What Food Can Repair Or Damage Your Liver

The liver is your largest internal organ, removes toxins from your blood and helps maintain healthy blood-sugar levels. It has many other vital functions, so knowing how to look after it and keep it working properly is important. What you eat and drink affects the liver, so it’s good to know the best food for the liver and the foods to avoid.

Fairview Rehab and Nursing Home in Queens NY is proud of the nutritious menu options it provides to all patients. Our medical and kitchen staff and dietician work together to ensure that meals contain the right balance of vitamins, minerals, and protein. We operate a four-week food cycle with seasonal adjustments, for example to cater for cold winters. Great food for the liver is low in potassium, salt, and cholesterol. We avoid concentrated sweets and fatty foods.

Cranberry juice in jug and glasses with some Cranberries in the bowl which are good foods for the liver.

Foods For The Liver

Vegetables and especially cruciferous vegetable also known as cole crops, are high in vitamin C and soluble fiber and loaded with nutrients. They include green leafy vegetables like kale, cabbage, spinach, and garden cress, as well as cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. The word “cruciferous” means “cross-bearing” as these vegetables’ flower petals resemble the shape of a cross.

Beetroots, or beets, are a highly nutritious root vegetable packed with essential vitamins and minerals. They contain betalains which have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and are also rich in nitrates. Most vegetables are great foods for the liver. The key is variety, not overcooking them, and not frying them in polyunsaturated fats. Nothing is better than eating an attractive array of different veggies cooked in different healthy styles.

Oatmeal, as found in cereals and porridge, makes a great dish at any time of day. Easy to digest, it is also easy on the liver and other organs and gives you energy.

Stay hydrated with water and juice

Water is crucial for cleaning out your liver. It also hydrates your body. Make sure to drink pure water or water with lemon as much as possible. 

Freshly made juices are also important for the liver. Juices made of vegetables and fruit are essential foods for a healthy liver. Here are the best ones for the liver:

  • Green juice
  • Cranberry juice
  • Beetroot juice

You can try cranberry juice mixed with water.  

Beet juice is also very good for cleaning out the liver and it helps to increase bile. You can mix it with water or carrot juice – both supremely tasty and healthy to boot!

Healthy drinks will keep you hydrated, which is especially important for everyone as well as people recovering from surgery or on medication.

Medicinal herbs

Many herbal remedies are derived from medicinal plants, with proven health benefits. Some herbs serve as a particularly important food for the liver.

These include milk thistle, which contains silymarin, and is thought to have antioxidant properties. Dandelions contain beta-carotene, an antioxidant that can help reduce cell damage and reduce inflammation.

Foods to avoid

You should avoid alcohol, fatty foods and refined, heavily processed foods, or concentrated sugary foods. These are not the kinds of food that can repair a damaged liver. Seek advice from your doctor, a nutritionist to ensure you are getting the best food for the liver.

This article contains informational and educational materials and does not replace health or medical advice. For questions or concerns regarding your medical condition or health objectives, speak to a qualified physician or healthcare provider.