How To Maintain a Healthy Liver
The liver is a very useful body organ, and without it, we either become sick, or die. According to health experts, a fully-functioning liver serves as the body’s fat-burning mechanism/organ, as it converts/breaks down food nutrients into essential compounds like vitamins, minerals and other helpful enzymes.
The liver also aids the body’s immune system in eradicating bacteria from the blood, fights infections and diseases and maintains hormone levels. But, if the liver is constantly exposed to high levels of alcohol and other toxins, it starts to get weak, and this may lead to the onset of fatty liver and other deadly diseases.
Let’s take a close look at how to maintain a healthy liver, and live a longer, fuller life.
The liver also aids the body’s immune system in eradicating bacteria from the blood, fights infections and diseases and maintains hormone levels. But, if the liver is constantly exposed to high levels of alcohol and other toxins, it starts to get weak, and this may lead to the onset of fatty liver and other deadly diseases.
Let’s take a close look at how to maintain a healthy liver, and live a longer, fuller life.
- Adopt A Healthy Lifestyle
One of the best ways for keeping the liver strong and healthy, is by regularly exercising, and eating a healthy and balanced diet. According to recent data taken from the American Liver foundation, a person who consumes a lot of fatty foods, faces a much higher risk of getting overweight, and developing NAFLD, or non-alcohol fatty liver disease. You also need to consume healthy servings from all the major food groups, ;like protein, dairy, fruits, vegetables, non-soluble fats, whole-wheat grains and high-fiber food items.
- · Limit Alcohol Intake
While the tequila, beer or whisk at the party may be too hard to resist, just think of what damage they can do to your liver. Alcohol abuse can wreck the liver’s cells, and lead to the accumulation of fat inside it. To ensure that you’re able to control your alcohol intake, talk to your doctor about what alcohol amount or level is just right for you.
- · Manage The Amount Of Medicine You Take
When taken incorrectly, the medicine you consume may either debilitate, or worse kill you. By taking too much medicine, or by mixing them, the liver can be irreversibly damaged. To steer clear of this, follow your doctor’s dosing instructions, talk to the pharmacist about the medicine you’re purchasing, and read about the different types of medicines and how they affect the body’s different organs.
- Juicing For Healthy Digestion
Detoxing is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. Due to modern society, our bodies ingest countless environmental toxins, chemicals that play havoc with our endocrine system, artificial preservatives, and pollution. One effective way to counter this buildup is by incorporating juicing using organic foods into your diet, and performing detoxes (about twice a year).
- · Cut Down On Deep-Fried And Fatty Foods
Most health experts agree that the increased intake of deep-fired and fatty food items can lead to the development of gall-bladder and other liver-related disorders. To steer clear of this, minimize the amount of salted, cured and smoked foods you eat, or if not try using other alternative food seasonings and spices like garlic, pepper, mustard, cloves, thyme, onion, lemon juice and vinegar.
Another wonderful method keeping the liver strong and healthy is by keeping your weight to ideal levels. A number of medical studies have shown that there is a direct link or correlation between obesity, and the onset of liver-related diseases or conditions. And if you just can’t stop drinking, here’s how to “drink safely”. Never join “drinking games”, since this will encourage binge alcohol consumption within short periods. Also make sure you limit alcohol intake to at least one to two drinks on a daily basis. Finally, always remember that the best alcohol level, is actually NO alcohol at all.
Sources:
American Liver Foundation : Ways You Can Take Care of Your Liver
Project Inform : Towards a Health Liver; February 2011
Detoxing Your Life: Benefits of Juicing
Huffingtonpost, Canada : Foods For Liver: 10 Foods For A Healthy And Clean Liver
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