On World Liver Day, here's how you can strengthen your liver using the perfect detox diet.
New Delhi: Clear skin, bouncing back quickly from a hangover and more, your liver is responsible for performing more than 500 important functions in the body. Naturally, when one of the most hardworking organ in your body malfunctions, you can be more than a little worse for the wear.
"Detoxifying the liver is very important because it ultimately detoxifies our blood and if it's exposed to unhealthy and processed foods along with the environmental toxins, we may end up damaging it ourselves," says Vipul Jain, CEO of Advancells: Stem Cell Therapy Centre. What makes damage to liver scarier is that the symptoms usually don't show.
Dr C Vikram Belliappa, consultant surgical gastroenterologist, Vikram Hospital Bengaluru says, "Liver disease remains asymptomatic for a long period and even then, the symptoms may differ from person to person. Usually, yellowing skin or eyes, abdominal pain or swelling, loss of appetite
generalised itching over the body etc are some of the common signs."
Also read: Here's how social drinking is killing your liver
So, if you notice any of the above signs or are feeling weakness or fatigue, it is time to detox your liver. Check out the five things you need to give it a much-needed rest :
High-potassium diet
"For the well being of our liver, we must create a non-toxic high potassium diet including sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, bananas, and beans while simultaneously reducing the intake of trans fat, refined sugar, and ready-to-eat food items," says Vipul Jain. This will also mean optimising sugar intake by replacing sweetened drinks such as aerated beverages and energy drinks with natural fruit and fruit juices. He also advocates consuming raw vegetables such as beetroot, cucumber, kale, carrot, and cucumber etc in the form of juices as it makes them easier to digest and absorb.
High fibre food
The recommended daily intake of fibre is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. "To improve your liver health try including complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, ragi, millets, broken wheat in your diet as well as essential trace elements and micronutrients from nuts, dry fruits and from lean meats such as oily fish and lean cuts of meat."
Also read: 8 South Indian breakfast dishes that are bad for you
Green tea
Green tea is also very helpful in the process of detoxing your liver. "As much as it helps in reducing inflammation, it also triggers liver detoxification. It contains catechins, a plant-based anti-oxidant, that naturally detoxifies your organ," he says.
Intermittent fasting
For some people who have mastered the nutrient-rich diets also go for intermittent fasting. This process is described as 'an umbrella term for various eating diet plans that cycle between a period of fasting and non-fasting over a defined period.' He says, "During the fasting period, our body undergoes a natural process of repairing the damage and cleaning out the toxins."
Excercise
Lastly, we must not forget the power of exercise in correcting every damage we have done to our body. Jain says, "Sweating is one of the potential ways to get rid of toxins in your body and what could make you sweat as fast as exercise or even a 30-minute brisk walk?
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