Diet for Healthy Liver - Prevent Liver Problems

Liver has crucial function in digestion of food. It helps in protein synthesis and it produces bio-chemicals to digest food. It helps in detoxification and plays a major role in body metabolism. It helps in glycogen storage, plasma protein synthesis and decomposition of RBC. It produces a substance called bile which is required for starting biochemical reactions for food digestion. Certain environmental pollutants, tobacco, food preservatives, stress, cosmetic substances, pesticides or the gallstones in gall bladder can kill liver cells.

Liver cells are only part of the body which has the property to re-generate. Imbalance in liver can cause a number of symptoms such as headaches, depression, fatigue, food allergies and anxiety. If the liver cells fail to remove toxins from the blood one can suffer the impact on the brain.

A healthy liver diet should include the following

1. The diet should contain low quantity of potatoes.

2. A good amount of complex carbohydrate should be included.

3. Lean proteins should be taken in adequate quantities. Lean proteins are found in beans, chicken, eggs and lentils.

4. Good amount of organic fruits and vegetables should be included in the diet.

5. Cigarette smoking and alcohol is dangerous for liver, it should be avoided.

6. To reduce toxins from the body, one should include a high fiber diet. It helps in detoxifying the liver.

7. One should take food containing folate, magnesium, flavonoids, selenium, sulphate and iron. The deficiency of any of the minerals can prevent liver from functioning properly and the liver may fail to detoxify blood.

8. Some of the vitamins which are needed for improving the health of liver are choline, methionine, folic acid, betaine and vitamin B12. The nutrients help to reduce decongestion and to digest fat.

If one is not taking a clean diet, the liver may not function properly. Therefore one should be careful to eliminate the substances from diet which can be harmful to the liver and include only healthy substances.

Liver helps in eliminating fat soluble toxins from the body. Food high in vitamins C, E and beta carotene should be taken to help the liver to function properly. Vitamin B, certain minerals and calcium also provide protection to the liver.

1. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits and certain vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and spinach. It is also found in papaya, oranges, mangoes, strawberries and kiwi fruits.

2. Almonds, walnuts, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables and whole grains contain vitamin E.

3. Vitamin B-complex is found in sunflower seeds, yeast, almonds and rice.

4. Beta carotene is found in vegetables such as carrots and it is also a good antioxidant.

5. Methionine and cysteine are found in egg, onion, garlic, broccoli, sprouts and beans.

6. Choline is found in fish, lettuce, peanuts, cauliflower, cabbage, brown rice and lentils.

7. Minerals such as selenium can be taken from garlic which also contains glutathione.

Do not take antacids and antibiotics in diet which are harmful for liver cells. A liver cleansing diet is prescribed for people suffering from high liver toxins and in such a diet all raw fruits and vegetables are taken.