4 Ways to Baby Your Liver
It can be as simple as living clean, adding crunch, and eyeing your supplements. Here’s what we mean by that.
Vital Parts
Your liver isn’t just a place to filter out tequila shots. All of the blood that has visited your small intestine flows through the liver, where it gets detoxified. A big job, but something has to do it. Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, RealAge experts and authors of the best-selling, newly expanded YOU: The Owner’s Manual, have four tips for helping your liver help you.
Live clean. Reduce your personal pollution so there’s less to filter out. Drink filtered water, eat unprocessed foods, choose veggie protein over red meat, and practice safe sex. And yes, keep the mojitos to a minimum.
Add crunchy veggies. Cruciferous produce (like broccoli and cabbage), B-rich foods (like whole grains), and high C items (like citrus fruit and leafy greens) assist the liver’s detoxifying process.
Consider a supplement. Lecithin (egg yolks and soybeans are good sources) and zinc support liver function, and you may want to consider supplementing your diet with them if you don’t get much naturally. Herbs like milk thistle and dandelion may help liver function, too, but consult your doctor before taking them.
Don’t take too much vitamin A. If you do, you risk liver problems, including cirrhosis.
Green Tea and Mango Splash
Ingredients
1 cup strongly brewed green tea, (2 tea bags to 1 cup water)
2 cups mango nectar
Ice cubes
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Mango slivers, for garnish
Directions
1. Combine tea and mango nectar in a pitcher. Serve over ice, garnished with mint sprigs and mango slivers.
For more healthy alternatives, browse Encouraging Health.
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