Theliver diet is mainly used to improve the condition of the organ, during its illness. Learn the rules of the liver diet, what to eat and what to avoid, and what your sample diet might look like.
Learn about the liver and how it functions in your body
The liver is a very important organ in our body, its main function is to detoxify the body. It helps get rid of toxins that are formed during metabolism and consumed with food, stimulants and drugs. What are its other functions?
- Secretion of bile – the liver secretes about 1.5 liters of bile per day. Bile causes the emulsification of fats, in addition, steroid hormones also go into it, so the function of bile is to detoxify the body.
- Protein production – the liver produces and stores proteins. The proteins that it produces and are secreted into the blood are albumin, fibrinogen, prothrombin, globulin, angiotensinogen.
- Blood filtration – as we mentioned the liver is involved in cleansing the organs of toxins. This happens most often when the body is at rest during sleep, so do not eat protein and fatty foods before bed.
- Transforming proteins and sugars into fats.
- The production, accumulation and release of glucose.
Liver diet principles
Theliver diet is an easy-to-digest diet, we distinguish several variants of this diet, depending on what type of disorder of the organ occurs.
- Steatosis of the liver – a diet with a standard amount of protein and fiber, with reduced fats,
- hepatitis – standard amount of protein, reduced fat and fiber,
- liver disease with hepatic encephalopathy – reduced amount of protein, fiber and fat.
Drinks and meals during the liver diet should not be too hot or too cold. Vegetables should be in three meals a day, while fruits should be in a maximum of two. In addition, fruits should not be eaten at dinner. What are the other rules of the liver diet?
- You should eat about 5 smaller, easily digestible meals, every 2-3 hours.
- Breakfast is eaten up to an hour after waking up, while dinner is eaten no later than three hours before bedtime.
- Drink at least 1.5 liters of fluids a day, mostly mineral water and weak tea.
- Meals during the liver diet should be fresh and prepared the same day.
- Food should be boiled in water, steamed, baked in foil.
- When following a liver diet, one should exclude fried foods especially deep-fried and breaded foods.
- Avoiding hot spices and salt.
- Meals should be eaten slowly, in small bites, with thorough chewing.
Liver diet what should you eat?
Now that we know the rules, now it is worth knowing what products can be eaten during the liver diet due to their beneficial effects on the functioning of this organism, during diseases.
- Cereal products: wheat flour, wheat bread, millet groats, semolina.
- Dairy products: skim milk, skim natural yogurt, kefir, buttermilk.
- Soups – soups on vegetable stock and lean poultry broth.
- Meat products: lamb, veal, venison, rabbit, chicken, turkey meat.
- Fish: cod, pike, zander, flounder.
- Fats: olive oil, canola oil, vegetable margarine.
- Vegetables: peeled tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, green lettuce, iceberg lettuce, parsley, potatoes (boiled or baked without fat), zucchini.
- Fruits: oranges, tangerines, bananas, peeled apples, raspberries, peaches, apricots, strawberries.
- Beverages: still mineral water, black tea, fruit teas, herbal infusions, cereal coffee.
What should be avoided during a liver diet?
From the liver diet should be eliminated such products as:
- grain products: wheat bran, bread with bran, wholemeal and rye bread, butter rolls.
- Dairy products: fatty milk and products containing more than 2% fat, condensed milk, yellow, molded and melted cheeses, fat cottage cheese.
- soups – fatty broth, soups on bone broths, mushroom soups, meat soups, pea soups, bean soups, mushroom soup, cabbage soup, cucumber soup, soups with cream.
- Meat products – fatty meats: pork, mutton, beef, meat from duck, goose.
- Fish: sardine, herring, mackerel, salmon, eel.
- Fats: lard, bacon, clarified butter.
- vegetables: peas, beans, leek, garlic, onions, red cabbage, fried potatoes.
- Fruits: plums, cherries, grapes, pears, watermelon.
- Beverages: carbonated water, strong coffee beans, alcohol, sodas, strong teas.
Liver diet menu
Wondering how to compose a sample menu? See our suggestion.
- Breakfast: oatmeal or wheat roll with lean cold meat and skinless tomato.
- Second breakfast: country cheese or natural yogurt.
- lunch: baked skinless chicken leg, rice or boiled potatoes/baked cod with vegetables
- Afternoon: fruit kisiel or vegetable-fruit smoothie with skim milk.
- Dinner: pumpkin/tomato cream soup or sandwich with cold meat or vegetables.
The liver diet menu is not complicated or limited. It is important to remember how to prepare the dish and not to use fatty products.
See also: Juice diet principles, recipes effects