In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleBest Foods for Your LiverWorst Foods for Your LiverThe Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Best Foods for Your Liver
Worst Foods for Your Liver
The Bottom Line
The liver is an important organ that helps rid the body of waste or “toxins.” And while you might want to support your liver, engaging in restrictive “cleanses” or"detox diets"is not needed for the liver to do its job well.
What Is a Liquid Diet and Is It Healthy?
Here’s how it works: All the blood leaving your stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The liver processes the blood and keeps the healthy nutrients while excreting the waste—elements that will not be helpful for your body, and if allowed to build up, could be toxic.
The liver is a multitasker and has been identified as having over 500 important functions including:
According to theFatty Liver Foundation, about 100 million Americans—that’s about 1 in 3—have a condition known asfatty liver, which is when fat accumulates in the liver and causes inflammation. This generally makes it harder for your liver to function at its best.
Read More:4 Science-Backed Ways to Keep Your Liver Healthy
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In general, an overall healthy diet that includesplenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, high-fiber whole grains, healthy fats, lean protein sources and calcium-rich dairy items or dairy alternatives, is what your liver—and the rest of your body—runs best on.
On a more specific level, studies have shown certain foods can be exceptionally helpful when it comes to protecting from liver disease, as well as improving outcomes for those who already have liver disease. Below are four of the best and four of the worst foods for your liver.
Avocado Oil
A 2019 study inThe FASEB Journalfound that avocado oil can help decrease liver inflammation associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver. All the more reason to top yourgrain bowlwith avocado, add it to yoursmoothies, scoop up someguacamoleor substitute high-heat canola or vegetable oil withavocado oil.
Olive Oil
Olive oil’s healthy monounsaturated fatshave been associated with decreasing fat content in the liver. In a 2018 review published inEndocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders Drug Targets, researchers state that extra-virgin olive oil has several protective effects on the liver, including protecting against inflammation and insulin resistance, allowing for the prevention or healing of liver damage.
Not only does olive oil help quell liver inflammation, but it also helps decrease inflammation throughout the body. And it has long been known for itsbeneficial effectswhen it comes to improving our lipid profile—meaning the number of triglycerides, HDL or “helpful” cholesterol levels and LDL or “less helpful” cholesterol levels in our blood. A 2018 review in theInternational Journal of Molecular Sciencessuggests that olive oil may also lower blood pressure and has anti-cancer properties.
Salmon
Berries
While no single food is completely off limits, it’s best to limit these four for general health and well-being, as well as for liver health.
Alcohol
Alcohol-related liver disease is due to years of drinking too much alcohol. According to theNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, heavy drinking is defined as having more than seven alcoholic beverages per week for females and more than 14 alcoholic beverages per week for males. Due to excessive alcohol intake, the liver becomes inflamed and can cause irreversible damage, known as cirrhosis.
One drink is defined as 12 fluid ounces of beer, 5 fluid ounces of wine, or 1.5 fluid ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (like rum or vodka), per the2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. If you choose to drink alcohol,do so in moderation. The Dietary Guidelines define moderate alcohol intake as a maximum of one drink per day for females and two drinks per day for males.
Fried Foods
Fried foods, like chicken fingers and French fries, are high insaturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat can lead to increased liver fat content, according to a 2021 review inFrontiers in Nutrition, which over time, could become cirrhosis. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it’s recommended to keep saturated fat to less than 10% of your total daily calories, or about 13 grams.
But you don’t have to give up your favorite fried foods completely. Try tasty, healthier alternatives, like these bakedParmesan-Crusted Chicken TendersorCrispy Oven-Baked Fries. If you really want the “fried” aspect without the saturated fat, you could also tryair-frying the foodthat you would normally deep-fry.
Processed Meats
Like fried foods, processed meats like salami, bacon and hot dogs also tend to be very high in saturated fat. And as we’ve already discussed, when more saturated fat than is recommended is eaten over time, it may lead to damaging your liver. A preliminary 2022 study published inClinical Nutrition Researchsuggests that red and processed meats may increase one’s odds of having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
If you choose to eat processed meats, do so in small amounts and choose lean and very lean meats whenever possible.
Soda
Added sugar provides little to no nutrients. Having too much added sugar can cause the liver to convert the excess sugar to fat, which over time can contribute to fatty liver disease. For example, a 2021 study in theJournal of Hepatologysuggests that regular consumption of fructose-sweetened beverages increases the liver’s production of fat in healthy, lean men.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that no more than 10% of your total calories come from added sugar. As such, it’s important to pick and choose how you want to use your added sugar and do so sparingly.
Eating a healthy diet, which includes plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, high-fiber whole grains,healthy fats, lean protein sources and calcium-rich dairy items or dairy alternatives is what your liver—and the rest of your body—runs best on. If you do drink alcohol, do so in moderation, and keep fried foods, processed meats and added sugar to a minimum.
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