This week we’ll focus on some simple dietary strategies you can use to support your liver, including how to support methylation.
3 Tips to Show Your Liver Some Love
Step 1: Reduce the toxic burden on your liver
Choose organic produce. If your budget doesn’t allow for everything to be organic, then use the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen list to help you prioritize which foods to buy organic.
Choose pastured or grass-fed meats and wild caught fish. Too expensive? Pick up the meat or fish that is free of antibiotics or hormones instead, or split it 60/40 or 50/25/25. Whatever your budget will allow.
Drink filtered or spring water. There are all types of different water filtration systems available. Check out EWG's Water Filter Guide.
Step 2: Add foods that support methylation to your shopping list
Riboflavin (B2) – chicken, pork, salmon, almonds
Niacin (B3) – chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, sweet potato
B6 – salmon, chicken, turkey, carrots, sweet potato, pistachios
Folate (methylfolate) – arugula, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, mango, liver (for later stages)
B12 (methylcobalamin) – salmon, chicken, turkey, lamb, liver (for later stages)
Magnesium – almonds, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, salmon, broccoli
Methionine – salmon, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, Brazil nuts
Choline – salmon, chicken, turkey, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, almonds
If buying salmon or any other kind of fish, make sure the fish was frozen on the boat, or put on ice and frozen as soon as the boat docked in order to keep the histamine count low.
Avocado, beef, liver, spinach, mushrooms, and eggs are rich in many of these nutrients but are high in histamine or are histamine liberators. If you can tolerate these foods, they can be added in small amounts to meals. Egg yolks, which are packed with all these nutrients, may be tolerated even if egg whites are not.
Step 3: Build a meal
Chicken, cauliflower, and an arugula salad topped with almonds.
Salmon, asparagus, and a leafy green salad topped with Brazil nuts.
Pork chops, broccoli, and sweet potato.
Lamb, Brussels sprouts, and beets.
These are just some ideas to get you started. What’s your favourite food from this list?
Need some help with ideas, recipes and inspiration to get these foods in to your meals, all while keeping it low histamine? Here are some of the recipes we feature in our Histamine Haven: The Essential Guide & Cookbook that we think fit the bill nicely here.
From top left to bottom right: Maple Pork Tenderloin Sheet Pan Dinner, Asparagus Soup, Chicken Chowder, Lamb Kabobs with Mango Chutney, Beet Salad with Blackberry Dressing and Turkey Hash. And so much more!