Your liver is a master at multitasking. It filters out toxins, aids in digestion, regulates your blood, and has many other functions. Maintaining its health is crucial to your overall well-being.
Keeping your liver as healthy as possible can be achieved by avoiding certain types of foods and increasing your consumption of others. In this article, we’ll discuss what’s good and what’s not good for this most vital organ.
Foods to Avoid
Processed foods and those high in saturated fats aren’t liver-friendly. That greasy, fast-food burger and fries that you crave might taste good, but overdoing them can be damaging to your liver. Saturated fats make your liver work harder and over time, could result in inflammation. Liver inflammation can lead to cirrhosis, a scarring of the liver.
An abundance of sugar in your diet isn’t beneficial for your liver. One of your liver’s functions is to convert sugar into fat, and too much could cause a condition known as fatty liver disease.
Liver-Friendly Foods
If you’re concerned about the health of your liver, there are quite a few foods you can add to your diet to keep it in good shape. Here are a few that can help keep it functioning at its best.
- Oatmeal – This breakfast staple is high in fiber, which can help keep your liver working at an optimal level.
- Broccoli – Green vegetables, especially broccoli, are good for your liver. Some studies have suggested that broccoli can help prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
- Almonds – Almonds are a good source of vitamin E, which some research has shown could help protect against liver disease.
Not All Foods Are Liver-Friendly
Avoiding overly processed foods can help protect your liver. Limiting your sugar intake is also helpful. Adding foods like oatmeal, green vegetables, and almonds can help prevent fatty liver disease. Your liver does so much for you, why not return the favor with liver-friendly foods?
