The Fatty Liver Disease Diet: Diet for Reducing a Fatty Liver
Learn to Love Your Fruits and Vegetables
The optimal diet for reducing a fatty liver includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. These foods include fiber, which can help to detoxify your system, as well as vitamins and minerals that your liver needs in order to function. Raw, crunchy fruits and vegetables are especially helpful foods to include in your diet for reducing a fatty liver.
Get Reacquainted With Whole Grains
Refined grains, such as refined white flour or white rice, contain little or no fiber and can elevate your blood sugar, which is detrimental to your liver. While you are on a fatty liver disease diet, replace all refined grains with whole grains. Whole grains contain high levels of fiber, as well as low levels of protein, which can benefit your liver.
Learn About Healthy Fats
Stay away from saturated fat while on a fatty liver disease diet. Replace these saturated fats with unsaturated fats, such as omega 3 oils. You can obtain healthy fats by eating fatty fish, nuts, and seeds. If you use fats in cooking, choose olive oil or another healthier oil.
Think Low Cholesterol
Watch out for your cholesterol levels while on a fatty liver disease diet. Take steps to lower your triglycerides, as well as your overall cholesterol level, by choosing lean meats and poultry rather than their fatty counterparts.
Other Aspects of a Fatty Liver Disease Diet
In addition to focusing on foods that are good for your liver, make sure to get in plenty of exercise – at least 30 minutes a day, if possible. Also, many people with fatty liver disease have Type 2 diabetes; if you do, make sure to treat your diabetes responsibly.
Disclaimer: Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
This fatty liver disease diet is helpful for people who have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. For those who have developed alcoholic fatty liver disease, the main treatment – and the only one proven to work – is to abstain from alcohol. A diet for reducing a fatty liver will not affect those with alcoholic fatty liver disease.
This post is part of the series: Keeping Your Liver Healthy: Diet and Lifestyle Changes
This series includes articles discussing various ways to keep your liver healthy. Diet and lifestyle changes can affect problems as diverse as clogged liver or fatty liver disease.