What’s So Great About My Liver?

Notice I didn’t say what’s so good about liver… because ewww and also, yuck. Oh wait, are the children in the room? Then I meant, no thank you and while I understand that Santa wants us to try a bite of everything offered at the table, I believe I will pass for now.  Are they gone?

So no, not the liver you might eat (because reference above gagging) but the liver you currently house in your body and which is doing it’s best to chug through what nutritionists refer to as our “toxic load” inevitably accumulated throughout life via pesticides and chemicals we eat and breath inadvertently as well as the drugs, alcohol and sugar we take in, ahem, less inadvertently.

The liver acts as the body’s purification system, facilitates digestion and metabolism by producing bile, stores and manages vitamins and nutrients, produces and circulates healthy blood and boosts the immune system. It’s the second largest organ in the body (after the skin) and it’s vital to every process needed to keep us, as the saying goes, “on the right side of the grass.”  And while it is a pretty ingenious organ, able to regenerate and repair its own damaged tissue to return to normal size and function, it’s not indestructible.

Let’s face it, some days the toxic load feels a little heavier than others. In an article for the Huffington Post, author Arti Patel talked to holistic nutritionist Hurmeet Suri about nutritional support for the liver. Here are her suggestions for the best foods to add to your grocery list to show your liver a little love.

Garlic: garlic helps your liver activate enzymes that can flush out toxins.
Grapefruit: can help your liver flush out carcinogens and toxins.
Beets are high in plant-flavonoids, which can improve the overall functions of your liver.
Leafy Greens: neutralize metals, chemicals and pesticides.
Green Tea: contains plant antioxidants known as catechins, which have been known to improve the functions of our liver.
Avocados: help your body produce a type of antioxidant called glutathione, which is needed for our livers to filter out harmful materials.
Cruciferous Vegetables: increase the amount of glucosinolate (organic compounds) in our bodies that helps create enzyme production for digestion.
Lemons: help our bodies cleanse out toxic materials and aid the digestion process.
Turmeric: known to help our bodies digest fats.
Walnuts: walnuts are also high in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids, which help support our liver through its cleansing.