15 Foods That Cleanse The Liver

Friday, January 18, 2013, 12:47 [IST]

Liver is one of the vital organs in the body. It produces the essential enzyme called bile without which, our body cannot function. Liver damage is indicated by a blood component called bilirubin. This indicates that a person might have severe diseases like jaundice or fatty liver syndrome. This usually happens due to junk food, excessive fat intake and also due to consumption of alcohol.

Taking liver cleansing foods on a regular basis may protect you from diseases like fatty liver or an enlarged liver. As an organ, liver has tremendous regenerative power. So even if you have a problem with this organ, liver cleansing foods can help you get better. To keep your health in good condition, you need to avoid certain foods that damage the liver. Foods that harm the liver should be avoided everyone; especially those who have noticed signs of liver damage.

So if you keep drinking every weekend, then liver cleansing foods will not help you. But a moderate lifestyle along with a diet that contains liver cleansing foods can help you oversome serious health damage too.

Here are 15 foods that have liver cleansing qualities. Pick and choose your favourite ones.

Whole Grains

When you have layers of fat deposits on the liver, it causes the fatty liver syndrome that has many serious implications. Whole grains with their abundance of vitamin B complex, speed up the general fat metabolism of the body.

Olive Oil

Omega-3-fatty acids are good cholesterol that helps in better metabolism of fats and keeps the liver healthy. These fatty acids are present abundantly in olive oil.

Garlic

Garlic has immense amounts of cleaning properties. The two vital components allicin and selenium in garlic make it a great liver cleansing food.

Apples

Apples don't exactly cleanse the liver. This fruit contains pectin which cleanses the food in the stomach of toxins and thus reduces the load of toxins from liver.

Cruciferous Vegetables

This group of vegetables include cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli etc. They contain glucosinolate (an antioxidant) that increases the functionality of the liver.

Beet Root

Due to the high amounts of flavanoids present in this vegetable, it improves the enzyme producing powder of the liver.

Avocado

Avocado aids the body to produce glutathione which helps the liver clean itself.

Green Vegetables

Green vegetables have chlorophyll which is responsible for their green colour. Chlorophyll is a pigment that absorbs toxins from the liver and removes it from the body.

Grapefruit

Liver can detoxify itself with the help of vitamin C. And grapefruit gives you just the right amount of vitamin C to produce liver cleansing enzymes.

Coriander Seeds

Soak coriander seeds in water overnight and drink it in the morning. This cools body heat and helps to expel toxins from the liver.

Turmeric

This Indian spice is known for its anti-inflammatory qualities. So if you have an inflamed liver, then nothing like an Indian curry with lots of turmeric in it.

Walnuts

The liver usually gets toxified by ammonia. Walnuts contain arginine which is an amino acid that decomposes ammonia from the liver and keeps it clean.

Green Tea

Green tea is now being considered a wonder drink that has numerous health benefits. One of these benefits is that it contains antioxidants called catechins which are essential for cleansing the liver.

Lemon

Lemon contains loads of unadulterated vitamin C that helps produce glutathione which is a cleansing agent for the liver. Squeeze a lemon into a glass of warm water and gulp it down empty stomach in the morning.