The liver is the human body’s most functionally diverse organ.  Not only does this guy multitask, it also interacts with most of the body’s organ systems for various reasons. To make this ultra clear, let’s pretend it is an employee that wears many hats and works different jobs:

• The liver is like Fed-Ex. It interacts with the circulatory system as it picks up glucose (simple sugar that acts as fuel for your body) from the blood.
• The liver is a gas station. It holds glucose that your body doesn’t need at the moment in the form of glycogen, and then, when your body calls for it, changes it back glucose so that it can be distributed through your blood as the fuel (energy) you need in order to, for example, go for a run.
• The liver is a manufacturer. It synthesizes (makes) plasma proteins important for blood clotting and for the osmotic (fluid/water) balance of the blood.
• The liver is an executive assistant. As one of the major glands that aid in digestion, it produces bile that helps digest fats.
• The liver is a janitor. It detoxifies your body of poisons and prepares metabolic waste for disposal.

It is probably in this last function that most of us know the liver, and ‘cleansing’ diets tend to be aimed at this organ because, as it tries to make all of its rounds and complete its various responsibilities, including ridding the body of toxins, it can overextend itself.  Sadly for most of us, the liver is like an overworked, underpaid, stressed-out employee, the biage of our body, for whom we show very little appreciation and much less care. Here are some examples of what we should and shouldn’t do for this organ:

• Stop supersizing. Nobody is Superman here.  Just like there is a limit to what you can do in one single day at work, there, too, is a limit to how much food your liver can help digest and how many toxins it can rid your blood of per minute.  Since this is America, Land of the Big Mac, we tend to eat huge portions in one sitting, which is like asking your liver to lift 20 lb dumbbells when it can only do 10 lb.  In this instance, we could learn a little from the French: petite portions.
• Eat organic. Eating organic means, among other things that your food has little to no pesticides (a poison), no antibiotics and no hormones in the case of animal protein.  Eating conventionally grown (not organic) food means that you are eating all of these chemicals, which your liver then has to work overtime to rid your body of.
• Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a toxin, and guess whose job it is to rid our bodies of it?  Yup, the liver.  The thing is, the liver can only process a certain amount of alcohol at a time and, to do so, it puts on hold its other responsibilities. I like the comment I saw on a website about this:

Alcohol = poison.
Poison = bad
Liver = poison remover
Too much poison = liver overloaded
Liver overloaded = liver in trouble
Liver in trouble = illness
Illness = bad
Don’t stop eating poison = liver dies
Liver dies = you die.

• Hydrate. Water, through a process called ‘hydrolysis’, is a major player in cleaning the cells of every organ in your body, including the liver.
• Choose fresh instead of fried. Just like with alcohol, the liver has to put other tasks on hold in order to help digest fat.  Good fats are fine, but if you eat you some fried chicken, then some French fries and a nice helping of biscuits with gravy, then you best be getting to church because Lord help you – and your liver.

Noble organ that it is, the liver can actually work with only 20% of its capacity.  But, is that what you want, a ‘good enough’ liver?  No.  So, what can we do to help this guy stay on top of his game and keep us healthy and happy?  Simple: Eat a diverse and constant amount of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables that have the ‘good chemicals’ to keep your liver performing its metabolic functions optimally. Dandelion tea helps because it cleanses the kidneys, which are the liver’s filtering buddies (they work in the same department.)  Milk thistle directly works with the liver to help detox and cleanse it. Drink plenty of water, stay away from fried foods, alcohol and any other chemical toxin that will make this employee of yours work overtime.  Otherwise, be prepared to pay for it.

Source: Biology by Campbell & Reece