Fatty Liver Diet: What foods help prevent and reverse fatty liver?
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Time to read 1 min
Doctors preach the importance of a healthy diet, but nutrition is not always valid for everyone. For patients with fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disease in the country, affecting some 100 million Americans and potentially leading to cirrhosis and cancer, it is important to focus on diet and lifestyle changes.
As a registered dietitian and nutritionist at the Steatotic Liver Disease Clinic at the University of Chicago Medicine, I recommend a diet full of healthy fats and plant-based foods, as well as up to three cups of coffee a day, to help keep your liver healthy.
How can I improve my liver health?
According to the American Liver Foundation, there are no medical treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease yet.
This means that eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are the best ways to prevent liver damage or reverse the disease once it is in its early stages.
We know people don't want to feel like they are on a "diet," so we work very hard with our patients to help them focus on lifestyle changes instead, which includes a healthy diet, exercise, and getting plenty of quality sleep.
What foods help reverse fatty liver disease?
You might be surprised.
We recommend that patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease drink three cups of coffee a day, eat four tablespoons of olive oil a day, and follow a Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes eating primarily plant-based foods and healthy fats.
What is the best diet for a healthy liver?
We recommend the Mediterranean diet to our liver patients.
The Mediterranean diet is everything you would expect even a dietitian to recommend:
more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, more nuts and legumes, lean meats, less red meat, and less sweets/added sugars.
"People often don't believe that we ask them to add foods like coffee and olive oil to their diet, instead of restricting or removing them."
Find direct research from:
https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/gastrointestinal-articles/fatty-liver-disease-diethttps://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/gastrointestinal-articles/fatty-liver-disease-diet