Your liver is a powerhouse organ in your body. It performs a range of tasks which range from producing proteins and bile to breaking down toxins. Here is a look at Ugandan food that is good for your liver.
Ugandan food that is good for your liver
Before we look at the foods let’s first have a look at the functions of the liver
Functions of your liver
The following functions are attached to a healthy liver in the body
- “Anything that is eaten or consumed, whether it’s food, alcohol, medicine or toxins, gets filtered by the liver. Once we ingest food, it is digested by the stomach and intestine, gets absorbed into the blood and goes to the liver,” Kwon says.
- The liver is smart. It knows when to detoxify when to usher the toxins out of the body through urine or stool, when to store the nutrients and when to release them back into the blood.
- It keeps the amount of sugar in the bloodstream constant
- removes sugar from the blood and stores it in the form of glycogen. When a person’s blood sugar decreases, it converts that stored glycogen to glucose, adding the proper amount of instant energy into the bloodstream for the cells to use. Once the glycogen store is used, the liver will create glucose from other carbohydrates and a form of protein.
- A fat factory IS what the liver is. It breaks down fats that are eaten, converting excess carbohydrates and protein into forms that are stored for later use, while synthesizing other fat, like cholesterol. The liver produces bile to help break down and absorb fats. Waste products and toxins are removed through bile. Bile, incidentally, gives stool its colour, Kwon says.
- produces blood during fetal development and acts as a blood recycler during adulthood. It breaks down old or damaged blood cells. It knows to store the iron and various vitamins to use when those nutrients fall below what’s needed in the bloodstream. It’s also essential in releasing the plasma proteins necessary to clot blood.
Diseases that affect your Liver
- Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by viruses like hepatitis A, B, and C. Hepatitis can have non-infectious causes too, including heavy drinking, drugs, allergic reactions, or obesity.
- Cirrhosis: Long-term damage to the liver from any cause can lead to permanent scarring, called cirrhosis. The liver then becomes unable to function well.
- Liver cancer: The most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, almost always occurs after cirrhosis is present.
- Liver failure: Liver failure has many causes including infection, genetic diseases, and excessive alcohol.
- Ascites: As cirrhosis results, the liver leaks fluid (ascites) into the belly, which becomes distended and heavy.
- Gallstones: If a gallstone becomes stuck in the bile duct draining the liver, hepatitis and bile duct infection (cholangitis) can result.
- Hemochromatosis: Hemochromatosis allows iron to deposit in the liver, damaging it. The iron also deposits throughout the body, causing multiple other health problems.
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis: A rare disease with unknown causes, primary sclerosing cholangitis causes inflammation and scarring in the bile ducts in the liver.
- Primary biliary cirrhosis: In this rare disorder, an unclear process slowly destroys the bile ducts in the liver. Permanent liver scarring (cirrhosis) eventually develops.
Best Ugandan food that is good for your liver
Coffee
Studies are known to show that drinking coffee protects the liver from disease, for example, drinking coffee helps lower the risk of cirrhosis, or permanent liver damage. Coffee has the ability to prevent the buildup of fat and collagen, two of the main markers of liver disease.
coffee helps to reduce inflammation and increase the levels of the antioxidant glutathione. Antioxidants neutralize harmful free radicals, which are produced naturally in the body and can damage cells.
Grapes
Red and purple grapes contain various beneficial plant compounds for the liver like lowering inflammation, preventing damage, and increasing antioxidant levels. Eat fresh grapes regularly for a healthy liver
Beetroot juice
Adding Beetroot juice to your diet is good for you. Beets are a source of nitrates and antioxidants called betalains. These nutrients are much more utilized when they are juiced, unlike eating the beets themselves.
Related: Nutritious Beet Root Recipe
Broccoli
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli have high fibre content and a distinctive taste. Broccoli sprout extract is known to help increase the levels of detoxification enzymes and protect the liver from damage. Lightly roast the broccoli with garlic and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar to turn them into a tasty and healthy dish.
Lake Victoria sardine/ Mukene
Mukene contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats that help reduce inflammation and have been associated with a lower risk of heart disease. A 2016 analysis found that omega-3 fatty acids helped lower liver fat and triglycerides in those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
Related: Easy Ugandan Mukene Recipe
Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables like spinach may keep your liver healthy and free from fat. A 2021 study found that eating spinach specifically lowered the risk of NAFLD, possibly due to the nitrate and distinct polyphenols found in the leafy green. The study focused on raw spinach, as compared to cooked spinach which does not produce the same results.
Beans and Peas
Legumes such as beans, chickpeas, Lentils, and Peas are known to be good for the Liver. They are nutritionally dense foods, which contain resistant starches that help improve gut health. Consumption of legumes may even help lower blood glucose and triglycerides in individuals living with obesity.
Related: how to make Ugandan kidney bean stew
Turmeric to reduce markers of liver damage
Including a high dose of curcumin which is the active ingredient in turmeric is good for your liver. Studies show that the bright orange root may decrease levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) — two enzymes that are abnormally high in people with fatty liver disease.
Sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds are especially high in vitamin E, an antioxidant. you can eat the sunflower seeds raw after removing the husk and sprinkling them on your vegetables. Start using sunflower seed oil for cooking instead of other oils.
Garlic to improve the overall health
Garlic is a medicinal vegetable that not only adds flavour to food but may help reduce body weight and fat in people with fatty liver disease. garlic powder supplements.