The great poet Maya Angelou once said, “Life loves its liver. You have to live and life will be good to you, it will give you experiences.”
While talking about living life to the fullest, it can also be said that if you are kind to your liver, it will help you live a better life. And that goodness often starts with the best foods for liver health.
And what better way to treat your liver with kindness than by giving it the nutrients and foods that best support it.
With so many toxins in the world and in our foods, it is vital that we eat what best supports our bodies and organs, including the liver, which works so hard to keep us healthy.
The Functions of the Liver
The heaviest internal organ, the liver has a very heavy workload. It is the liver’s job to keep blood chemical levels balanced. It does this by excreting bile.
Bile helps break down the fats we eat, making it easier for enzymes to break them down further.
The liver too regulates amino acid levels and stores fat-soluble vitamins. This allows it to maintain blood clotting at healthy levels through the use of vitamin K. And the liver has the ability to convert excess glucose into stored glycogen as needed.
Because one of the liver’s vital roles is to filter toxins, over time it is susceptible to prolonged use of alcohol, drugs and certain medications. This can lead to a number of diseases.
Cirrhosis can occur in cases of alcoholism and leads to scarring of the liver. Hepatitis can also lead to cirrhosis.
Other diseases may include metabolic dysfunction-associated steatary liver disease (MASLD, formerly called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), liver cancer, and autoimmune liver diseases.
MASLD occurs when the body is unable to adequately process the amount of fat in the diet. People who are overweight, have diabetes and high triglycerides are at higher risk of MASLD. This can proceed to steatohepatitis associated with metabolic dysfunction, which can cause excessive inflammation and swelling of the liver.
The good news is that much of the damage that can occur to the liver can be reversed through diet and lifestyle changes. While scarring cannot be reversed and the longer the damage occurs, the less likely it is to be repaired, the liver is one of the few organs that can heal itself.
Avoiding alcohol is good for your liver
It should go without saying, but one of the best things you can do for your liver is to watch your alcohol consumption. While moderate alcohol consumption should be tolerated by the liver, if the organ is already adversely affected by disease or medication, alcohol can worsen impaired function.
Safe and healthy levels of alcohol consumption vary from person to person. But there are some factors that can help you determine where you fall.
Men and women may drink different amounts, not only because of possible differences in body mass, but because men and women metabolize differently. Women have lower levels of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) than men.
Ethnicity can also affect how you metabolize alcohol. For example, those of Asian descent may have lower levels of ADH.
In general, men are advised to have fewer than three drinks per day on average, and fewer than two per day for women. But while some drinks like red wine may have some health benefits, drinking as little as possible is best.
The best drink choices for your liver
Water
If alcohol is a liver no-no, water would be a big yes-yes.
One of the best things you can do to show your liver some love is to stay hydrated. Water helps the organ to filter the blood better, promotes the regeneration of liver cells and improves nutrient absorption to support the liver.
Ideally, eight to 10 cups of water each day is a healthy place to start. But it can vary from person to person depending on weight, activity level and weather.
Green tea
Green tea is another beverage that supports liver health. This is due to the high levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants such as catechins are powerful forces against MASLD, esp polyphenols such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate. This latter type may be particularly beneficial in preventing liver cancer.
Note that while drinking green tea itself has wonderful benefits, Concentrated green tea extract may cause toxicity and can actually damage the liver.
Coffee
There are indications that Coffee can also be a liver cancer preventative. Not only that, but it might actually be the caffeine in coffee that helps.
Beyond cancer, Drinking coffee can reduce the risk of cirrhosis.
But there may be a sweet spot where three to four cups of coffee a day can see benefits. Whatever ends, and the risks of coffee begin to outweigh the benefits.
Foods Your Liver Loves: The Best Foods for Liver Health
Citrus
Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, which are great for the liver. These support the detoxification function of the liver. But grapefruit in particular is rich in naringin and naringenin. These not only fight inflammation in the liver, but also support cell generation and liver enzyme activation. Citrus fruits are consistently ranked among the best foods for liver health thanks to these powerful compounds.
Stavranthi Vegetables
The family of produce known as cruciferous vegetables includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale. These powerful vegetables enhances detoxification thanks to glucosinolate. One type of glucosinolate in particular is indole, which may be effective in fighting both MASLD and liver cancer. These vegetables are some of the best foods for liver health because of how deeply they support detoxification pathways.
Garlic
And while these vegetables contain some sulfur, it is found in even higher levels in garlic. (It is important to note that the sulfur in garlic becomes more bioavailable when it is minced or crushed.)Sulfur is a vital ingredient in liver detoxification. Garlic also contains selenium, which helps the liver handle oxidative stress with support from enzymes and antioxidants.
Nuts
Selenium is also found in impressive levels in Brazil nuts. But for a liver-loving nut, you can’t do better than the walnut.
While all Nuts are associated with a lower risk of MASLD Because of the healthy fats and vitamin E, walnuts are especially rich in arginine. Arginine, an amino acid, specifically helps detoxify ammonia.
Vitamin E
In addition to nuts, there are many foods that contain vitamin E that are great for the liver.Vitamin E has been found to be beneficial in preventing MASLD. It might even be effective for those already suffering from MASLD.
This is great news, as there are many healthy and delicious foods with vitamin E, such as fish, eggs, avocados, mangoes and kiwi.
Olive oil
Olive oil can be part of almost any healthy diet. But it should definitely be part of a liver-supportive diet. In addition to containing vitamin E, Olive oil keeps fat levels in the liver balanced and supports enzyme levels.
Liver
It may not be everyone’s favorite food, but there’s something to be said for eating liver for your liver.
It’s not hard to imagine how animal liver would contain many of the nutrients your liver needs. But it’s important to get organic and pastured sources of liver, since so many toxins pass through the organ.
Liver is incredibly rich in fat-soluble vitamins, iron, folate, B12 and protein.
If you’ve never cooked liver before, it can seem intimidating. But here are two simple recipes to get you started: Dianne’s Beef Liver with Figs and Liver fingers with honey chili sauce.
Whole foods support the liver
A diet that supports healthy liver function is nothing that will surprise you: drink less alcohol and more water and eat fruits and vegetables. And maybe the occasional liver. Sticking to more whole foods is clearly one of the best ways to show love to one of your biggest organs.
It’s an added bonus that so many of these foods will aid overall health by supporting nearly every function in the body, from head to toe.
If the idea of learning about nutrition and starting a career in nutritional therapy intrigues you, then the Institute of Nutritional Therapy might just be the place for you.
You can learn all about NTI’s Master Nutrition Therapist Certification Program and see if it’s the right fit.
About the author: Maya Strausberg earned her Master Nutrition Therapist certification from NTI before starting her private nutrition therapy practice. She now offers writing and editing services to nutritionists and other health professionals around the world through her business, Family Tree Nutrition.
Pictures:
- Image by u_to38cto4 from Pixabay
- Image by towards the bridge from Pixabay
- Image by Bruno from Pixabay
