Your liver might be the most overworked and underappreciated organ in your body.
If you’re stiff, sore, inflamed, your skin is struggling, or you just feel the extra weight, I’m going to give you 6 foods that are fantastic for your liver.
I recommend getting as many of these in each day as you can, because our livers work hard.
We have to start helping it out with some good raw materials.
1. Blueberries & Cranberries
These are rich in anthocyanin, which are antioxidants that reduce the discomfort inside of your body and protect the liver from oxidative stress.
Putting in one of those NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) will create more discomfort and cause a vicious cycle.
Some studies suggest that blueberries and cranberries protect against liver damage and actually reduce fibrosis scar tissue inside the liver.
My favorite way to get them is by freezing them and putting them in a smoothie.
You can also try cranberry juice, but it’s often full of sugars. If it’s the bitter kind, it’s beneficial, and will also aid your kidneys.
Some people dilute cranberry juice with water, so you can have some of that in the morning, or throw some frozen blueberries in a smoothie.
2. Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is like a galvanizer, a metal shield around your liver. It’s a well-known liver cleanser, but it’s also an antioxidant.
That will help you get a small dose of milk thistle each day and assist the liver early in the morning.
If you already have some oxidative damage, scar tissue, or toxicity built up in the liver like a lot of us do, it’ll help flush some of that out and protect the liver from further damage.
3. Turmeric
Research has shown that turmeric decreases pro-inflammatory molecules that contribute to the irritation, development, and worsening of a lot of illnesses.
It has been shown to support liver health, and can be made into a very good turmeric tea.
You can also put turmeric powder in your smoothies.
If you want to absorb it better, get it in an emulsified form instead of using black pepper, which will irritate your gut.
You’ll get 40 times as much turmeric inside of your blood that way.
I like to mix turmeric with fish oil, because it helps the emulsification.
4. Fish Oil
Fish oils have a high dose of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
Not only are these really good for your brain and your heart, but they also support the liver by helping control the inflammatory response inside of your body.
So what can you do to help with the stiffness caused by the liver being bogged down?
Both turmeric and omegas will benefit the liver.
5. Beet Juice
You may not be regularly reaching for a glass of this, but beet juice has so many health benefits.
It’s very high in nitric oxide, which is going to be great for your blood pressure and your heart.
But beet juice is also super important for liver health and detoxification.
In preclinical studies done on rats that were fed a high-fat diet that bogged down the rat’s livers, they gave the rats beetroot juice and found that it helped them maintain a healthy liver.
It also helped maintain a healthy weight and supported healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
So if your triglycerides are high and your liver is struggling, lowering the amount of sugar you eat and adding beet juice can make a big difference.
This way you’ll cleanse the liver out, and get your triglycerides and lipids under so they don’t impact the heart.
At the same time, it’s going to benefit your blood pressure and your heart.
I like to get it in the form of a greens powder that you can mix up.
You can also try juicing your own beets, or buying beet juice or powder.
6. Coffee
Coffee is the number-one source of antioxidants for most of us, and it’s been shown to lower the risk of liver illnesses.
It works by preventing the accumulation of fat, scar tissue, and connective tissue that builds up.
Adding in coffee will help prevent those things, and it helps empty the digestive tract.
I like to add a little bit of coconut oil and butter to my coffee to get some healthy fats. This makes it a liver-benefitting protein coffee.
Never heard of it? Check out how to make your very own liver-detoxifying coffee here.
