Liver Disease Diets: Fatty Liver Diet and More (2024)

A Healthy Diet, a Healthier Liver, a Healthier You

So, what should you eat to ensure that your liver can function normally?

If you’re a liver patient, your diet is adjusted to meet your individual needs. Talk to your doctor about what’s best for you. Still, here are some general food tips for a healthy or healthier liver:

  • What to avoid: Don’t eat foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Stay away from a lot of fried foods including fast food restaurant meals. Raw or undercooked shellfish such as oysters and clams are a definite no-no.
  • Talk to your doctor about alcohol and your liver health: Depending on the state of your liver, you should avoid alcohol. If you’re allowed alcohol, limit it to no more than one drink a day if you’re a woman and two drinks a day if you’re a man.
  • Eat a balanced diet: Select foods from all food groups: Grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and beans, milk, and oil.
  • Eat food with fiber: Fiber helps your liver work at an optimal level. Fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, rice and cereals can take care of your body’s fiber needs.
  • Drink lots of water: It prevents dehydration and it helps your liver to function better.

How you should eat if you have…

Bile Duct Liver Disease Diet

Bile is a liquid made in the liver that helps break down fats in the small intestine. Bile duct disease keeps bile from flowing to the small intestine.

Diet Recommendations:

  • Use fat substitutes
  • Use kernel oil (i.e. canola, olive, corn, sunflower, peanut, flax seed oils) because it needs less bile to break down fats than other types of oil

Cirrhosis Liver Disease Diet

Cirrhosis is the scarring and hardening of the liver.

Diet Recommendations:

  • Limit salt and foods that contain a lot of salt
  • Talk to your doctor about how much protein to have in your diet

Fatty Liver Disease* Diet

Fatty liver disease is the buildup of fat in liver cells. Please note that fatty liver disease has been newly renamed to steatotic liver disease.

Diet Recommendations:

  • Limit foods that are high in calories
  • Eat foods that have fiber

Hemochromatosis Liver Disease Diet

Hemochromatosis is the build-up of iron in the liver.

Diet Recommendations:

  • Do not eat foods that have iron
  • Do not use iron pots and pans
  • Do not take pills with iron
  • Do not eat uncooked shellfish

Hepatitis C Liver Disease Diet

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus.

Diet Recommendations:

  • Limit foods that have a lot of iron
  • Do not use iron pots and pans
  • Limit salt and foods that contain a lot of salt

Wilson Liver Disease Diet

Wilson disease is the build-up of copper in the body.

Diet Recommendations:

  • Limit foods that have copper such as chocolate, nuts, shellfish and mushrooms
  • Do not use copper pots

*Fatty liver disease has been newly renamed to steatotic liver disease.

Last updated on February 13th, 2024 at 11:27 am

Liver Disease Diets: Fatty Liver Diet and More (2024)

FAQs

What is the best diet for fatty liver disease? ›

We recommend the Mediterranean diet to our liver patients. The Mediterranean diet is everything you would expect a dietitian to recommend – more fruits and veggies, more whole grains, more nuts and legumes, lean meats, less red meat and less sweets/added sugars.

What is the no. 1 food that causes fatty liver? ›

Fatty, fried, or salty foods

Too much fatty, fried, or salty food is likely to increase calorie intake and can lead to a person developing obesity, a common cause of fatty liver disease.

What is the #1 food that causes liver disease? ›

Red meat and processed meats

Red meat and processed meats are high in saturated fat. Eating a lot of these foods is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and risk of fat in the liver. They're also associated with some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer.

What foods are most damaging to the liver? ›

beer, wine, liquor, and other alcohol. foods with high levels of added sugar, such as candy, sodas, and fruit juices. fried or highly processed foods, such as bread, rice, and pasta made from white flour. red meat, especially beef and pork, and other sources of added sodium.

Are eggs ok for fatty liver? ›

People with cirrhosis on average should only eat 1-3 eggs per week. Eat boiled eggs instead of fried or fried eggs. However, you should not continuously eat eggs when you have cirrhosis because the liver will have to work harder, increasing pressure on the liver, making liver disease worse.

Can you eat bananas on a fatty liver diet? ›

In addition, some vegetables such as: fresh tomatoes, lettuce, celery, ripe apples, yellow peppers, water spinach, bananas, lemons, oranges, tangerines, shiitake, garlic, grapefruit, lotus leaves, Artichoke flower, ... can help reduce blood fat, prevent fat accumulation in liver cells, reduce excess cholesterol, ...

What kills fat in liver? ›

Exercise for a Healthy Liver

Aerobic exercise can actually cut the amount of fat in your liver. A heavy workout may also lower inflammation. Resistance or strength training exercises, like weight lifting, can also improve fatty liver disease.

What destroys the liver the most? ›

10 Common Habits that Destroy Your Liver
  • Excessive Alcohol Drinking.
  • Frequent Dining Out.
  • Irregular Eating Schedules.
  • Eating Fast Foods Regularly.
  • Staying Indoors Often.
  • Taking Herbal and Dietary Supplements (HDS)
  • Engaging in Unprotected Sex.
  • Intravenous Drug Abuse.

What melts fatty liver? ›

Reduce Fat in Diet

Obesity is one of the risk factors for fatty liver. It is advised to avoid saturated fats and trans fats and add unsaturated fats to your diet, such as omega 3 fatty acids, to get rid of fatty liver disease. Fish is one of the chief sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

What is the super food for liver? ›

Here are some foods that are good choices for your liver
  • Lean proteins. Getting enough protein is crucial for your liver, and lean chicken, turkey, fish and beef are good options. ...
  • Fruits and vegetables. ...
  • Olive oil. ...
  • Nuts and seeds. ...
  • Oatmeal. ...
  • Coffee and tea.
Mar 3, 2023

What is the best drink to flush your liver? ›

Below, we explore 11 drinks that are often reported to support liver health — and tell you what the research says about each one.
  1. Detox tea. Liver detox tea usually contains many different herbs and ingredients. ...
  2. Green tea. ...
  3. Turmeric tea. ...
  4. Ginger tea. ...
  5. Grapefruit juice. ...
  6. Apple cider vinegar. ...
  7. Lemon water. ...
  8. Cranberry juice.
Mar 1, 2024

Which fruit is not good for the liver? ›

This may be hard to believe, but consuming large amounts of fructose-rich fruits like raisins, and dry fruits can result in inflammation and fatty liver. This is because the sugar present in fruits, known as fructose, can cause abnormal amounts of fat in the blood when consumed in large amounts.

Is cheese bad for the liver? ›

Conclusion. Our meta-analysis findings revealed that dairy product consumption is inversely associated with NAFLD. Consumption of dairy products could help prevent the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Are potatoes bad for the liver? ›

In general, a balanced diet that is good for the liver should include a variety of fruits and vegetables, starchy carbohydrates (potato, rice, bread, and pasta), milk/soy drinks, beans and pulses, meat (fish and egg), and unsaturated oils. Food items that are high in fiber are good for optimal liver functioning.

What is most toxic to the liver? ›

In North America and Europe, the most common cause of toxic hepatitis is acetaminophen (Tylenol). Acetaminophen is harmless at low doses but can cause life threatening liver damage in high amounts.

What is the quickest way to reduce a fatty liver? ›

Wise Choices
  1. Try to maintain a healthy weight and eat sensible portions.
  2. Try to lose weight gradually if you're overweight.
  3. Limit how much fat you eat. ...
  4. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
  5. Avoid foods and drinks with large amounts of sugars, especially fructose. ...
  6. Avoid heavy alcohol use. ...
  7. Quit smoking.

What is a good breakfast for fatty liver? ›

Breakfast:
  • Whole grain toas/Whole grain waffle with peanut butter.
  • Egg Whites and Turkey Bacon.
  • Oatmeal.
  • Quinoa and Fruit.
  • Low fat Yogurt.
  • High Fiber Cereal with Low Fat Milk.

What is the best drink for fatty liver? ›

Below, we explore 11 drinks that are often reported to support liver health — and tell you what the research says about each one.
  • Ginger tea. ...
  • Grapefruit juice. ...
  • Apple cider vinegar. ...
  • Lemon water. ...
  • Cranberry juice. ...
  • Coffee. ...
  • Oat tea. ...
  • Beetroot juice. Several studies have been done to evaluate the potential benefits of beetroot juice.
Mar 1, 2024

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