"Health from Food" Series | Six "Liver" Clean Diet Principles, Do You Know?

The liver is an important organ of the human digestive system and an important detoxification organ for balancing human metabolism. With the improvement of people's living standards, some habits such as long-term high-load working late at night, frequent eating of sweets, greasy and spicy food, overeating, excessive smoking and drinking, etc., will put a burden on the liver and cause liver damage, which may manifest as poor mental state, poor complexion, dark yellow complexion, acne, loss of appetite, dry and bitter mouth, severe hair loss, etc., or even cause some liver diseases, such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, etc.

So, how should we eat to reduce the burden on the liver, purify the liver, and protect liver health? Let's learn about the six "liver" clean diet principles:

1. Green food. According to the traditional Chinese medicine of "five-color diet", the liver governs green, and "green enters the liver meridian", so you can eat more green food, such as cabbage, spinach, broccoli, celery, lettuce, purple cabbage, leek, okra, kelp, avocado, green grapes, etc. These foods will not increase the burden on the liver, and have the effects of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, soothing the liver and nourishing blood.

2. Foods rich in vitamins, including carrots, tomatoes, kiwis, oranges, lemons, etc. These foods help the liver detoxify and relieve liver depression.

3. Protein-rich foods. Foods rich in protein and lecithin can repair cells and promote cell regeneration, repairing liver tissue. For example, eggs, yogurt, milk, lean meat, soybeans and their products are very good sources of protein needed by the human body, meeting the nutritional needs of the liver, enhancing the liver's detoxification, detoxification and immune functions, and protecting liver health.

4. Traditional Chinese medicine foods. Such as hawthorn, wolfberry, chrysanthemum, cassia seed, rose, tuckahoe, yam, etc. can improve eyesight and liver, clear away heat and detoxify, provide energy and nutrition, thereby improving the physiological conditions for liver repair, soothing and strengthening the liver.

5. Fiber-rich foods: Fresh vegetables and fruits, oats, millet, coix seeds, red beans, black beans, mung beans, etc. Reduce the absorption of cholesterol and enhance the liver's detoxification function.

6. Avoid smoking and drinking and drink more water. The liver has a limited ability to metabolize alcohol. Drinking alcohol will damage the liver. Drink more water to increase blood circulation, promote metabolism, and reduce the damage of metabolic waste to the liver.

Author: Meng Lingjing and Hu Mengdie, Department of Special Medical Care, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Review expert: Xin Xiaowei, nutritionist and deputy director of the Nutrition Department of Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences