Diet For Fatty Liver

Fatty liver is a condition that affects several individuals globally. One of the best ways to combat this condition is to follow a good diet plan for fatty liver to ease fat metabolism in the body. There are several simple fatty liver diet recipes that you can find. It is necessary, however, to understand the proportion of various nutrients required to include these recipes in your diet chart.

The liver is one of the most important organs of our body. It is the second largest organ and is responsible for proper digestion of the food that we consume. One of the most important functions of the liver is fat synthesis. Any excessive carbohydrates or protein are broken down and stored in the liver as lipids. When the body needs energy, these lipids are broken down go release energy. However, this mechanism of fat metabolism can be affected in some cases leading to condition that is known as fatty liver.

This condition is acute but can be reversed by making some simple changes in your lifestyle such as following a specialised fatty liver diet.

Fatty liver is caused when fat accounts for more than 5 to 10 percent of the weight of the liver. There are two kinds of fatty liver:

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: This condition is caused when the fat metabolism is impaired and the liver has large deposits of fats.
• Alcoholic fatty liver disease: With excessive drinking, the liver is damaged and as a result, fat metabolism is impaired.

In both cases, continued fat build up leads to swelling and inflammation of the liver, called steatohepatitis. This leads to liver damage, causing the following symptoms:

• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Pain in the abdomen
• Jaundice

If not treated on time, this may further progress into liver failure.

The most common cause of fatty liver disease is excessive drinking. In rare cases, it can also be congenital like. In rare cases, pregnancy causes a condition called acute fatty liver disease. This is potentially life threatening but is usually reversed after pregnancy with no damage to the liver. The other possible causes of fatty liver disease are:

• High cholesterol
• Hyperlipidemia or high fat content in the blood
• Excessive weight loss
• Genetic history
• High triglyceride levels
• Impaired metabolism

The food that you consume plays a vital role in alleviating or stimulating the condition. Here are some foods that you should eat and avoid.

• Alcohol- it is one of the primary causes of liver disease
• Fried foods- They are highly in fats and calories, putting the liver under pressure
• Sugary foods- Make sure you avoid drinking aerated drinks, candy, processed foods etc as they cause the blood sugar level to spike
• White flour, pasta or rice ? Opt for whole grains or brown varieties instead. They are loaded with fiber leading to faster digestion of the sugar.
• Salt- Too much salt leads to water retention. Make sure salt intake is regulated.
• Coffee or Green tea- These beverages are known to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver as they contain some potent antioxidants.
• Omega 3: Include supplements, walnuts or lean fish in your diet to obtain omega-3 which prevents any damage to the liver.

• Fruits and vegetables ? They are loaded with nutrients but are very low in their calorie count
• Grains and fibrous foods- whole grains or fruits and vegetables with their peel help better movement and absorption of food while they are being digested.
• Low sugar and low fat foods- They avoid fat deposits on the liver

The goal with the diet plan for fatty liver disease is to ensure that you consume fewer fats and calories. Here is a detailed Indian diet plan for fatty liver that can help reduce the inflammation and fat deposits on the liver:

This simple Indian diet plan for fatty liver ensures that you get all the nutrients that you need without packing in the calories.

The goal of the diet is to increase the protein and carbohydrate intake per day and reduce the fat intake. Proteins and carbs require more calories for the body to digest them. When coupled with a low fat diet, the surplus fat reserves are used to create the fuel needed to burn these macronutrients.