BHMS
Liver diseases such as fatty liver and cirrhosis affect the liver badly. Healthy foods and diet play an important role in prevention as well as prognosis of these malfunctions. Adding milk thistle in your liver detox, fatty liver diet, or liver cirrhosis diet can prove to be an extremely effective and healthy solution to relive a person.
The liver performs various vital functions, making it very important for a healthy body. It not only detoxifies different metabolites, but also plays an important role in protein synthesis, the digestion processes, regulation of glycogen storage, production of hormones, and metabolism. The liver also acts as a gland producing bile, which is mandatory for lipid emulsification. Many diseases and conditions can severely affect liver functions and can even have a permanent effect on its functioning. Among such devastating diseases are cirrhosis, fatty liver, cancer, hepatitis, etc.
It is common knowledge that a liver detox is necessary for normal vital functions. Even the management of liver diseases mainly focuses on a liver detox. A good liver detox can only be achieved by a combination of eating the right foods in a healthy diet, medication (as prescribed by the doctor), alcohol abstinence, and certain lifestyle changes.
Consuming a healthy diet certainly has a role in liver detox and liver health. So here are the 10 best liver cirrhosis diet tips-
- Say no to alcohol: Alcohol is a non-nutritional drink that provides only empty calories and interferes with the functioning of the liver. Regular consumption can generate fatty liver cells that can lead to liver cirrhosis. Avoid alcohol consumption and say no to smoking.
- Avoid sugary foods: Foods such as candies, ice creams, cakes, etc. contain simple sugars, which only provide empty calories. Anyone following a fatty liver diet or a liver cirrhosis diet should understand that these are not good sources of carbohydrates. Therefore, it is better to avoid them.
- Include beta: Carotene-rich foods- Beta-carotene is a vitamin A precursor and a powerful antioxidant, which helps in natural liver detox. Thus, it is included even in all fatty liver diets. Vegetables such as beets and carrots are rich in B- carotene, thus they must be included in a fatty liver diet.
- Include greens and fresh fruits among foods – Include a wide variety of green veggies and fresh fruits in the liver cirrhosis diet, as these are rich in various other micronutrients that are immunity boosters and are necessary for good health.
- Remember, most diets are not easy to follow and sustain, especially the liver cirrhosis diet or fatty liver diet plans. It is of course not easy to incorporate these changes, especially in our hectic and busy life schedules. Therefore, the ultimate liver cirrhosis diet tip is to use a natural food supplement in the liver cirrhosis diet, such as the Milk Thistle.
- Supplementation using Milk Thistle – Milk Thistle has been extensively used for ages for liver detox and cleanse. Milk thistle (silymarin) is a flowering herb related to the daisy family. The active ingredient is silymarin, which is a group of flavonoids such as silibinin, silibinin, and silicristin. Studies conducted on silybinin interventions for toxicity removal have demonstrated that it improves the activity of liver enzymes and thus can act as a liver detoxification agent.
- As per various studies, it may act as a hepatoprotective agent with various mechanisms such as antioxidant activity, enhanced protein synthesis, blocking of toxins at the level of the membrane where they can enter, and anti-inflammatory activity. One such study found that the ingestion of this herb caused significant improvement in the liver function tests and showed a liver cleanse effect, as per a research publication of C Mulrow in 2000. Even when included in a fatty liver diet, this herb has shown improvement and a longer period of survival.
- Other vitamins (C & E) - Vitamin C and E are also good antioxidants that are important for a fatty liver diet as they help in keeping the liver clean.
- Include high biological value protein foods in the diet – These include pulses, egg, and milk protein, which aid a high absorption rate.
- Restrict the amount of sodium in your foods- This will help in preventing complications such as ascites or fluid build-up in the abdomen.
- Optimum water intake- Along with the right choice of healthy foods, enough water consumption helps in maintaining a healthy system.
- Eat small but frequent meals– This enables the entire system to function better and aids natural detox.
To summarize, along with other healthy foods, milk thistle is a powerful herb that must be included in a fatty liver diet or a liver cirrhosis diet as it can help in a natural liver detox and aid liver health. Milk Thistle extract capsules by BestSource Nutrition offer 80% Silymarin, which strengthens liver cells and provides relief in liver-related diseases. Hence, it should be included in any liver cirrhosis diet.