Best Foods and Drinks To Reverse Fatty Liver and Boost Weight Loss in as Little as 30 Days

If your jeans feel snugger lately, you’re tired before bedtime and your cholesterol is creeping up, a liver bogged down by fat may be to blame. Around a quarter of Americans live with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), now known as metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). And according to nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, up to 80 percent of women over 40 are affected. The good news? Adding a few delicious foods and drinks good for fatty liver to your diet can reverse the condition—and help the pounds melt away.

How a fatty liver triggers weight gain

The liver plays more than 500 roles in your body, from filtering toxins to keeping blood sugar steady. But when fat clogs the organ, it simply can’t keep up with its fat-burning duties, and your body weight can creep up. “Anytime you develop liver fat, your metabolic rate is going to slow,” explains Taz Bhatia, MD. “Fat impairs the liver’s metabolic and detoxifying functions, which in turn saps physical and mental energy and triggers weight gain.”

The payoff for clearing it out is huge. Research in Cell Metabolism shows that purging fat from the liver boosts fat-burning by as much as 400 percent, while findings in the journal Medicine reveal it helps shrink belly fat. Healing your liver also slashes heart disease risk by 76 percent, stroke risk by 62 percent and diabetes risk by 55 percent.

Woman's World Answers

What’s Dolly Parton’s exercise routine? What are the early signs of Parkinson’s disease in women? What do skid marks in my underwear mean? What are the symptoms of a thunderclap headache? What are the benefits of metformin? What’s Dolly Parton’s exercise routine? What are the early signs of Parkinson’s disease in women? What do skid marks in my underwear mean? What are the symptoms of a thunderclap headache? What are the benefits of metformin?

What is the link between statins and brain health? What are symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in women over 50? What does it mean if I’m craving salt? What’s the best soup for a cold? What is a normal blood pressure reading? What is the link between statins and brain health? What are symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in women over 50? What does it mean if I’m craving salt? What’s the best soup for a cold? What is a normal blood pressure reading?

Powered by

Weight Loss

Lose Weight up to 8x Faster With a ‘Green’ Diet for Fatty Liver

Wanna make extra pounds disappear at top speed? Then you might want to cleanse your liver. An estimated 70 percent of us have buildup and inflammation clogging the organ—and it can seriously slow our ability to get lean. “The liver is the body’s top fat-burning organ,” explains Cornell-trained nutrition expert Amy Shah, MD. “When you […]

7 foods good for fatty liver

A diet rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats—think Mediterranean style—is tops when it comes to supporting liver health. In fact, a study in the International Journal of Clinical Practice found that 45 percent of fatty liver disease patients who followed a Mediterranean diet for a year saw their condition improve, and 20 percent achieved complete remission.

A few standout foods foods for fatty liver to add to your plate:

• Leafy greens. Swapping just one daily serving of starchy carbs for kale, broccoli rabe or mustard greens improves Fatty Liver Index scores within three months.
• Avocado. Dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, CPT, recommends about half an avocado daily, which helps bring down harmful cholesterol levels. “Lowering cholesterol can help reduce liver fat, curb inflammation and potentially lessen the risk of liver fibrosis,” she says.
• Berries, apples and grapefruit. Blueberries deliver polyphenols that reduce oxidative stress, apples offer anti-inflammatory fiber and grapefruit compounds improve fat metabolism. Palinski-Wade notes that “not all sugars are created equal”—fruit sugars come packaged with fiber that prevents blood sugar spikes that contribute to insulin resistance and ultimately fatty liver disease. Don’t get enough fiber from fruit? Try stirring a fiber powder like Supergut Foundational Daily Fiber into a smoothie or cup of tea.
• Eggs. Two eggs provide 58 percent of your daily choline, a nutrient that can reverse fatty liver within 30 days when shortfalls are corrected, University of North Carolina researchers found.
• Oranges. Eating about two large oranges daily helps reverse fatty liver in as little as four weeks. (Discover more of the best fruits for fatty liver disease.)
• Nuts, flaxseed and sesame oil. Almonds, walnuts and ground flaxseed may help reduce liver fat up to six times more than a fiber-free diet, suggests one study. And just 2 Tbs. of sesame oil daily can reverse fatty liver in as little as 12 weeks.
• Dark chocolate. Yes, really. A study in Scientific Reports found that 45 mg of theobromine daily—about a quarter of a dark chocolate bar—significantly lowered liver fat.

Deal of the Day

This Deep Conditioning Collagen Hair Mask for Has 4.9 Stars and Is 80% Off — Get It for $20! View Deal

One food to skip if you have fatty liver? Palinski-Wade warns to limit dried fruit and fruit juices with added sugars, which can backfire and worsen the condition.

7 drinks good for fatty liver

What you pour in your glass matters just as much as what’s on your plate when it comes to liver health. Some delicious sips to try:

• Beet juice. Po-Chang Hsu, MD, recommends 1 cup of freshly juiced beets daily. Its betalains and nitrates enhance detoxification and protect liver cells.
• Green celery juice. “Celery is especially hydrating and contains nutrients that stimulate the production of liver enzymes, aiding in detoxification and reducing fat buildup,” says Amy Myers, MD.
• Mixed berry smoothie. Dr. Hsu suggests blending 1 cup of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries with unsweetened almond milk daily for an anthocyanin boost that improves insulin sensitivity.
• Coffee. Two cups daily boosts the liver’s ability to burn stored fat by 233 percent, a Journal of Nutritional Sciences study found. And research in BMC Health found drinking three to four cups of coffee daily delivers maximum liver-clearing benefits, thanks to antioxidants like chlorogenic acid.
• Lemon water. Squeezing half a lemon into warm water before breakfast delivers vitamin C and citric acid that stimulate liver function and help break down fats.
• Turmeric latte. “Curcumin has been shown to reduce liver fat accumulation and improve liver enzyme levels,” says Dr. Hsu. Whisk turmeric into warm milk with a pinch of black pepper.
• Green tea. “Green tea contains EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that can help to reduce oxidative stress in the liver and may aid in releasing liver fat,” says Stacie Stephenson, DC, CNS. Three cups daily for 12 weeks led to 322 percent more weight loss in one study. Other teas that are best for fatty liver: milk thistle (which contains silymarin), artichoke (which stimulates bile through cynarin), dandelion and turmeric tea. Just don’t overdo it. “With any herbal tea, you can have a cup or two a day, but don’t be extreme,” she cautions. “More is not better.”

Wellness

An MD Reveals What Causes Fatty Liver and Why Menopause Ups Your Risk

The liver is the largest internal organ in the body, and it’s got major jobs to do. The organ plays crucial roles in body processes such as optimizing metabolism, eliminating toxins, storing nutrients and regulating digestion. The problem? A condition called fatty liver that occurs when fat infiltrates the organ can cause its function to […]

The simple trick that ties it all together

Pair these foods and drinks for fatty liver with one more good habit: adding 2,500 extra steps a day. That alone slashes chronic liver disease risk by 38 percent, a Journal of Hepatology study found. Even gentle walking works as well as strenuous workouts—and your liver (and your jeans) will thank you.