Our liver is known to be the largest internal organ in our body. Since it is a powerful organ that performs more than 500 functions, it’s important that we keep it functioning at its best.
We need to know that heavy drinking or taking high dosed medication can significantly affect the overall capability of our liver. While there are things can harm the liver, there are also certain foods that can keep our liver healthy and help it function properly. One of the best food that can help is grapefruit.
Grapefruit is the wonderful, bitter and sweet cousin of orange. It can provide our body with decent amounts of fiber and nutrients such as protein, folate, potassium, magnesium, thiamine, and vitamin A. Because of its mineral content, it is a great alkaline breakfast suggestion to help our body cope up with acidic food choices we consume every day such as processed meats, sugar, white flour, etc.
Aside from being delicious, grapefruits can also help prevent liver damage. Thanks to its high levels of vitamin C and antioxidant properties that work together to flush toxins out of our body and prevent them from damaging our cells.
Grapefruit contains the antioxidants naringenin and naringin that can protect our liver from injury by reducing swelling, inflammations, and saving cells from harm. According to studies, these antioxidants can help reduce the development of hepatic fibrosis, a harmful condition in which excessive connective tissue builds up in the liver and typically results from chronic inflammation.
Meanwhile, these beneficial compounds can increase the enzymes that burn fats and reduce fat build-up in the liver, thus, making grapefruit a useful tool in combating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) – a range of liver condition wherein too many fats are stored in liver cells.
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
- Have a morning glass of grapefruit juice.
- Give your green salads a tangy spark by adding some grapefruits.
- To enjoy a salad with a tropical flair, combine chopped grapefruit pieces, cooked shrimp and avocadoes and serve on a bed of romaine lettuce.
- Make a unique salsa by combining grapefruit, cilantro, and chili peppers.