Allison Turner
Diet plays an important role in fatty liver. It is not possible to treat the disease with medication. However, a special fatty liver diet can eliminate the causes so that the condition of the organ returns to normal in the best-case scenario.
Changing your diet is essential if you have a fatty liver. Because the disease is triggered either by excessive alcohol consumption (alcoholic fatty liver, AFL) or by a combination of different causes, including above all lack of exercise and poor nutrition – which often leads to obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2. Additional alcohol consumption increases the risk. If the amounts of fat are too high and the liver can no longer process them, fat accumulates in the liver tissue. This process can be interrupted with a fatty liver diet – and ideally, the organ will recover completely. In addition to regular exercise, a special fatty liver diet is therefore indispensable.
A simple change in diet or the correct diet for a fatty liver?
A large proportion of those affected suffers from obesity, which is related to the development of a fatty liver. It is therefore not enough in these cases to change the composition of the food. Instead, if you have a fatty liver, the diet should cause your body weight to drop by at least five percent. Losing weight should be slow and sustainable, i.e. without the yo-yo effect where the weight increases again after the end of the diet. This can only be achieved if those affected permanently change their diet with fatty liver.
What should a fatty liver diet look like?
It is best if nutritionists put together the fatty liver diet according to the individual situation. These tips for those affected also help to prevent organ disease in healthy people:
1. Avoiding alcohol is an important measure for fatty liver
Even if it is non-alcoholic fatty liver, alcohol should be avoided because alcohol and its breakdown products damage liver tissue.
2. Diet for the fatty liver due to low fat intake
The proportion of fats in the daily diet should be reduced if you have a fatty liver. The type of fat is also important: Saturated fatty acids should only be present in small amounts. They are mainly found in animal products such as butter, cream, sausage, cheese, and fatty meat. Vegetable fats, on the other hand, are good. In addition to oils, these are also fats found in nuts, olives, and avocados.
3. Include complex carbohydrates in the diet for fatty liver
Complex carbohydrates are processed differently by the body than simple carbohydrates. That’s why eating whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and lots of vegetables is part of a fatty liver diet.
White bread, light pasta and the like should be on the menu as seldom as possible. Industrial sugar should also be avoided if possible. Carbohydrates are another word for sugar. So sweets should be largely taboo.
It is therefore important to check the sugar/carbohydrate content of ready meals and soft drinks. It is better to cook fresh because recipes for fatty liver nutrition can be modified if necessary by using less sugar.
4. Don’t eat high-sugar fruit
Fruit is healthy, but fructose is broken down by the liver. Fruit with a high fructose content should therefore not be part of the diet for a fatty liver – this applies to grapes, cherries, and apples, for example.
More foods and tips to support the liver
The following foods and tips can help heal fatty liver:
- Artichoke promotes bile production: Eat artichokes as often as possible: their plant substances promote the production of bile and thus the removal of toxins. Alternatively, an extract from the leaves (pharmacy) can protect our detoxification organs or help to lower elevated levels.
- Curry strengthens the liver: Season with curry often – studies show that the turmeric it contains strengthens the liver.
- Rooibos supports the detoxification function: Drinking tea also helps, provided it is Rooibos. The South African “honey bush” has been shown to support the liver’s detoxification functions. Six cups a day are ideal, preferably organic.
- Milk thistle as a herbal helper: Avoiding alcohol and cigarettes and getting enough exercise is good for the liver. A healthy, protein-rich diet also protects. A protein deficiency, on the other hand, can promote fatty liver. Milk thistle preparations (pharmacy, 200-400 mg) are good herbal helpers to detoxify the organ.
- Reduce stress: If you are under tension, you force your body to run at full speed. The liver has to provide the energy required for this. This can lead to an e
