5 Best Practices to Keep Your Liver Safe and Healthy

Many people never give much thought to liver health. Yet the liver is one of the most important organs in the human body. It’s a key player in the digestive system. Everything you eat and drink passes straight through it. Treat it well so it can do its job right.

Use Alcohol Responsively

Excessive alcohol use can destroy liver cells, leaving scars. This is known as liver cirrhosis, and it’s a serious, life-threatening condition.

Quit drinking alcohol or drink alcohol only in moderation, and communicate with digestive and liver disease consultants about your drinking habits.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you are overweight or obese, you are placing the health of your liver at risk. Obesity can be the cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The obesity epidemic has ensured NAFLD is one of the fastest growing liver health conditions in America today.

Make healthy weight loss a priority.

Eat a Healthy Balanced Diet

Saturated fat. High-calorie foods. Refined carbohydrates including white bread, regular pasta, and white rice. Sugars. Raw or undercooked shellfish. Any of these foods can put a great deal of strain on your liver.

Strive to add more fiber to your diet in the form of fresh fruit, whole grain bread, cereals, rice, and vegetables. Limit your red meat intake. Choose low-fat milk and use less cheese. Try to add more good fats such as vegetable oils, fish, seeds, and nuts.

Finally, stay well-hydrated! Drink plenty of water to help your liver move toxins out of your system.

Practice Safe Sex

Nourish both your emotional and physical health by practicing safe sex. Many liver diseases are sexually transmitted, so use condoms every time.

Do not Smoke or Use Tobacco

Smoking and tobacco use are unhealthy habits associated with heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and cancer. Smoking can also damage your liver.

Quit smoking. You’ll thank yourself later.

Stay Committed!

It’s never easy to make a major lifestyle change, but the rewards are worth it. Liver disease is frightening and painful. It pays to avoid it at all costs. Making these changes will help you prevent other sorts of diseases as well, protecting your quality of life.

Talk to your doctor if you need help tackling any of these issues. Your medical team will be happy to help, because when it comes to your liver preventative care is ultimately far more effective than disease treatment ever will be.