The liver is a powerhouse organ in charge of some of the body’s most important functions.
Detoxifying two quarts of blood every minute, the liver filters and cleanses all of the blood from the major abdominal organs before returning to the heart, (Hall).
To maintain optimum liver health, nutritionists and dietitians often recommend liver detoxes, as shown by our teacher Amy, a registered dietitian, for our class titled, How to: Detox Your Liver.
In this video, Amy shares multiple recommendations for why we need to detox our liver, and tips for how.
Amy advises adding more potassium into your diet in order to sustain liver health.
Recently, researchers have discovered that low potassium levels have been linked to increased chances of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
A study performed by the Natural Health Research Institute in 2013 followed 8,592 residents within a Chinese community and found, “those in the lowest 25% of blood potassium levels had a 33% increased risk of having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease compared to those in the highest 25% of blood potassium levels,” (Arnold).
So, increased consumption of potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, sweet potatoes and dark leafy greens can aid in disease prevention and in maintaining overall liver health.
Amy says foods like garlic, and healthy-fat containing foods like avocados and walnuts, can help the liver too.
According to Fisher-Titus Medical Center, garlic has been proven to assist with liver support as it, “contains selenium, a mineral that helps to detoxify the liver,” and has the ability to, “activate liver enzymes that can help the body naturally flush out toxins.”
The infamous avocado has more powers than solely guacamole. The fruit has been found to cleanse the body’s arteries and produce the compound gluthaloline, which helps the liver to remove toxins, while walnuts are high in amino acids which detoxify ammonia and provide cleansing for the liver (Fisher-Titus).
Amy also advises to regularly drink fresh-pressed vegetable juices.
The juice craze has long been a popular form of detoxification, and rightfully so. Nutritionist Christine Bailey notes, “fresh juices contain compounds, such as citric and malic acid, which can absorb fats and toxins from your digestive track.”
Just one juice can, “provide vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and amino acids for optimal health,” while it, “nourishes your digestive track and liver to eliminate waste efficiency,” (Bailey).
Protecting the liver is vital to our survival and overall health. Examine your diet today to see what you can do to elevate your liver health.
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References:
Arnold, Greg. “Potassium Levels may be a Factor in Liver Disease.” Natural Health Research Institute, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2013.
Bailey, Christine. The Juice Diet: Lose Weight, Detox, Tone Up, Stay Slim & Healthy. Watkins Media Limited, 2011.
Fisher-Titus Healthy Living Team. “What Foods Cleanse Your Liver?” Healthy Living Blog. Fisher-Titus Medical Center, 2019, Norwalk, OH.
Hall, Liz J. “The Easy Way to Detoxify.” Wildwood Health Institute, 2014.