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Top 5 foods that detoxify the liver
During the coronavirus pandemic, patients are prescribed serious therapy, and at this moment you need to especially monitor your diet.
– First of all, I want to say: there are no products for cleansing the liver, this is a myth. The liver is a very powerful organ, it performs many functions, including the ability to cleanse itself. As for nutrition, we can only say that there are, of course, foods that are useful for the liver, and there are those that are dangerous for it – those that can change the functions of the liver and cause harm, overload its enzymatic system.
Gastroenterologist, pediatric gastroenterologist of the DIALINE network of clinics and laboratories
“The one who does nothing is not mistaken!”
So, here are the foods that are useful for this organ.
Lean meats (veal, beef, turkey, chicken, rabbit).
Low-fat types of fish (carp, perch, pike, pike perch, pollock, hake).
Durum wheat pasta;
Whole grain bread, durum grain products, crackers and biscuits.
Cereals: buckwheat, rice, semolina, and even better – whole rye, wheat.
If there is no lactose intolerance, then low-fat “milk”: 5% cottage cheese, 2,5% milk, yoghurts without dyes, additives and sugar.
Nuts are rich in healthy vegetable fats and should be eaten unroasted.
Dried fruits contain natural sugars, which is why they are also on the “healthy” list.
Young cheeses (of the Adyghe type).
Eggs in the form of omelets.
Fruits and vegetables, in principle, are all useful, the only thing is that if you thermally process them, then it is correct: they should be steamed or boiled.
In general, the issue of heat treatment is relevant for any product. Fried in oil, by definition, will not be good for the liver. The same applies to marinades, smoking, conservation.
It is worth dwelling on the method of “cleansing” the liver with vegetable oil and lemon, so popular until recently. Here we can talk about some choleretic action, that is, the ducts are cleaned, but not the liver itself. And remember that any “cleansing” and fashionable “detox” sometimes cause very severe harm to your body, exacerbating chronic diseases. Very often, after such self-purification, a person ends up in a hospital with an exacerbation or urgently becomes a patient of a surgeon. Do not get carried away, everything needs a measure. And before you are going to treat something on your own, go to the doctor and make sure that you can and generally need it.
If you overeat or drank …
Alcohol, especially carbonated alcohol, cocktails are the enemy of the liver. If we talk about alcoholic beverages that are less toxic to her, then these are strong varieties of alcohol: vodka, cognac.
Keep in mind: after a strong nutritional “shock” the liver is able to heal itself, but for this it needs time, sometimes up to a month.
Fatty meat, including poultry (duck, goose, especially with skin), is a big load on the enzymatic system of the liver. If you ate kebabs on the weekend, sit for a couple of days after that on a plant-based diet: vegetables, herbs, cereals, vegetable oils.
Don’t starve! Fasting is very stressful for the body.
Do not rely on hepatoprotectors (drugs that protect the liver), they should be taken only when indicated, after medical tests and research.
By the way, the liver cannot be ill, it is devoid of nerve receptors, and for a long time the diseases of this organ can be asymptomatic. Therefore, once every six months or a year, it is useful to consult a doctor, take liver function tests, and possibly do an ultrasound. In this case, problems can be identified early.