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Foods To Eat For Fatty Liver Disease

Updated on September 15, 2014
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Too much saturated fats in your diet can lead to a potentially serious fatty liver condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).This fatty liver disease is not a result of excessive alcohol, but a poor diet and diseases of an affluent lifestyle such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.


It is estimated that about 20% to 30% of adults have a fatty liver. According to the American Liver Foundation, about 25 million Americans have a liver-related disease. Though non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is quite common, it is not a normal condition. Having a fatty liver means as much as 30% of your liver is shrouded with fat!

Foods to Eat For Fatty Liver Disease

What if you have a fatty liver? It is possible to reverse a fatty liver condition if you take positive steps to give your diet a complete overhaul.

Here are some healthy eating tips to put you on the path to a lean healthy liver.

Add this list of foods to your diet to improve your liver function.

1) Grapefruit

The juicy grapefruit is a Vitamin C powerhouse. It has a high concentration of lycopene, an antioxidant that hinders tumor growth ’and plenty of detoxifying enzymes.

Eating a grapefruit a day may help to stimulate breakdown of lipids (fats) in your body, boost metabolism and reduce body fat which in turn, prevents the worsening of fatty liver disease.


Tip: Start your breakfast with half a grapefruit. Or eat a grapefruit before a meal. Choose pink or red grapefruits.


Note: Do not take grapefruits together with medications as it may block the enzyme that breaks down some medications. Check with your medical doctor.


2) Green Tea

Packed with disease-fighting antioxidants such as polyphenols and catechins, green tea is excellent for improving a fatty liver condition.

Consuming two to five cups of green tea is generally fine as the caffeine amount in green tea is small compared to coffee. Choose either brewed green tea or matcha green tea (which is made from concentrated green tea powder) – for your morning cuppa!

Discover the benefits of green tea on a fatty liver



3) Greens

Adding vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beet and tomatoes to more than half of your dinner plate means leaving less room for red meats and other fatty foods that can give rise to a fatty liver condition.

Cruciferous vegetables are particularly beneficial to the liver. These vegetables contain glucosinolate phytonutrients that actively support the body’s detoxification process.

So, go green to get rid of a fatty liver.


4) Lemon & Lime

Lemon is your body’s natural detoxifier and antiseptic. This Vitamin C-rich fruit helps the liver flush out toxins from the body. If you have a fatty liver, drink warm lemon juice or lemon water at least once a day to stimulate your digestive juices and lessen the digestive load on your liver.

Lemon is a natural liver detoxifer and natural weight loss drink which weight watchers can't do without.

Some people go on a liver "cleanse" using the lemonade diet.

5) Turmeric

This common saffron-colored powder found in curry powder mix isan excellent tonic for a fatty liver. Use turmeric in cooking to stimulate the production of bile in the liver. Bile is needed to breakdown fats into fatty acids for the body’s easy absorption. Adding turmeric to your meals may lessen the load on a fatty liver


.

6) Lentils & Beans

If you have a fatty liver, reducing consumption of high-glycemic refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, fast food burgers and fries is good for the liver.

Lentils and beans such as chickpeas and mung beans are low in fat and rich in dietary fiber. The liver needs dietary fiber for optimal digestion and to reduce excessive stress on the liver.


7) Water

Many of us don’t drink enough water. You need water to flush out toxins from your body and transport nutrients to your cells. If you have fatty liver disease, your liver is a little sluggish. Sufficient hydration will help the liver do its better.

How much water do you need? About eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day – this includes both water and other fluids. Drink more if you exercise or if the weather is hot and humid. If have a stomach upset, drink more water to hydrate.

In addition to a healthy eating diet, weight loss and exercise are other proven ways to reverse fatty liver disease. Use the low glycemic index diet (low GI diet) as a guide to choose what goes onto your dinner plate.


P.S. What is your experience with any of these liver-enhancing foods?


Recipes for Fatty Liver Recovery

More Information On Fatty Liver

Why you need a healthy liver?

The liver is your body’s clearing house. It acts as the body’s regulatory and detoxifying agent. You need a lean healthy liver to regulate fat, protein and glucose in the blood efficiently as well as to remove toxins and drugs effectively from the bloodstream.


What are the signs of fatty liver disease?

Although early non-alcoholic fatty liver disease usually shows no symptoms, do watch out for these tell-tale signs – and see a medical doctor as soon as possible:


  • Unusual fatigue
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Appetite loss
  • Pain in the upper right abdomen
  • Poor concentration
  • Bloatedness
  • Nausea


How to prevent fatty liver disease from getting worse

A “simple” fatty liver condition may progress to a more serious liver disease if scarring and inflammation occur in the liver. This more serious fatty liver disease is known as Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Prevent a fatty liver from becoming worse by:

  1. Giving your diet a complete overhaul by adding the above liver-enhancing foods to your diet. Following a low GI diet could help reverse a simple fatty liver.
  2. Managing pre-existing diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. These medical conditions will put you at greater risk for NASH.

14 Foods To Cleanse Fatty Liver

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