Foods for a Healthy Liver
I was shocked when I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) several years ago. I thought we ate reasonably well. We cooked nearly all our meals at home, we always included fruit and veggies, I rarely drank, and I while was overweight, I wasn’t that heavy. I was just “normal.” I looked, cooked, and ate like my friends and family, maybe even better than some. However, I did love to bake, I enjoyed a regular coffee and croissant date with friends, and meat featured at every dinner.
Being diagnosed with NAFLD was the final straw that made me realize that a major life change was needed. My liver doctor recommended at least a 20-pound weight loss, a diet focused on whole plant foods, and a total avoidance of baked goods, especially butter-filled French pastries (le sigh…). As I was tired of feeling terrible and afraid of getting worse, I religiously followed his recommendations. Several years later, my liver has healed and my liver enzymes are now back into the normal range.
If you also suffer with NAFLD, the most common form of liver disease, you are not alone. It is estimated to affect approximately 20-30% of the populations of Western countries, and the numbers are growing rapidly, especially among children. The standard Western diet has been found to increase the risk of NAFLD by 56%. Eating like a typical American does no favors for our livers. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33269500/.
The risk factors for developing NAFLD are ubiquitous in our culture. They include being overweight, having high cholesterol, high triglycerides, metabolic syndrome, a wide waist circumference (≥102 cm for men, ≥88 cm for women), and pre-diabetes. As NAFLD typically has very few symptoms, if you have any of these risk factors, you might discuss liver health with your doctor.
So, how do we heal our livers? Based on a recent review of the available evidence, here are the five dietary changes recommended by the researchers to avoid, halt, or even reverse NAFLD:
Eat more plants. Follow a traditional dietary pattern, one which is anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants. This can be similar to a Mediterranean diet, a DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), or a plant-centered eating pattern. The key is to consume a diet that is mainly composed of whole plant foods including legumes, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts, and to consume only small amounts of meat, especially red meat.
Limit fructose from processed foods and soft drinks. Especially avoid processed foods and beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.
Change up your fats. Poly-unsaturated fatty acids, especially omega-3 rich foods, should replace saturated fat sources in the diet. Increase consumption of foods containing poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats. For more information on fats, please see: www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/fat
Increase consumption of high-fiber foods. Ditch processed food, fast food, and commercial baked goods and sweets. Instead, focus on a diet centered around unprocessed foods high in fiber, including whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit.
Avoid excess alcohol consumption. Although not the cause of NAFLD, excess consumption of alcohol is likely to increase the risk of more severe liver outcomes.
“The dietary patterns captured within these recommendations are likely to reduce the onset and progression of NAFLD. Following these recommendations is also likely to have a positive effect on other associated chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” www.academic.oup.com/advances/article/9/1/30/4848998
Liver health is critical for all of us, even those of us who don’t have NAFLD. We only have one liver and it performs over 500 vital functions in the body, including filtering blood coming from the digestive tract, storing iron and processing hemoglobin, regulating blood clotting, making proteins vital for blood plasma, clearing the body of toxins and other poisonous substances, and resisting infection by removing bacteria from the bloodstream.
Given this, eating a diet that promotes liver health is critical for maintaining overall health and optimizing longevity. All the better that it is the same plant-predominant, whole food, high fiber diet that also recuces our risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.
If I can give up weekly croissants, so can you. It’s not easy, but it’s totally worth it. You’ve got this!
💕🌱
For more information on diet and NAFLD, please see:
www.academic.oup.com/advances/article/9/1/30/4848998
www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20460905/
www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.716783/full
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6367556/
www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/nafld-nash/symptoms-causes
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK384735/