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Food for a fatty liver

Many people have asked what they should eat in order to treat a fatty liver. The best approach to treat this disease is by knowing the food groups of the pyramid.
First, the diet to treat fatty liver should be extremely healthy, restrictive and selective and to know how to choose the fats and cooking techniques such as cooking on the grill, baked, steamed or boiled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is also important to note that the total caloric value of the diet will be lower than that of a healthy person, because usually people with fatty liver are overweight and the idea is to reduce the excess weight.
With regard to macronutrients, we find that the percentage of carbohydrates should be between 50% to 55 % of total calories, and it is recommended to choose carbohydrates rich in fiber and low in simple sugars. The percentage of protein should be 15% of total calories, and finally fats should be limited to 25% of total calories, performing a selection of foods that contain monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated in a greater amount and minimizing saturated fats.

As for food choices we recommend the following:

1. Cereals: People with fatty liver have hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, so it is recommended to consume food with slow absorption of carbohydrates as whole grains (bread, noodles, grains, sugar-free whole grains, whole grains) and foods with low glycemic index such as brown rice. It is recommended to consume 3 to 10 servings daily.

2. Fruits: Fruits are not contraindicated for fatty liver and between 2 to 4 servings should be consumed.

3. Vegetables: We recommend eating green leafy vegetables every day and usually raw vegetables for lunch and / or dinner. 2 to 5 servings a day.
4. Meat: It is recommended to eat lean meat like chicken, fish, turkey and lean cuts of red meat. As for the egg, you can eat dishes that contain agg such as tortillas or foams. Daily servings of this food group are 1 to 3 servings.
5. Dairy: In this group the most recommended is milk with 0% fat because the dairy fat is saturated and is very damaging to the liver. We must also prefer low-fat products such as yogurt and cheese, leaving aside all aged cheeses and high fat dairy. The recommended daily servings are 2 to 4 servings.
6. Oils and fats: They must be severely restricted and we have to select fats preferring vegetable oils such as olive or grape seed. As for animal fats, they should be strictly prohibited. The recommended servings are 1 to 3 servings daily.
7. Sugars: Under no circumstances we should eat simple sugars (table sugar, sucrose), as they belong to rapidly absorbed carbohydrates that create the problems of increased blood LDL and hyperglycemia. It is recommended to use sweeteners such as Sucralose or NutraSweet.
Forbidden foods: Sausages, simple sugars, fatty meats, irritating seasonings, sugary foods, refined flour, animal fats, fried foods, foods high in cholesterol, fat, seafood, etc.
Allowed foods: fruits, vegetables, lean meats, vegetable oils, oil with omega3, fish, whole weed flour and grains, non-fat dairy foods, food with low glycemic index and slow absorption of carbohydrates, etc.

It should be emphasized that fiber intake is very beneficial for fatty liver, as it reduces blood cholesterol levels.