7 Great Ways to Care for the Health of Your Liver at Breakfast
Your liver the largest organ in your body and weighs between 1.3 and 1.8 kilograms. It contains about 13% of the total volume of blood in your body and performs over 500 functions. But what do you do to care for the health of your liver on a daily basis?
If you’ve ever had any type of liver disease, then you know how it affects your quality of life. Fatigue, poor digestion, weakness, jaundice, abdominal pain, fluid retention, etc. We live our lives focused on the outside world. The pressures and worries of our environments, little by little, negatively affect our bodies.
What we’re proposing here is something simple, healthy and truly interesting: caring for your liver health with breakfast. We’ll explain how.
1. Coffee for the health of your liver? Yes, please
It’s true. If you’ve ever wondered whether coffee was good for your liver or not, the answer is yes. According to a 2015 study conducted by researchers at Edinburgh and South Hampton Universities in the United Kingdom, drinking two cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of developing liver disease.
- Coffee, thanks to its antioxidants, reduces the presence of the enzyme gamma-glutamil-transpeptidase (GGT) in the blood. This enzyme is a biomarker used to detect cirrhosis.
- It also reduces bad cholesterol or LDL and fights inflammation of the liver cells.
Coffee has a protective effect on the health of your liver. However, you shouldn’t drink it excessively. Just a cup in the morning is enough to wake you up and optimize your liver function for the day ahead.
Check also: A Guide to Help You Watch Your Cholesterol Levels
2. Garlic
We often talk on our site about the benefits of eating garlic on an empty stomach. If you want to care for the health of your liver, don’t ignore this healthy habit. Thanks to the sulfur compounds in garlic, it facilitates the elimination of toxins.
Garlic contains high concentrations of allicin and selenium, two natural compounds that fight inflammation and promote the body’s natural detoxification and metabolic processes. The regular intake of this food has proven to be very beneficial for the liver. Its consumption protects against the damage caused by alcohol.
3. Toast with extra virgin olive oil
Toast with olive oil is delicious, healthy and really common in the Mediterranean diet. Choose a whole grain bread, like rye. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and enjoy.
Your liver will thank you for the fatty acids, especially the oleic acid, which helps reduce LDL cholesterol levels and dilate the arteries.
4. Grapefruit
Chose red grapefruit. They’re richer in licopene, a carotenoid pigment with more powerful antioxidant action than vitamins A and C, which are also present in this fruit. Grapefruit will help you eliminate toxins due to a type of flavonoid called naringenin.
5. Oatmeal for fatty liver disease
Oatmeal is a type of grain that you should always include in your breakfast. It’s really nutritious as well as cleansing. Thanks to its amino acids, it helps stimulate lecithin production in the liver.
Lecithin is an incredible organic substance that helps the body purge toxins. Oats regulate blood sugar and provide good amounts of vegetable proteins that are great for the health of your liver. This was shown in a study published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology.
6. Avocado
A spectacular choice is to spread half an avocado on a slice of rye bread. Not only is it delicious, it’s also really good for you.
Avocados are rich in beta-sitosterol, a vegetable compound that helps reduce cholesterol. Something we can’t forget to mention is that this tasty soft fruit contains high amounts of glutathione, another substance that’s good for the health of your liver.
7. Apples
Eat them any way you like: shredded, cut into pieces with a little bit of honey and cinnamon, rolled in nuts and brown sugar, or just enjoy a fresh apple on its own. Choose whichever appeals to you the most because they’re all good for your liver thanks to the high concentrations of antioxidants and pectin.
Improving your diet to protect your liver
To conclude, all the foods on this list will help you care for your liver starting with breakfast. Don’t forget to combine these healthy foods with some protein: eggs, turkey breast, etc.
It’s all about eating well, a balanced diet and avoiding the fat and empty calories in processed foods and sugar. Also remember to rest properly during the night to promote the body’s recovery processes.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Kennedy OJ., Roderick P., Buchanan R., Fallowfield JA., et al., Systematic review with meta analysis: coffee consumption and the risk of cirrhosis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2016. 43 (5): 562-74.
- Guan MJ., Zhao N., Xie KQ., Zeng T., Hepatoprotective effects of garlic against ethanol induced liver injury: a mini review. Food Chem Toxicol, 2018. 111: 467-473.
- Angelov A., Yaneva Marinova T., Gotcheva V., Oats as a matrix of choice for developing fermented functional beverages. J Food Sci Technol, 2018. 55 (7): 2351-2360.
