As part of the digestive system, your liver both acts on and is acted upon by the foods you eat. The liver produces digestive enzymes and stores iron and vitamins B and C, extracted by the body from foods during digestion. These nutrients interact to support liver health. Choose foods and beverages that are rich in these nutrients but low in fat. Dietary fat can delay the absorption of vitamins and minerals that are vital to a healthy liver.
Fish
Tuna and other fish represent low-fat alternatives to beef and other fatty meats. Protein food sources that are low in fat help you balance your diet to make sure you get all of the nutrients you need for daily metabolism. The American Liver Foundation notes this type of diet can prevent or reverse common liver problems such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Other fish to eat include haddock, orange roughy and perch.
Turkey Breast
When you do eat meat, choose lean poultry such as turkey breast over beef, lamb and pork. The American College of Gastroenterology notes that in addition to turkey's low-fat status, the protein in turkey is easier to digest than that in other meats. Chicken makes a good choice that's easy on your liver, too, with the skin removed and cooked without added fat.
Fat-Free Milk
Milk offers strong protein content and comes in a fat-free form, sometimes called skim or nonfat. These dual benefits encourage efficient liver function. According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, reduced-fat milk is a nutrient-dense food, or one that provides substantial nutrition but is low in calories. Such foods and beverages add to a balanced diet by contributing moderate amounts of several essential nutrients rather than lots of one and little of the others.
High-Fiber Cereal
Whole grains help the liver by keeping your digestive system working at optimum speed. The fiber in some breakfast cereals, such as whole-grain wheat or corn cereals, does this job well. Besides high fiber, some fortified cereals deliver large amounts of iron, vitamin B and/or vitamin C. According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin C enhances the body's absorption of iron, promoting liver health.
Orange Juice
Along those same lines, orange juice is a healthy beverage for the liver. Drinking vitamin C-rich orange juice along with your morning cereal helps your body access the dietary iron in wheat bran or corn flakes. Other nutritious drinks include prune juice for iron and carrot juice for fiber.
Spinach
Get much of the remaining nutrition you need daily from vegetables such as spinach and other leafy greens. According to the USDA Nutrient Database, 1 cup of cooked spinach has high levels of everything you need for liver health -- low fat, high fiber and significant amounts of iron, B vitamins and vitamin C.
