Your liver plays an important role in your overall health, so it’s crucial to fuel it with the right foods and drinks to protect it from disease.
Learn more about what foods you can add to your diet to protect your liver health.
Foods That Protect Liver Health
Oftentimes, it is more effective to add healthy choices to your diet rather than focus on restricting the “bad” stuff. This is the case for your liver health.
While it’s always a good idea to consume alcohol, sugar and fat in moderation, these habits are best balanced with getting regular exercise and eating whole foods.
Foods in the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is a popular option for those looking to boost their heart health, but its benefits aren’t limited to your cardiovascular system. The Mediterranean diet is rich in whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins like fish, vegetables, beans and nuts.
The Mediterranean diet boasts a number of health benefits, including lowering cholesterol, improving digestion and being anti-inflammatory.
Explore our blog to see what’s included in this diet and to find recipes.
Best Foods for Liver Health
The best foods for liver health are high in:
- Fiber
- Healthy fats (monounsaturated and omega-3 fats)
- Antioxidants
Multiple studies have found positive links between these foods and improved liver health:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Olive oil
- Nuts
- Beans
- Fatty fish
- Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts)
- Berries
Worst Foods for Liver Health
Research has found a link between foods in the Western diet (fast food, sugary snacks, cakes, etc.) with increased risk for fatty liver disease.
To improve your liver health, try to limit:
- Alcohol
- Processed food
- Table sugar (in sodas, sweet tea and energy drinks)
- Red meat
- Fast food
- Whole fat dairy
Learn more about the liver health at University Health.
What Does the Liver Do?
You may be wondering what exactly the liver does and why it’s so important to keep it functioning smoothly.
The liver is an organ that sits just above your stomach. It performs more than 500 vital bodily functions, including:
- Regulates chemicals and clotting factors in the blood
- Produces bile, which carries wastes from the liver to be digested in the small intestine
- Produces proteins for blood plasma
- Produces and balances glucose
- Stores iron
- Filters out toxins from the blood
Eat Well to Lower Your Risk for Fatty Liver Disease
Eating well can boost liver function and lower your risk of developing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
About 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have MASLD, but research shows that making healthy changes to your diet can repair damage made to your liver from MASLD.
The National Institute of Health recommends working out at least 30 minutes for five days a week and avoiding high cholesterol foods such as, fried foods and processed meats (bacon and hot dogs) to best protect your liver and manage MASLD.
Reversing liver damage can prevent cirrhosis, which can lead to liver failure.
Liver Care at University Health
Ask your primary care provider before making any significant changes to your diet. If needed, your primary care provider can refer you to one of our liver specialists.
