Modern living has brought us unprecedented convenience and other comforts. Still, one downside to all the advancements is the negative impact that our modern food supply and lifestyle have had on our livers.
Americans face a range of challenges that negatively affect liver health, such as ongoing exposure to environmental toxins (like pollutants, heavy metals, and pesticides), sedentary living, the obesity epidemic, and excessive intake of alcohol and highly processed foods. As a result, estimates suggest that up to 20 percent of the United States population is plagued by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, in which fat builds up in the liver, potentially leading to liver damage.
The good news about our lifestyles driving upticks in liver health concerns is that you can also use your lifestyle to promote optimal liver function and long-term health. Here, we’ll dive into some of the habits and food choices that take a toll on liver health, plus what changes to make to support this powerhouse organ.
- ABOUT OUR EXPERTS: Dr. Joshua Axe, D.N.M., C.N., N.M.D., is a doctor of natural medicine, nutritionist, and the founder of Ancient Nutrition. Karen Linardakis-Cooney, B.C.H.H.P., C.N., a board-certified holistic health practitioner and nutritionist with The Vitamin Shoppe.
Why A Healthy Liver Is Crucial for Overall Health
The liver is a multitasking organ with a wide range of essential functions for maintaining overall health. Interestingly, “many practitioners of ancient systems of medicine, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), believed that the liver was one of the primary organs needed to be treated in sick patients,” points out Dr. Joshua Axe, D.N.M., C.N., N.M.D., a doctor of natural medicine, nutritionist, and the founder of Ancient Nutrition. “In TCM, there’s a saying, ‘The physician who knows how to harmonize the liver knows how to treat a hundred diseases.’”
Some of the liver’s main responsibilities include:
- Detoxification: Filters “toxins” (harmful substances) from the blood and breaks them down so the body can safely eliminate them.
- Nutrient metabolism: Plays a key role in metabolizing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, converting nutrients from food into energy, and helping stabilize blood sugar levels.
- Protein synthesis: Produces vital proteins, including those needed for blood clotting and immune function.
- Nutrient storage: Stores essential nutrients (like vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K, and the minerals iron and copper).
- Digestive aid: Produces bile, which supports fat and fat-soluble vitamin digestion and absorption. Impaired liver function can disrupt bile production, leading to malabsorption of nutrients and gastrointestinal issues, ultimately affecting overall digestive health.
- Hormone regulation: Assists in metabolizing and eliminating excess hormones, contributing to overall reproductive health and hormonal balance.
Signs Your Liver Needs Support
Before diving into ways to support your liver, it’s important to recognize the signs your liver may need extra care. “If you’re like most people and haven’t been eating a vegetable-based diet, regularly exercising, and making sure to limit your alcohol and toxin exposure, chances are you might require liver support,” Axe says.
Common symptoms of liver dysfunction can include fatigue, digestive issues, jaundice (yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, low sex drive, and unexplained weight gain.
Other signs might include those tied to malabsorption of nutrients, such as mood swings, weakness, or trouble concentrating.
Everyday Ways To Support Your Liver
According to the American Liver Foundation, among the best ways to take care of your liver are to eat unprocessed (whole) plant foods, exercise, stay hydrated, and avoid alcohol and illicit drugs. Here’s more about how to show your liver TLC on a daily basis:
1. Stay Properly Hydrated
“Water is one of the best liver detoxifiers,” says Karen Linardakis-Cooney, B.C.H.H.P., C.N., a board-certified holistic health practitioner and nutritionist with The Vitamin Shoppe. That’s because drinking enough water throughout the day helps the liver efficiently flush out toxins.
Linardakis-Cooney recommends drinking filtered tap water at room temperature, particularly upon waking up, between meals, and in the early evening. Add a pinch of high-quality mineral salt for a small sodium boost to support electrolyte and fluid balance. Recommendations on total daily H2O intake are highly variable depending on factors like activity levels, but many experts recommend starting with half your body weight in ounces per day.
2. Exercise Till You Sweat
Sweating plays a significant role in detoxification by pushing waste and even toxins out of your skin, your body’s largest organ. “The sweat you experience during exercise has amazing detoxifying benefits,” Linardakis-Cooney explains.
Additionally, staying active helps maintain a healthy weight, which protects against the development of a fatty liver, notes Axe. Overweight and obesity contribute to fatty liver disease and impaired liver function by directly spurring fat accumulation in the liver and via their connection to insulin resistance, which also promotes the liver’s uptake and storage of fatty acids.
Read More: 6 Signs You’re Suffering From Exercise Burnout—And How To Shake It Off
Exercise can also keep stress in check, which is a must-do for digestive health (something liver function is closely related to).
For the greatest effects, prioritize both regular exercise and other stress-reducing activities like meditation, yoga, or deep-breathing exercises. A general guideline is to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, ideally paired with two strength training sessions, each week.
3. Optimize Your Diet With Plant Foods and Bitter Ingredients
Both Axe and Linardakis-Cooney recommend focusing on whole, unprocessed foods. Here are some ways to steer your diet in a more liver-supporting direction:
- Add in a variety of antioxidants: Foods rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals support liver health in many ways, says Axe. For example, fiber helps support gut health and aids in elimination, which is essential for detoxification processes. “Keep things balanced by eating mostly organic plant foods, including unrefined sources of carbohydrates, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats,” he says. The reason for choosing organic whenever possible? Doing so helps reduce pesticide levels in the body, which means less stress for your liver.
- Incorporate cruciferous vegetables often: Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and certain leafy greens and herbs have a particular affinity for the liver. These veggies contain sulforaphane and other compounds specifically known for their ability to support liver health and detoxification.
- Learn to love bitter foods and herbs: Foods that are naturally bitter, like dandelion greens, arugula, kale, radicchio, and endive, can stimulate liver function and bile production, says Axe. “Bitterness is usually a sign of beneficial enzymes,” he explains. Other bitter and acidic foods like coffee, cranberries, apple cider vinegar, and herbs such as ginger and turmeric can also support liver health and digestion.
- Focus on healthy fats: Opt for healthy fats such as those found in avocados, nuts, and seeds. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish like salmon, are also known to support the digestive organs due to their antioxidant and cellular-stress-managing effects.
- Choose quality proteins: “When it comes to fats and proteins in your diet, focus on quality sources like cage-free eggs, grass-fed meat, or wild-caught seafood,” says Axe. The reason the quality of animal proteins is so crucial: “Fatty animal foods contain the highest levels of potentially harmful compounds and pesticides since these contaminants are stored in fat and become more concentrated as they move up the food chain,” explains Brittany Michels, M.S., R.D.N., L.D.N., C.P.T., a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and nutritionist for The Vitamin Shoppe. Basically, if the pig your bacon came from ate a diet covered in pesticides, you can expect those chemicals to have impacted the glorious strips of fat in your frying pan. After all, “you are what you eat eats.”
4. Limit Processed Foods and Alcohol
“Saying goodbye to processed food is an important change for liver health,” Cooney explains. After all, a diet high in refined oils, added sugar (particularly high-fructose corn syrup), packaged convenience foods, and alcohol can add more toxins to your system and contribute to fatty liver disease.
Cutting these out of your diet can have a significant positive impact on liver function, according to the University of Chicago Medicine. Cooney recommends avoiding ultra-processed foods as much as possible. If you’re not sure where to start, this guide can help you nix the Franken-foods in two weeks.
If you choose to drink, do so in moderation (which means limiting your intake to one to two drinks per day), and be mindful of balancing that intake with plenty of water.
5. Jump On Juicing
Juicing can be beneficial for liver health, especially when you incorporate raw vegetables and lots of greens, agree Linardakis-Cooney and Axe.
Raw vegetables (think leafy greens, cucumbers, and bell peppers) provide essential nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber that aid detoxification and promote optimal liver function. Plus, because these veggies are in juiced form, their goodness is “easy to digest and ready for nutrient absorption,” says Linardakis-Cooney. Not to mention, vegetable juice can help support pH balance by providing alkaline minerals that counteract acidity in the body, she adds.
Incorporating vegetable juicing into your routine—whether daily or a few times a week—is a simple way to meaningfully promote overall liver function.
6. Take Liver Support Supplements
While a nutrient-rich diet is priority number one for liver health, liver support supplements can promote your natural detoxification processes and help you along on your journey, Cooney says.
Several supplements can aid in liver detoxification and support overall liver function, per Axe, Linardakis-Cooney, and Michels:
- Milk Thistle: This herb is well-known for its liver-protective properties. It contains silymarin, which helps to protect the health of liver cells.
- N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC): NAC is a precursor to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps the liver detoxify harmful substances.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Supplements of omega-3s can help improve liver health and function, especially if your diet lacks these essential fats. “Buy fish oil that has been third-party tested and is guaranteed to be free of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and other environmental toxins,” recommends Michaels.
- Curcumin: The active compound in turmeric can help fight oxidative stress that can impact the liver.
To try some of these options (plus others supportive of liver and overall health), Linardakis-Cooney recommends checking out products like Pure Encapsulations Liver-G.I. Detox, NB Pure Liver Fend Cleanse, or Ancient Nutrition Organic Super Greens.
7. Sip on Liver-Friendly Teas
“Several popular teas that can be beneficial for liver health include lemon ginger tea, peppermint tea, green tea, and dandelion tea,” Linardakis-Cooney notes. These teas are rich in antioxidants and other compounds that aid in detoxification and overall digestive health. Drinking them regularly is a simple way to love your liver both by staying hydrated and offering your system nutrients that support its function.
You can also make turmeric tea (either with tea bags or by adding dried turmeric root to hot water). “Turmeric is commonly used to help the body flush out harmful toxins and ward off fat buildup in the liver,” says Linardakis-Cooney.
If you don’t have any tea on hand, Axe suggests adding fresh lemon juice and a splash of apple cider vinegar to hot or cold water. The bitter and acidic qualities (not to mention the lemon’s vitamin C) have a similar digestion- and liver-stimulating effect.
8. Be mindful of OTC use
The liver helps break down medications, meaning the more you take, the harder it has to work. The American College of Gastroenterology states that frequent use of medications like acetaminophen can strain the liver.
Use over-the-counter medications only when truly needed and as directed by your healthcare provider. If you experience signs of liver or digestive distress, such as frequent stomach pains and discomfort, talk to your provider about alternatives to manage any discomfort that has you turning to these meds.