The liver is just one of many parts of the body that isn’t generally treated well by the average Western lifestyle. The standard diet of a civilized human being isn’t so civilized to our livers! If you frequently deal with fatique, poor appetite, jaundice, or discolored urine, then it’s entirely probable that your liver’s been damaged. But it’s better to stop the risk of injury before injury occurs. All you have to do is adjust your diet appropriately, so that your liver gets what it needs and doesn’t get the things that weaken it.

Increased intake of vitamin E is one essential step. It can be found most highly in green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs, various seeds and nuts, and wholegrain foods. It’s also possible to find in vegetable oils, but only when they’re not heated – so no, you can’t deep fry your food as an excuse to eat healthier! Be careful when taking vitamin E supplements, as excessive use can be just as bad as vitamin E deficiency, only with different problems like strokes and heart issues.

Many types of vegetables, particularly cruciferous ones, will generally help your liver cleanse itself. These include diverse plants such as cabbage, bok choy, horseradish, collard greens, turnips, watercress, and wasabi. Obviously this part of liver cleansing is little problem for fans of Eastern cuisine.

A final vitamin to enjoy to keep your liver in good condition is the famous vitamin C. Although most well-known for being found in oranges, red peppers, parsley, and broccoli actually have higher levels of it. There are many other foods with it as well, but these are the ones most commonly known by Western minds.

All this good food intake isn’t the only solution, however. You should also avoid excessive drinking, as it’s a sure way to damage the liver. There are advanced methods to cleanse and detoxify the liver if necessary once the damage has already been done. However, these vary widely from one source to the next, and there’s a lot of myths to sort out from the science. Liver flushes, enemas, and other techniques should be studied and used on a case by case basis, as appropriate for the particular problem and patient involved.