The liver is the largest internal organ and the largest gland of the body. It processes what you eat and also detoxifies the body. There are many diseases that could affect the liver and these include cirrhosis or the scarring and hardening of the liver, fatty liver disease when there’s a build-up of fat in the liver, hemochromatosis or the build-up of iron in the liver, and hepatitis C which is caused by a virus.


Image: flickr.com/photos/colemama

Here are a few tips on a healthy diet for your liver from the Liver Foundation.

• Eat a balanced diet that contains all of the food groups. This means making sure you eat enough grains, proteins, fruits, dairy, vegetables, and fat.
• Food rich in fiber is recommended. These include fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, cereals, and whole grain breads.
• Limit fatty foods
• Cut down on food that have plenty of sugar or salt
• Avoid eating uncooked shellfish

There are also dietary recommendations from the Liver Foundation if you already have a liver disease. Bile duct disease is one of these and it’s where bile has trouble flowing from the liver to the small intestine where it helps break down fat. If you have this disease, then use fat substitutes and kernel oil because oil of this type needs less bile to process.

If you have cirrhosis, you have to limit eating salty food and your protein to an amount prescribed by your doctor. For fatty liver disease, it’s recommended that you limit your intake of high calorie food and eat high fiber food instead.

For patients suffering from hemochromatosis, you shouldn’t eat food that have iron and these include red meat, along with uncooked shellfish. Hepatitis C patients should limit foods rich in iron and limit salty foods.

Try this Healthy Liver Recipe!

The Liver Foundation has released a free recipe book to promote a diet that’s healthy for the liver. The book contains several recipes from renowned chefs such as France’s Marc Ehrler, Phoenix’s Christopher Gross, and Beau MacMillan from Massachusetts.

For a sample, try this easy salad recipe from Chef Ehrler that serves 8.

BBQ Heart of Romaine Caesar

• 4 Romaine hearts
• 1 cup Caesar dressing
• 1 BBQ
• 8 baguette slices

Cut the Romaine hearts in half and toss all these into a bowl with the Caesar dressing. Barbecue the hearts until lightly marked and flip until all the hearts are fully grilled. Also grill the baguette slices and serve.

With simple steps and a few ingredients, you’ve got yourself a healthy salad that’s full of fiber from the Romaine heart, along with carbs from the baguette slices and protein from the Caesar dressing—everything your liver needs to stay strong and healthy! It’s the perfect quick and health-conscious snack or appetizer you can serve your guests at your next party.

Having medical insurance can help when you have liver disease but prevention is ALWAYS better than the cure, and one of the ways you can take care of your liver is to eat a healthy diet.