food with sweet nature and flavor, such as yam, coix seed, grains, vegetables, fruits, etc.
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Supplement: It is not suitable to supplement blood, but to supplement Qi.
Qi mainly comes from mild nourishing foods, such as grains, fruits, and vegetables. Blood mainly comes from fatty and greasy foods such as wine and meat. To nourish the liver, you can replenish less blood and more qi, that is, eat more light-tasting foods such as millet, fruits, and vegetables. If you have symptoms of liver fire such as dizziness, irritability, excessive eye mucus, and bloodshot eyes, you can clear the fire appropriately, such as liver-clearing and fire-reducing tea. Specific recipe: 5 grams of Prunella Vulgaris, 5 grams of white chrysanthemum, and 3 grams of mint, boil water and drink instead of tea.
Choose “three high” foods to nourish the liver
High vitamin foods: vegetables and fruits. Although green foods are good for the liver, it should be noted that foods can be hot, cold, warm or cool. Foods that are too hot or too cool are not good for the liver. For example, green peppers and leeks are green, but they are hot in nature. Tropical fruits such as mangoes and pineapples are not suitable for nourishing and protecting the liver, while fruits and vegetables such as celery, cabbage, apples, and oranges are suitable for nourishing the liver and detoxifying.
High-protein foods: fish, meat, eggs, milk and soybeans. Protein is the raw material of liver enzymes and antibodies, and can also provide energy. Fish is the best high-quality protein. The nutritional value of marine fish is relatively high, but it does not mean that it is suitable for you. Chinese medicine believes that marine fish is a hairy food, while river fish is mild in nature and suitable for toning the body. It is recommended to eat more freshwater fish such as carp and crucian carp, which have sufficient nutritional value and are not easy to get angry.
High-sugar foods: rice, flour and grains. Sugar is an important substance for protecting the liver. Sugar can provide most of the energy needed by the human body. If a person is in a state of lack of energy for a long time, it will affect the liver function. Sugar can also synthesize a substance called glycogen, which is stored in the liver to prevent toxins ingested into the body from damaging liver cells.
Chicken bone grass soup can protect the liver
Guangdong people like to use chicken bone grass to make soup. This cheap and good “grass” that looks like chicken bones is a very good liver-protecting medicine. If used properly, it is very helpful for health and can be said to be both a medicine and a food. According to Tang Liang, deputy director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Nansha Hospital of Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, chicken bone grass tastes sweet and slightly bitter, is cool in nature, non-toxic, and enters the heart, lung, liver, stomach, and kidney meridians. It has the effects of dampness and jaundice, clearing away heat and detoxification, and soothing the liver and relieving pain. It is often used for damp-heat jaundice, flank discomfort, stomach distension and pain, and mastitis.
Protect your liver: Tofu and fish belly soup
For people with hepatitis, an appropriate amount of protein, high vitamins, and low fat is an ideal dietary pattern, and this soup is just like that, and the protein is a mixture of animal and plant proteins, which are fully complementary. Tofu is sweet and cool in nature, and is a tonic and heat-clearing health food. It has the effects of invigorating qi and harmonizing the middle, nourishing yin and moistening dryness.
That does not contain cholesterol, and the sterols and stigmasterols it contains have the effect of inhibiting cancer. It is also an ideal food for people with high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and high blood sugar. Fish belly can calm the liver and calm the wind, and it is rich in protein and low in fat, which is the material basis for promoting liver cell repair and synthesis. Since this soup is rich in purine, people with high uric acid should not eat too much.
What is the first choice of liver-nourishing food?
Cereals are the first choice for liver health. Not staying up late, drinking less, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and going out for a walk are all ways to nourish the liver. Among all foods, wolfberry, green apples, green dates, cornus fruit, jujube kernels, and animal livers are the best for liver health. Quit drinking, smoking, and all foods and drugs that are harmful to the liver, such as pickled and smoked foods, canned foods with preservatives, and foods contaminated by aflatoxin. A light, green diet and natural green vegetables are good for the liver. Chinese medicine says that “the liver governs green, and green is like the liver meridian.”
Green foods can nourish the liver, while stimulating, spicy, rich in fish and meat, and fried foods will increase the burden on the liver. If people do too much work, they will be exhausted, and the same is true for the liver, which will also have problems. At the same time, light food can also reduce the burden on the stomach and increase the utilization rate of the effective ingredients in food. The first choice of food for nourishing liver and blood is cereals, followed by longan, chestnuts, red dates, and walnuts; vegetables include mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, spinach, celery, lettuce, Chinese toon, coriander, etc.
Antihypertensive herbal tea relieves liver qi
People with liver fire are irritable and easily angered, and people with high blood pressure should avoid getting angry. Four medicinal teas can relieve liver fire: Erhua tea, Erzi tea, Hawthorn lotus leaf tea, and Chrysanthemum locust tea.
Can patients with liver disease eat chili peppers?
Chili peppers contain multiple vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron and 15 kinds of amino acids needed by the human body. The content of vitamin C in chili peppers ranks first among vegetables. So far, it has not been found that chili peppers can directly cause liver damage, and some studies have even found that capsaicin can reduce liver damage to a certain extent. But this does not mean that all patients with chronic liver disease can eat spicy food without scruples.
Because although chili peppers do not directly cause liver damage, they can cause irritation to the digestive tract and aggravate the digestive tract problems of patients with chronic liver disease. And patients with chronic liver disease are more likely to develop gastrointestinal mucosal lesions than ordinary people. Therefore, not all patients with liver disease can eat chili peppers as they please. Patients with severe esophageal varices or a history of rupture and bleeding should avoid eating chili peppers.
Protect your liver and beware of “eating toxins”
Eat in moderation. Excessive drinking and excessive intake of high-protein and high-fat foods can easily lead to alcoholic liver disease and fatty liver disease. In addition, some unhealthy eating habits should also be taken seriously. For example, eating hot pot frequently may also increase the burden on the liver. Its “numbing”, “spicy” and “hot” characteristics are irritating to the liver. In addition, when eating hot pot, you may unknowingly eat a lot of uncooked meat, which increases the digestive burden of the liver.
Don’t take medicine randomly. Ms. Zhang, who is in her early thirties, was dissatisfied with her graying hair, so she bought some raw Polygonum multiflorum to eat. To her surprise, her hair did not turn black, but her whole body turned yellow. After consulting a doctor, she learned that it was a side effect of the medicine after taking Polygonum multiflorum randomly. What shocked her even more was that she was diagnosed with drug-induced hepatitis. In life, there are often some people who are very superstitious about the so-called “conditioning” effect of health products, and are keen on aphrodisiacs, weight loss pills, beauty pills, tonics, etc., but they don’t know that “all medicines are three-point poisons”, and the result of “conditioning” is that the interaction between drugs produces side effects on the human body and directly damages the liver.
Eating fish with blue backs may reduce liver cancer risk
Whether steamed or braised, fish is a delicacy on people’s tables. In addition to being delicious, eating fish regularly can also help people fight cancer. A survey found that people who often eat blue-backed fish such as mackerel, saury, sardines, and eels have a 40% lower risk of liver cancer than those who rarely eat these fish.
Eating cheese may prevent liver cancer
Recently, the latest research published in Cancer Research by Texas Tech University in the United States showed that eating cheese regularly can help reduce the risk of liver cancer and prolong life. The researchers said that cheese contains a lot of spermidine. They found that mice fed with spermidine oral supplements had a lower incidence of liver fibrosis and liver cancer than mice not supplemented with spermidine, and the mice’s life span was extended by 25%. In addition to cheese, spermidine is also naturally present in many foods, including mushrooms, beans, soybeans, whole grains and corn, etc., which can be eaten regularly.
Moderate coffee drinking may reduce liver cancer risk
A British research team recently published a report in the British Medical Journal Open that drinking a certain amount of coffee every day can help reduce the risk of liver cancer, and as the intake increases, the risk will also decrease more. This supports some previous research results that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of liver cancer.