5 lifestyle tips to keep your liver healthy while working from home

New Delhi, 9-Oct-2020

Keeping your liver in good shape is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Here, Dr Vikas C Reddy, Gen Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgeon at Apollo Spectra Hospital, Koramangala, Bangalore shares some effective and easy-to-follow tips to maintain your liver health while working from home during the pandemic:

1. A balanced diet: Boredom often leads to eating. Stress makes one reach out for �comfort� foods. As the evenings at home get longer, so does the intake of pakoras and bhajis. So the next time you have a craving for grease, replace the portion of fries or the burger with a bowl of steamed dal, or carrots and vegetables. Most of these are easy to cook and provide the right nutrients, avoiding the high level of cholesterol, which can lead to fatty liver disease.
2. Include liver-friendly foods in your diet: Grapefruit, beets, cabbage, avocados, garlic are a few foods that can have properties that affect the liver in a good way. Try to include them in your daily diet to reduce the risk of any liver-related problems.
3. Moderate alcohol intake: While we all love to unwind with a drink at the end of stressful work from routine, one needs to be mindful of the actual alcohol intake. The liver is the key organ �managing� the alcohol in your body and it can drain only a certain amount of alcohol every hour. Excess alcohol in your body can lead to inflammation, eventually resulting in scarring (cirrhosis).
4. Physical activity: The biggest problem of work from home is the limited inclination to exercise. This means the excess fat gets stored and stresses the liver. Next time you are on a zoom meeting or a call that is running long, try walking during the call as you work. A minimum of 2 hours of brisk walking per week can largely reduce this risk.
5. Be mindful while taking OTC drugs: The fear of stepping out and visiting a doctor during the pandemic has increased the tendency of �self-prescription�. The unpredictable work hours, the added stress can have many reaching out to OTC drugs on a regular basis. While these drugs are typically safe, when required and in measured doses, regular intake can affect the liver. Consult your physician over a call if you are taking any such medicines regularly.