October is National Liver Awareness Month. So, this month, help your parent have better liver health by simply adding some key foods to her diet. You can easily create a shopping list that your parent’s companion care at home team can use to shop with and then prepare meals with. If your parent likes to prepare her own meals, her companion care at home provider can help her prep the food, or perhaps even find some new recipes to try.
The liver is the second largest organ in the body and is crucial to keeping the body functioning well. It does more than just filter the liquor we drink. As the blood leaves the stomach and intestines, it passes through the liver. The liver’s job is to process this blood and break it down. It balances and creates nutrients and also metabolizes drugs into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body or that are nontoxic.
Let’s look at five different foods to add to the shopping list for better liver health:
Garlic. One of the best foods for a healthy liver is garlic. It’s full of allicin and selenium, which help cleanse the liver and promote good health. And garlic can be added to many recipes making it one of the best sources of flavor.
Fresh lemons. Lemons have both high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants, making them great for increasing liver health. While your parent is not going to want to sit and eat up a fresh lemon (the acid is hard on the stomach, not to mention the palate), adding some freshly squeezed lemon to water each day can be a great way to get what she needs. Have your companion care at home provider slice up some lemons and put them in a pitcher of water in the fridge for a nice refreshing drink that’s also very healthy.
Carrots and beets. These root vegetables are great for liver health. The beta-carotene they contain helps the liver function well. They also help remove toxins from the body.
Green tea. The next time your parent is thirsty (and she’s had all of her lemon water), offer her a glass of green tea. Green tea is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, which help increase the ability of the liver to function. Drink it hot or drink it cold, and it does wonders for the body.
Kale. Your parent may not be very familiar with kale, as it has gained popularity only in the past couple of decades. But kale is a super food that is fiber, antioxidants, and chlorophyll. It does an amazing job of removing toxins from the blood, especially those caused by the environment. It can also neutralize unhealthy chemicals in the blood. Your companion care at home provider may know the perfect recipe to create a delicious kale smoothie for your parent to enjoy for breakfast to start her day off right.
What we eat is important to how our body functions so keep these five foods and drinks in mind when trying to help the liver maintain optimal health.
