It is one of the victims of our bad habits and is one of the most important organs in the body. Located in the upper right part of the abdomen, it is in charge of purifying the blood, converting food into energy and producing bile to help break down fats in the intestine. It is capable of cleaning itself by sending toxins to the intestine for excretion.
It is a perfect system, performer of multiple vital processes for the functioning of the organism. It is also the center of body chemistry and regulator, among other functions, of the amount of blood in the body.
Despite its power and potency, it is vulnerable to bad lifestyle habits and the intake of toxic substances, medicines and liquor. Cirrhosis, hepatitis or fatty liver are the most common problems.
“These bad habits are limiting its increasingly complex function and this is altering the functioning of the body and giving rise to different problems or diseases,” says the doctor. Felipe Castro, hepatobiliary surgeon, Medical Center.
Excessive consumption of fats generates an over demand of the small organ, which can trigger inflammation or obstruction of the bile ducts, which is why he recommends a healthy diet, with a good consumption of fruit and water, and avoiding alcoholic beverages.
According to Dr. Castro, among the most common diseases are fatty liver, hepatitis A, B and C, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and congenital diseases such as Dubin-Johnson syndrome and Gilbert syndrome.
The best known liver cancer is what is called malignant hepatoma, hepatocellular carcinoma or primary cancer and can develop at any age; when it does so in very young children it is called hepatoblastoma.
For Dr. Castro, prevention with a healthy diet is important, avoiding overweight and a sedentary lifestyle, so that the liver can perform its normal functions.
When there is an excess of toxins in the liver, it cannot burn all the fats and these accumulate in the body and generate various problems that affect all body systems.
Bad habits become a series of stimuli that lead the liver to work twice as hard. The organ is poisoned by poor diet, excess rancid fat, margarine, alcohol and low consumption of vegetable fiber.
The consumption of some medications and even, according to studies, Emotions such as anger or irritability and frustration also contribute to affect liver function.
For doctors, we must be clear about how to take care of this vital organ through a healthy diet and a lifestyle that avoids the consumption of fatty and acidic foods, excess alcohol and increases the consumption of olive oil that helps in the cleaning process.
It is important to maintain proper functioning of the colon, drinking water regularly and vegetable fiber. Include in the diet spices and bitter foods that contribute to cleansing the liver, such as turmeric, boldo, rosemary, sage, among others.
Natural products such as fruits and vegetables provide fiber that helps the liver to remove toxins from the body. These foods, in addition to providing nutrients and antioxidants, contain vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body. (See box: “Other recommendations.”)
Green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, celery, etc. and fruits such as grapefruit, mango, lemons, papaya, orange, apple and pineapple, among others, are recommended by doctors.
With the fact that you make the decision to eat a healthy diet in which fruits and vegetables play a main role and where industrialized foods, flours and sugars are eliminated, you will have taken the most important step to detoxify your liver. In addition to cleaning this organ, it helps detoxify the body and strengthen the lymphatic system. There is no undesirable effect.
It is estimated that in a period of four weeks, not only will you have managed to reduce your size and lose weight, but you will also notice a feeling of well-being and your body will be recharged with vital energy.
“Healthy lifestyle habits not only help the liver, but also generate well-being and they prevent many problems, among them obesity”, says Dr. Castro.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
The normal work of the liver, processing the substances in the food we eat and drink on a daily basis, already means an accumulation of toxins. But you also have to deal with the consumption of greasy and processed foods and chemical substances such as drugs, all of which will end up saturating you.
For this reason, cleansing the liver two or three times a year is ideal, both to improve the general health of the body, the quality of organs and skin, and healthy weight loss.
The daily diet can help the liver to clean itself. By avoiding foods that contain artificial substances, it will be easier for you to eliminate the toxic ones of metabolism.
The first thing to do is to avoid artificial foods that contain substances that are difficult to eliminate, such as fatty foods, sugary drinks, sweets, shellfish, alcoholic beverages, and processed foods, such as deli meats, sausages, hams, bacon that have preservatives and toxic additives. .
When these substances remain in the body, they cause allergies, inflammation, skin problems, and many other diseases.
It is advisable to limit animal protein to only once or twice a week. Preferable white meats like chicken and fish. Limit consumption of eggs and dairy. Don’t forget to eat beans, nuts, and pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds. The water that is natural or prepared in herbal infusion.
When cooking, use herbs to bring out the natural flavors of foods and to aid digestion of food. Season with garlic, onion, pepper, ginger, coriander, and parsley.