7 Powerful Foods To Detoxify Your Liver, Reverse Fatty Liver, and Liver Disease
Our liver is the second largest organ in our body, second only to our skin. It is very important due to its many processes which include filtering our blood, regulating our digestion, metabolizing drugs and protein production for blood clotting.
Unfortunately, however, alcohol, a poor diet, toxins, hepatitis and genetic factors can cause our livers to become damaged or inflamed. Many of these factors can eventually lead to fat buildup in the liver, which in turn can cause fatty liver disease. While eating a low-fat diet that is well balanced can be quite helpful, there are certain foods that can aid in the detoxification process of the liver.
Furthermore, there are a variety of vitamins, minerals, and herbs that can be quite potent at reversing fatty liver and liver disease.
1. Milk Thistle
According to Ramen Venataramanan, PhD, FCP, “There is a lot of experimental work in the laboratory and in animals suggesting the beneficial effect of milk thistle extract,” and other studies that have been conducted by Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D. have indicated that silymarin which is an extract of milk thistle has the ability to act on our biochemical pathways to aid in detoxification.
2. Garlic
Garlic has a variety of uses in the healing realm, so many in fact that it could be considered a heal-all. Thankfully, that also means that it can work wonders for your liver. Even a tiny amount of the garlic bulb has the ability to activate liver enzymes that can aid in the flushing of toxins.
3. Grapefruit
Laden with glutathione, vitamin C, and other antioxidants, grapefruit also holds the ability to increase the production of liver enzymes necessary for the liver to detox.
4. Dandelion
Many have touted the benefits of dandelion root and it’s ability to cleanse the liver. Available as a supplement, tasty tea, or even just as a root, you can find this at any health food store. It aids in the breaking down of fats which work against your liver, and its bitter root produces amino acids which can rid your body of toxins.
5. Leafy Greens
Spinach, kale, chard, romaine, arugula and collards are all packed with nutritional components that are essential for the cleansing of the liver. They are packed with chlorophyll which purifies the blood, and in turn, our liver function is increased exponentially. Furthermore, leafy greens neutralize a variety of toxins as a bonus!
6. Turmeric
Turmeric, which is rich in flavor, is typically used as a spice or tea. Turmeric is quite helpful with the digestion of fat, and it can also stimulate the production of bile. Curcumin is one of the turmeric’s main components which can help to shrink engorged hepatic ducts. This can be quite helpful in the treatment of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and jaundice.
7. Avocados
Avocados can help your body to produce more of an antioxidant called glutathione which is needed to help the liver in filtering out toxins and other harmful materials.