The liver plays a vital role in regulating digestion, running your metabolism and getting harmful particles out of your body. You must do everything you can to protect it.

In the fast paced life, you may be consuming some foods or following a few habits that are over taxing this crucial organ, even though you don’t mean to. You should hence keep trying to find out the unhealthy indulgences. Liver is one of the most important internal organs of the human body. It filters the blood before it travels anywhere else in the body, removes toxins, processes food nutrients and helps to regulate metabolism. You can’t ignore it.

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Eating a few foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar could cause serious damage to this crucial body part. Fast food and processed food are unhealthy diet. Avoid them completely for the sake of liver health. Artificial sweeteners and Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) are also toxic to the liver. Fortunately raw foods are a blessing for it. Even if you fall off the wagon now, raw foods can bring you back. Garlic, onions and freshly squeezed lemon juice encourage detoxification. Apples contain Pectin, which helps escort heavy metals like mercury out of the body. Beet root has also shown some anti-tumour effects in studies. It is loaded with anti-oxidant Anthocyanidine and healthy phytonutrients help combat the bad effects of fatty foods.

Alcohol is bad for your liver. It causes fatty liver disease, inflammation of liver and cirrhosis. When alcohol is consumed, the liver gets diverted from its other functions and focusses only on transforming alcohol to less toxic form. Cigarette smoking also causes irreversible damage to the liver cells.

Over use of over-the-counter drugs and certain prescribed medicines including anti-depressants and pain relievers are known to cause liver damage. Inappropriate use of alternative remedies even herbal ones can cause harm to this body part.

Chemotherapy can also contribute in liver damage. Sometimes nutritional supplements increase the production of certain liver enzymes when consumed in excess amounts. It can also cause liver damage. Few diseases like viral hepatitis A, B and C, autoimmune hepatitis, tuberculosis and intestinal infections can also damage the liver. You actually need to take every minute precaution to safeguard it.

Maintain a healthy weight by skipping fatty foods and junk foods. Exercise regularly and eat healthy foods like grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Read the labels before consuming any medicine. Beware of liver toxicity warnings written on the. Consult your doctor before starting or changing any medication. Be cautious about hygienic conditions to avoid viral infections. Drink loads of water and plenty of healthy fluids. Quit smoking and limit alcohol.