Your liver is an essential organ for processing nutrients from food and helping your body eliminate toxins. Whether you have a healthy liver, asymptomatic fatty liver disease or cirrhosis, which is permanent liver damage, you can choose healthy foods to promote liver health. Avoid excessive drinking, and talk to your doctor for additional information.
Whole Grains
Eat more whole grains instead of refined grains to promote a healthy liver, according to the Mayo Clinic. Try oatmeal, whole wheat bread or pasta, brown rice and whole-grain cold cereal. Obesity increases your chances of liver damage, and individuals who eat more whole grains tend to have lower body weight, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. At least half of your grains should be whole grains, though the typical American gets about one-fifth of this recommended amount.
Fruits and Vegetables
Eat a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables to maintain your liver health, according to the Langone Medical Center. Most fruits and vegetables are beneficial for weight loss or maintenance because they are low in calories and fat, but high in water and dietary fiber. The balance of the calories you consume and the calories you expend, or burn, determines whether you gain, lose or maintain your current weight. With your doctor's approval, include regular physical activity to burn extra calories and control your weight.
Healthy Fats
Unsaturated fats can be healthy for your liver, notes the Mayo Clinic. Good sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats include peanuts, tree nuts, olive oil, canola oil and soybean oil. You can get healthy omega-three fats from walnuts and flaxseed. Saturated fats and trans fats place are stressful for your liver because they make the liver synthesize more cholesterol. Limit fatty meats and dairy products, butter, fried foods and partially hydrogenated oils from packaged snack cookies and crackers.
Lean Protein
White-meat chicken or turkey without the skin, seafood, beans, soy protein, egg whites and fat-free dairy products are high in protein and low in saturated fat. An advantage of fatty fish and shellfish is that they contain omega-three fats called DHA and EPA, which may lower your risk for heart disease as well as promote a strong liver. If you develop cirrhosis or liver failure, you may need to reduce the amount of protein that you eat because your liver may no longer be able to process excess amounts.
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