Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly helps the liver to work well.

If you’re living with liver disease, your diet is often adjusted to meet your individual needs. You should always talk to your doctor about what’s best for you, but here are some general food tips for a healthier liver:

Don’t eat foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Stay away from a lot of fried foods including fast food restaurant meals. Raw or under-cooked shellfish such as oysters and clams are a definite no-no.
Select foods from all food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, milk, and healthy oils.
Eat foods rich in fiber, which helps your liver work at an optimal level. Fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, brown rice and cereals can take care of your body’s fiber needs.
Drink plenty of water, which prevents dehydration and helps your liver to function better.

Some patients, like those with Primary Biliary Cholangitis, are at higher risk of malnutrition, metabolic changes, and the reduction of absorption of important vitamins such as A, D, E and K. Additionally, additional dietary changes are often suggested for patients- like smaller, more frequent meals, higher consumption of protein, and lower sodium intake. For those patients a healthy diet is especially crucial and they are often in search of greater assistance and dietary guidance.

Patients often ask us what a healthy day of eating looks like. That’s why our Great Lakes Division recently put together the first four parts of a new series, “In the Doctor’s Kitchen” featuring two physicians from our Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Lisa VanWagner and Dr. Donald Jensen. We invite you to watch all four of them below and recreate these healthy dishes at home!

Support of Doctors in the Kitchen was provided by Intercept Pharmaceuticals and the production assistance of Outcome Health. The American Liver Foundation was responsible for the creation of all content.

Last updated on July 12th, 2022 at 12:54 pm