The liver is the largest internal organ in the body with over 500 different functions, including digestion, metabolism, removal of toxins, and nutrient storage.
If our liver is unhealthy, it inhibits the body to work properly, effectively digest food, and clear toxins from our body. Illness can more easily set in.
It is important to understand what affects our liver’s health and what we need to do to keep our liver in good shape.
However, do you know the foods bad for the liver?
1. Red Meat
Red meat may be high in protein, but digesting it is a taxing job for your liver. Breaking down protein is not easy for the liver and can lead to various liver-related issues. Also, excess protein build -up in the liver can lead to fatty liver diseases and can have adverse effects on the brain and kidneys.
Egg whites are good for your liver, but over consumption can lead to digestion issues.
2. Bread
One must always refrain from consuming food items like pasta, pizza, biscuits, and bread that are made from white flour. They lack mineral, fiber, and essential vitamins. It is essential to understand that highly refined grains convert into sugar content.
This content is hard to process and ends up as fat in the liver. It is one of the major causes of fatty liver diseases. You should instead opt for healthy alternatives that will help your liver to stay healthy throughout the year.
3. Alcohol
If you are into alcohol consumption and care for your liver, this is the first thing that you need to quit immediately. What happens when you consume excess alcohol? When your liver attempts to break it down, the chemical reaction in this process can damage its cells leading to inflammation, cell death and fibrosis. That is not all. Chronic alcohol consumption can block nutrient absorption, increasing toxic effect on the liver. Excess alcohol consumption for long periods leads to liver cirrhosis which is irreversible scarring of the liver. People who develop cirrhosis can develop complications like vomiting blood, jaundice, excess fluid accumulation in the body plus liver cancer.
4. Aerated Drinks (soda, cola etc.)
It is okay to consume a small amount of aerated drink occasionally, but its regular consumption can start damaging your liver and could lead to the development of various liver complications. Apart from this, excess soda consumption is also a major cause of weight gain and obesity in people. And obesity can affect your liver by increasing fatty accumulation in the liver. Also, soda offers a deadly combination of sugar and refined carbohydrates that are detrimental to liver health.
Refrain from taking sugar free foods & drinks (Coke Zero, etc.), since they have many negative side effects including: digestive issues by altering microbiome, increased blood sugar levels, a higher risk of cancer, increase blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular & heart disease, risk of diabetes, IBS, Crohn’s disease, liver damage, stroke, dementia, and memory loss.
5. Fatty Foods
Burgers, French fries, pizzas, etc. are high in saturated fats which can lead to inflammation over time, cause cirrhosis and make it harder for the liver to do its job. They also elevate bad cholesterol and reduce the levels of good cholesterol.
6. Food Items Rich in Salt
Salt is never easy on your liver. You must take every possible measure to cut your salt intake to maintain the health of the liver. Excess salt intake can lead to water retention in the body. You must avoid the consumption of canned soup and processed food item that are rich in sodium content. Avoid packaged savory snacks like chips, mixtures, salty biscuits, etc. as they are rich in saturated fat and salt. Processed cheese is bad for your liver as it comes under the category of processed foods and has high sodium content and saturated fats.
Your liver does a lot for you, like filtering your blood and breaking down food.
By monitoring your diet, you can return the favor and live life with a healthy, properly functioning liver.
To your optimal health,
Dr. Maryam Safai
