So, how does exactly the liver protect your body and help you detox?
The liver plays a key role in detoxification. It removes the toxic substances from your body and convert them into harmless ones. The liver is necessary for optimizing fat and has many other roles, such as removing alcohol from your blood and getting rid of byproducts.
The liver also regulates the blood sugar levels in our body by storing excess blood sugar as glycogen. So, as you see the liver is very important for our system and we need it to keep it healthy as much as possible. There are different foods that work miracles for our organs, and there are also some foods that keep the liver in a great shape.
Here are the 7 foods that do wonders for the liver:
1. Garlic
Garlic contains selenium, arginine, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. Selenium helps with the detoxification process by increasing the action of the antioxidants. Arginine is an amino acid that relaxes the blood vessels which helps with blood pressure in the liver. The vitamin B6 acts as an anti-inflammatory substance in the liver and vitamin C prevents cellular oxidation that leads to liver cell damage.
2. Turmeric
Curcumin is an active ingredient found in turmeric, which is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. It helps with rejuvenating liver cells and prevents toxins and alcohols to build up into harsh compounds that will damage the liver. It also increases the flow of bile, making it an active liver cleanser.
3. Matcha Green Tea
Green tea is very helpful for detox and it supports the liver by the process of detox itself. According to researchers at the Arizona Cancer Center, concentrated compounds found in green tea boost the production of a group of key detoxification enzymes in people that have low levels of the mentioned proteins. The study also found that catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8-16 cups of green tea increase the production of the enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family, by 80% in some participants.
4. Avocados
Avocados contain glutathione, which is one of its key elements that helps with detoxification of the liver. It also contains vitamin C and vitamin E which act as antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals and protect liver from additional damage.
5. Cruciferous Vegetables
These include spinach, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. These veggies protect the liver from damage and act as antioxidants which neutralize and eliminates the toxins.
6. Grapefruit
Grapefruit contains vitamin C which prevents cellular oxidation and glutathione, which is involved in assisting the liver in the production of detox enzymes. In a single grapefruit there are 70 milligrams of glutathione and it is useful for tissue repair and production of chemicals and proteins that the body needs.
7. Beets
Beets contain betaine and polyphenols that enhance the working of the liver with producing glutathione, and superoxide dismutase which help with detoxification. These compounds have a powerful ability to detox, and they also provide protective benefits against toxic chemicals, like carcinogens. Betalains – the antioxidant in beets has been proven to have anti-cancer effects and it causes death to leukemia cells.