We love indulging in pizzas, burgers, chips and more. While each of these food items gives us momentary happiness, they have a negative effect on our health in the longer run. By now, we all know junk food leads to obesity, imbalanced blood sugar levels, increase bad cholesterol in the body and more. You will also find multiple studies on the same. Adding to the list, recent research found that these greasy, decadent foods have an adverse effect on our livers. The study, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, stated that eating fast food is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. For the unversed, it is a potentially life-threatening condition in which fat builds up in the liver.
Also read: Liver Diet: What To Eat To Keep Your Liver Healthy - Expert Diet Tips
Effects Of Junk Food On Liver Health | How Eating Junk Food Affects Our Liver Negatively
Researchers state that a healthy liver contains a small amount of fat - usually less than five percent. "Even a moderate increase in fat can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease," they added. And through the study, it was found that people with obesity or diabetes, who consume 20 percent or more of their daily calories from fast food, have severely elevated levels of fat in their liver. People, without these conditions, have moderate increases in liver fat when one-fifth or more of their diet is fast food.
The findings also reveal that a relatively modest amount of fast food, which is high in carbohydrates and fat, can affect our liver health. Considering it all, we say, avoid eating junk food as much as possible to keep up a healthy liver function. Besides, it is also important to eat clean for overall nourishment. Here, we bring you a few handy tips that might help you promote liver health. Take a look.
How To Keep Liver Health?
According to nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee, "Our liver is a major organ of elimination and is constantly multitasking. Its many functions include filtering toxins from our bloodstream, balancing macro- and micronutrients and regulating hormones." Hence, taking special care of our liver is of utmost importance. She further took to Instagram to share some handy lifestyle tips to keep your liver functioning well and prevent liver disease. Check out the post here:
Here're 7 Quick Tips To Cleanse Your Liver Naturally:
1. Start your day with a glass of lime juice in warm water.
2. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of filtered water every day. And, in addition, 2-3 glasses of hot water (like tea). This water intake will not only cleanse the liver and kidneys but will also assist in weight loss.
3. Fresh vegetable juices can do wonders for your liver. Drink a glass of carrot, beetroot and spinach juice or you can also consume a glass of wheatgrass juice, both are potent liver cleansers.
4. At least 40% of your diet should include raw fruits and vegetables, as per the health expert. This is because raw foods are rich in enzymes, which aid digestion and enhance the liver's capacity to remove toxins.
5. In a bid to maintain liver health, avoid refined sugar and maida. Both ingredients make the liver work much harder, which results in an overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria.
6. Eat sprouted pulses like mung, matki, black chana, green chana and sprouted wheat as they increase the liver's cleansing properties.
7. Avoid saturated fats existing in whole milk, mutton, pork, beef, the skin of the chicken, and processed and fried foods.
Eat healthy and stay nourished!
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.