| Nutrition and Your Liver
 What
you eat and how well you take care of yourself CAN affect how well
your liver works. Therefore it’s important that you choose
foods that will help maintain and support your liver. Good nutrition
can also help to rebuild some damaged liver cells and help the liver
form new cells.
As we mentioned before, the liver has two detoxification pathways
called Phase One and Phase Two. The work of each of these phases
requires specific vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals
in turn need other nutrients called phytochemicals and amino acids
to help them. The liver has a big job to do and as you will see,
it requires a team effort.
During Phase One, which changes a toxic chemical to one that is
less harmful, free radicals are formed. Free radicals are unstable
particles that react with the body and damage the body’s cells.
If too many free radicals are made, they can hurt the liver cells.
In order to get rid of or reduce these free radicals, our bodies
need foods with a lot of antioxidants and phytochemicals. The antioxidants
beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and selenium and many different
phytochemicals are found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
One of the most important antioxidants is an amino acid called glutathione.
Glutathione is made by the body and is also found in some foods.
The B vitamins including folic acid are also very important in this
Phase One process.
During Phase Two the liver adds a substance to the now less harmful
chemical to make it water soluble. It can then be moved out of the
body in urine or feces. During this Phase Two process, foods rich
in sulphur compounds are needed. Some of the foods with a lot of
sulphur compounds are (you knowthe kind, they smell when you cook
them) cabbage, brussel sprouts, and broccoli.
Following are some more foods that have the nutrients needed to
help Phase One and Phase Two work as well as they can:
Foods to Help Phase One Detoxification
Beets contain antioxidants such as beta-carotene,
other carotenoids and healing flavonoids. Antioxidants help to limit
the damage caused by free radicals, thus they have a healing and
cleansing effect on the liver; beets also have folic acid which
is necessary for Phase One detoxification.
Broccoli contains B vitamins and vitamin C both
of which help Phase One detoxification; it also is a source of folic
acid.
Brown Rice provides B vitamins and the antioxidant
selenium.
Carrots contain beta-carotene and other carotenoids
that help to protect the liver.
Eggs supply B vitamins.
Garlic has selenium and glutathione, both of which
act as antioxidants.
Spinach provides folic acid and other B vitamins.
Tomatoes have vitamins C and E which are both
needed for Phase One detoxification. They are also a good source
of the antioxidant lycopene.
Wheatgerm contains selenium and vitamin E and
is an excellent source of phytochemicals.
Melons and peppers are good sources of vitamin
C.
Tomatillos, papaya, plantains, carambola and guava
are good sources of the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Foods to Help Phase Two Detoxification
Broccoli contains natural sulfur compounds which
are needed to enhance Phase Two detoxification.
Cabbage like broccoli, contains natural sulfur
compounds.
Eggs contain methionine, a sulfur-containing compound
needed for detoxification.
Brazil Nuts contain selenium, an antioxidant needed
for detoxification.
Garlic has methionine which is needed for detoxification;
also contains glutathione, a powerful antioxidant.
Onions have sulfur compounds which are important
in both detoxification pathways; also a source of glutathione.
 Asparagus
and Watermelon are rich, natural sources of glutathione
which is important for liver detoxification.
Papaya and Avocado help the body to produce glutathione.
Mushrooms have a lot of glutamic acid which is
needed to produce glutathione and help with liver detoxification.
Foods for the General Health of the Liver
Soy Beans contain lecithin which helps the liver
break down fats and helps reduce high cholesterol levels; lecithin
also helps maintain healthy membranes around liver cells.
Cayenne Pepper contains many phytochemicals including
beta-carotene and lutein and is rich in certain B vitamins as well
as vitamins C and E. It also aids in digestion.
Lemon is a bitter, acidic food which is helpful
for general cleansing of the body.
Walnuts are a source of arginine which helps the
liver detoxify ammonia, a waste product in the body; they are also
a rich source of glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids.
Wheatgerm has arginine and essential fatty acids.
Caraway Seeds contain many flavanoids and carotenoids
which act as antioxidants. Caraway is helpful in liver and gallbladder
disease and helps produce glutathione in the body.
Note: The foods listed above benefit the liver
and they also have many other advantages that are not described.
General Tips for Foods that are Especially
Good for the Liver
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and lightly cooked vegetables especially
dark green, leafy vegetables and orange, yellow, purple, and red
colored fruits and vegetables—they contain living enzymes,
fiber, vitamin C, natural antibiotic substances, and anti-cancer
phytonutrients.
Eat foods that are rich in glutathione or help to produce glutathione
in the body. Asparagus, watermelon, broccoli and boldo are good
sources of glutathione while papayas and avocados are foods that
help the body to produce glutathione.
Bitter foods like dandelion greens, mustard greens, bitter melon,
Romaine lettuce and broccoli raabe can help in cleansing the liver.
Herbs like dill, caraway seeds, garlic, onions, boldo, turmeric
and cayenne are easy to use in cooking and can help protect the
liver.
Green tea has immune-boosting properties and contains less caffeine
than coffee.
Drink lots of water (6–12 cups per day) because it helps the
kidneys to get rid of the toxins that the liver has broken down.
Omega-3 fats are very helpful. These fats are found in cold water
fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and halibut. Other
good sources are ground flaxseeds, flaxseed oil and walnuts.
Nuts, seeds, and avocados are good food sources of polyunsaturated
fats and monounsaturated fats that are less harmful to the liver
than saturated fats.
Foods that can Make the Liver Work Harder
Saturated fats are harder for the liver to process. Limit high fat
meats like sausage, bacon, salami, hot dogs and high fat dairy products
like whole milk, ice cream and cheese, which contain saturated fats.
Other foods to limit that have a lot of saturated fat are french
fries and high fat snack foods like potato chips, Doritos and Cheese
Doodles.
Limit processed foods like white bread, white rice, cakes, cookies,
donuts and candy. Add whole grains like whole grain breads and cereals,
brown rice, quinoa and barley to your diet.
Limit caffeine to 2-3 cups/day. Caffeine is broken down by the liver
and may make it more difficult to cleanse the liver. Coffee, tea
and most sodas contain a lot of caffeine.
Eat light meals more frequently. Eating a light evening meal can
help to reduce the liver’s work during the healing hours of
sleep.
Things to Avoid
Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is known to be a powerful toxin that will
damage the liver. Recreational drugs can also be stressful to the
liver.
Limit, as much as possible, chemicals such as food colorings, flavorings
and preservatives as well as toxins such as insecticides and pesticides
because these substances make the liver work harder.
Avoid multi-vitamins that contain iron. Iron is stored in the liver
and supplementing with iron may increase the risk of iron toxicity.
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