The liver is one of the most essential parts of our body. It eliminates toxins from our system and changes the food that we eat into the energy needed for us to survive. But what can we do if our liver fails to function properly? Let’s look further into this inflammatory liver condition.

But what can we do if our liver fails to function properly? Let’s look further into this inflammatory liver condition.

What Is Hepatitis?

Hepatitis is an infection of the liver that is caused by viruses. According to the World Health Organization, viral hepatitis affects 400 million people globally, and anyone and everyone can be at risk. What’s worse is that an estimated 95% of people with hepatitis are unaware of their infection.

Symptoms include jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes), nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and poor appetite. The liver has a remarkable ability to replenish itself but severe hepatitis may direct to a more serious condition, such as cirrhosis, fibrosis, chronic liver dysfunction and liver cancer.

The source of hepatitis varies from five main types of viruses known as types A, B, C, D, and E. Let us discuss the types of hepatitis and ways to prevent them.

Types Of Hepatitis

Hepatitis A (HAV)

People living in a community that practices poor sanitation is always the target of this virus. Characterized by slow signs, hepatitis A is transmitted through eating contaminated food or drinking water that comes from feces of an infected person. Eating raw shellfish that might come from contaminated sewage can also cause HAV.

Hepatitis B (HBV)

HBV is transmitted through blood contact or other body fluids, such as saliva, semen and vaginal fluid of an infected person. It can also be hereditary, as it can spread from infected mothers to a newly born child. A more serious condition of this type of hepatitis can cause the destruction of liver cells, cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death.

Hepatitis C (HCV)

The same as with HBV, hepatitis C is transmitted through blood transfusion but it is less-commonly spread through sexual intercourse. Contaminated blood and blood products, drug use, and injection during medical procedures are the sources of HCV.

Hepatitis D (HDV)

HDV occurs only in those who are infected with hepatitis B. The combination of the infection of hepatitis B and D can lead to a more severe infection. It is transmitted sexually and through needle sharing.

Hepatitis E (HEV)

Recognized as the cause of increasing diseases in developing countries in the world, HEV is spread through consuming polluted food or drinking water of an infected person.

Prevention And Treatment

Only HAV and HBV offer vaccination. While HEV also has a vaccination, it is not widely available. Good hygiene, proper food sanitation and practicing safe sex are some of the ways to prevent hepatitis. Avoid sharing private kits/tools, such as needles, toothbrushes, razors or nail scissors. It is also recommended to abstain from getting tattoos or body piercing from unauthorized facilities.

People with chronic hepatitis can suffer from nausea, vomiting, metallic taste and sore throat, which causes poor appetite that leads to malnutrition. There is no special diet specific to hepatitis. Nevertheless, one must be aware of a healthy balanced diet that is low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Here are some of the few ways to have an infected person achieve a well-balanced diet:

1. Eat small meals instead of three large meals.
2. Reduce sodium and fats by avoiding spicy and fried foods.
3. Replace canned and processed foods with organic fruits and vegetables.
4. Complex carbohydrates and lean protein should be the base of each meal.
5. It is mandatory to avoid alcohol, which can damage liver cells from recovering.
6. Ask for doctor’s approval when choosing vitamins and herbal medicines.

Love Your Liver

Whether someone is infected with hepatitis or not, we should always take care of our liver. A diet that provides too many calories results in the building up of “fatty livers” that leads to weight gain. On the other hand, not having a proper diet can result in a lack of nutrients in our body, which can be the cause of malnutrition.

There are many foods that help to improve our liver function. Here are some of these foods that help you keep your liver healthy:

1. Leafy Green Vegetables (cabbage, spinach, mustard greens or bitter gourd)

• Absorbs environmental toxins

• Improves bowel movement

2. Beets And Carrots

• Improves overall liver function

• Carrots are rich in glutathione, a protein that detoxifies the liver

3. Garlic

• Activates liver enzymes that helps your body flush out toxins

4. Grapefruit

• Rich in glutathione

• High in vitamin C and antioxidants, which increases the natural cleansing process of the liver

• Helps boost the production of liver detoxification enzymes that help flush out carcinogens and other toxins

5. Apples

• High in pectin and other chemicals essential to cleansing and releasing toxins from the digestive tract

• Helps the liver handle toxic load during the cleansing process

6. Olive Oil

• Great for the liver when consumed in moderation

• Helps the body by providing a lipid base that can suck up harmful toxins in the body

7. Walnuts

• Contains high amounts of arginine, an amino acid

• Aids liver in detoxifying ammonia

• Rich in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids that support normal liver cleansing actions.

8. Green Tea

• Full of plant antioxidants that assist in liver functions

• Improves overall diet

9. Lemons And Lime

• Rich in vitamin C that aids the body in synthesizing toxic materials into substances that can be absorbed by water

• Helps stimulate the liver

10. Turmeric

• Helps boost liver detox by assisting enzymes that actively flush out dietary carcinogens

It’s never too late to start caring for your liver. Start off by giving this quick and easy Raw Green Grapefruit Ginger Juice recipe a try!

Green Grapefruit Ginger Juice

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. fresh ginger juice

¼ cup fresh spinach juice

1 ½ cups fresh grapefruit juice

Instruction:

Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy!

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