The right diet plays a significant role in the health and function of the liver. It is important to get the best foods for the liver if you want to keep it working at optimal efficiency. Before we get in to what foods are best, let’s learn a little more about this important organ.
Weighing in at 1,500 grams, the liver is the largest of the internal organs and the one responsible for the most chemical processes and metabolic functions. Each minute approximately a liter and a half of blood from the intestine arrives at the liver through the portal vein. This blood contains:
- The nutritional components from foods
- The toxins they contain
- The medications that might have been taken
- Any other substance in the digestive tract that is capable of being passed into the bloodstream.
Before the blood from the intestine, which circulates through the portal venous system, is distributed throughout the body, it must pass through the liver. There it undergoes:
- The processing of nutritive substances carried in the portal blood from the intestine. For example, part of the glucose is transformed to reserve glycogen; amino acids are joined in specific sequences, providing the unique proteins for each body; fatty acids are joined with glycerin to form stored fat.
- Neutralization of toxins and foreign substances from the digestive tract.
The liver performs another important role: it secretes the bile necessary for digestion, which is stored in the gall bladder.
Best Foods for The Liver
ARTICHOKES produce an intense in bile production. Normally the liver secretes approximately 800 ml of bile a day, but the consumption of one-half kilo of artichokes can raise that amount to as much as 1200 ml (1.2 liters).
The bile secreted after eating artichokes is less dense and more fluid, thus decongesting the liver. In this manner, it aids the detoxifying function of this organ in eliminating along with the bile many of the foreign and toxic substances circulating in the blood, including medications, additives, and other chemical substances.
The artichoke is truly the protector of the liver. It is highly recommended in cases of hepatitis (A and B), cirrhosis, fatty degeneration of the liver caused by alcohol, alcoholic hepatitis, intoxication because of medications, and any instance requiring the potentiating of the liver’s detoxifying functions. For this reason, it is considered one of the best foods for the liver.
CARDOON IS suggested in cases of chronic or degenerative liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis, etc.).
APPLES decongest the hepatic gland thanks to their choleretic and depurant effects. They are highly recommended in cases of chronic hepatitis, fatty degeneration of the liver due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and cirrhosis.
ONIONS stimulate the detoxifying function of the liver as well as improving the activity of other digestive juice-producing glands. Onions being one of the best foods for the liver is highly recommended in cases of hepatic failure caused by chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis.
GRAPES are among the foods good for liver repair because they activate the detoxifying effect of the liver, and increasing bile production. Additionally, grapes facilitate blood circulation in the portal system and thus are of value in cases of cirrhosis and ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity) due to portal hypertension.
TAMARIND’S bittersweet pulp is used as a condiment in various tropical countries. It works well in case of disorders of the gall bladder and the liver.
PLUMS are mildly diuretic, depurant, and detoxifying. Their extremely low protein, fat, and sodium content makes them very suitable in cases of liver disease (chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis etc.).
CHERRIES are among the best foods for the liver thanks to their purifying qualities. One or two days of treatment with cherries represents an excellent purifier for the body in general, which facilitates the elimination of wastes and toxins. This purifying action aids the liver and the kidneys.
SAUERKRAUT’S healing properties are probably due to its high level of natural lactic acid. This substance has a beneficial effect on diverse ailments such as arteriosclerosis, rheumatism, arthritis, and liver disease.
A LOQUAT treatment in the spring time gives good results in cases of chronic liver disease: hepatitis, fatty degeneration of the liver, and cirrhosis. It may be repeated every two or three days. A loquat treatment decongests the liver and reduces its volume in case of enlargement of the liver. It reduces accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, which often accompanies liver degeneration. It is not known which of the loquat’s components is responsible for these beneficial effects, and research continues to that end.
REFERENCES
- George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. “Encyclopedia Of Foods and Their Healing Power.” George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. Encyclopedia Of Foods and Their Healing Power. Trans. Annette Melgosa. Vol. 2. Chai Wan: Editorial Safeliz, 2005. 168, 179, 177, 232, 144, 81, 234, 305, 197, 299.
Last update on 2023-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
