The 7 best foods for your liver

Your liver plays an important role in your overall health: It’s responsible for filtering toxins from your blood, helping you digest food and metabolize nutrients, and making sure you have enough protein and fat circulating throughout your body. But many people don’t know how to take care of their liver so it can function at an optimal level (and keep the rest of your body functions running smoothly, too!). 

Whether you want to get a jump start on liver health or you have some catching up to do, an easy place to start is with dietary changes. Your diet can play a large role in liver health, both negatively and positively, according to Jessica Kovalchik, a doctor of chiropractic, nutritionist, and educator at Sonoran University of Health Sciences School of Nutrition in Tempe, Arizona. Consuming high-fat, high-sugar foods can decrease liver function and even lead to liver disease, Kovalchik says, as can drinking excess amounts of alcohol. Meanwhile, a diet high in fruits, leafy green vegetables, and complex carbs can help keep your liver in tip-top shape.

There are many different foods that can improve your liver health, but some stand out as the best of the best. Here are 7 foods that help create a balanced diet for a healthy liver.

7 foods that are good for your liver

The liver has a special ability that no other organ has: It can repair itself, or regenerate. But there’s a catch. 

“There is no medicine or procedure to repair damage to the liver—your only option is diet,” says Ibrahim Hanouneh, MD, a gastroenterologist at MNGI Digestive Health in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and co-author of Regenerative Health. 

If you have any metabolic risk factors, Dr. Hanouneh continues, like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or sleep apnea, it’s especially important to pay attention to your diet, since what you eat and drink can make the difference between liver health and liver disease. If you’re looking to repair your liver, start with these seven foods. 

1. Extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the most beneficial healthy fats for the liver, according to Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, dietitian at Cleveland Clinic and co-author of Regenerative Health. In a 2023 study, she explains, extra virgin olive oil helped to reduce fat in the liver and lower liver enzymes in study participants. 

To improve liver health, you can cook with extra virgin olive oil, add it to sauces and dressings, and even enjoy olives in meals or snacks, says Kirkpatrick.  

2. Cruciferous vegetables

All vegetables are beneficial to the liver, says Kirkpatrick, because they have fiber, antioxidants, and an abundance of liver-protective vitamins and minerals. In general, cruciferous vegetables are extra high in fiber, folate, and vitamin K, though one stands out above the rest when it comes to your liver: broccoli. 

According to Dr. Hanouneh, broccoli is high in vitamin E, which has been shown in studies to decrease liver inflammation in non-diabetic patients with fatty liver disease. However, those studies also raise concerns about the large, prolonged doses of vitamin E needed to lower inflammation and the subsequent side effects, says Hanouneh, which include increased risk of heart attack and stroke. With those concerns in mind, many providers are cautious about using vitamin E supplementation for their patients with liver disease.

Unlike high-dose supplementation, broccoli provides a just-right amount of vitamin E, making it easier to benefit from the nutrient (and its anti-inflammatory effects) without overdoing it.   

3. Oatmeal and other whole grains

Dr. Hanouneh says the liver is like your body’s security gate, filtering out everything that goes into your body, and eating fiber—which helps you move your bowels on a regular basis—makes it easier for the liver to quickly and efficiently perform these filtering duties without getting overwhelmed. 

You can choose to eat pretty much any type of whole grain for liver health, but oatmeal is a superstar choice: Not only does one cup contain four grams of fiber, but it’s also packed with healthy nutrients like vitamin B1 and manganese, has been shown to improve cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and can help with weight loss. 

4. Coffee and green tea

Your liver is responsible for processing the nutrients from the food and beverages you consume every day, and believe it or not, says Dr. Hanouneh, coffee is one of the most beneficial things you can drink for liver health.

“Studies have repeatedly shown that coffee is beneficial to the liver, decreasing inflammation and [possibly] reversing scarring in the liver,” he explains. “It also counteracts the negative impact of drinking alcohol on the liver.”

Coffee has also been shown to help decrease liver enzymes and reduce the risk of chronic liver disease, Kovalchik says, as demonstrated in a 2016 study on the impact of coffee on liver health. 

Researchers don’t exactly know why yet, but Dr. Hanouneh says it’s the caffeine in coffee that gives it these beneficial effects on the liver; decaf coffee hasn’t been shown to have the same effects. With that in mind, caffeinated teas like green tea have also been shown to have some liver-protective benefits—and when you consider all of the other advantages to drinking green tea (like its potential anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant benefits, just to name a few), it’s reasonable to speculate that green tea could help keep your liver healthy just as well as coffee. 

5. Lean protein

According to Dr. Hanouneh, the liver plays a crucial role in the metabolism of proteins, and people with liver disease often experience muscle loss as a result of changes in the liver’s ability to make and store adequate amounts of protein. He asks all his patients with liver disease to eat an adequate amount of protein each day to prevent this muscle loss. 

However, some high-protein foods are healthier than others. Animal protein is usually considered a more complete source of protein than what comes from plants; it should be lean (think poultry, some seafood, and eggs versus red meat). As for plant-based sources, feel free to stock up on legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains like quinoa and oats.    

6. Berries

Most types of fruit are good for the liver because they’re rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, says Dr. Hanouneh. And while other types of fruit aren’t “bad” for you, he notes that some are higher in carbohydrates than others and may not be quite as beneficial, like bananas, pineapples, and grapes. 

So what type of fruit should you freely eat? Well, Dr. Hanouneh says watermelon probably has the lowest amount of carbs considering its high water content, but any and all types of berries are good choices, from blueberries and strawberries to cranberries and goji berries. 

Berries are chock full of polyphenol antioxidants, and some specific berries have been studied for their beneficial liver effects. Blueberry extract has been shown to improve liver function in animal studies, cranberry supplementation may aid liver health in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and similar to coffee, goji berries may be able to offset some of the liver damage done by excessive alcohol consumption.  

7. Omega-3 fatty acids

While you’re adding plant-based proteins and lean seafood to your diet for their liver benefits, know this: You’ll also be increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help prevent metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), says Kirkpatrick. 

In a 2023 study, she continues, omega-3s assisted in preventing the liver from storing too much fat from food—and another 2023 study found that omega-3 supplementation assists in reducing inflammation as well as reducing the risk of progression associated with a severe form of fatty liver (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH). Omega-3s are commonly found in fatty fish like wild salmon, sardines, and tuna, says Kirkpatrick, as well as avocados, walnuts, flax, and chia seeds.

What makes food good for your liver?

Although these are seven foods to start with if you’re looking to improve your liver health, they certainly aren’t the only foods to eat to repair your liver. In general, Kirkpatrick says prioritizing a Mediterranean diet is one of the most beneficial patterns for good liver health; that means eating plenty of certain food groups such as lean protein, whole grains, and fruits and veggies, while limiting ultra-processed foods, fast food, foods high in added sugars, and refined grains. 

“This will also assist with better blood sugar management, which is directly related to better liver health,” Kirkpatrick says. 

For liver health benefits, it’s also a good idea to:

• Avoid excess sodium, per Dr. Hanouneh, to prevent fluid retention and leg swelling
• Opt for foods high in fiber, like low-glycemic fruits, vegetables, lentils, and beans, says Kovalchik
• Drink plenty of water each day, i.e., half your body weight in ounces.

What else can you do to keep your liver healthy?

In addition to eating healthy, there are a few other ways you can improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle with your liver in mind. 

1. Exercise. Kovalchik says physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight, which will also improve liver health. As long as your healthcare provider approves, she recommends aiming for two to three days of resistance and strength training and at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
2. Protect yourself against environmental toxins. Your liver is responsible for filtering out the toxins we come into contact with each day, so you can make your liver’s job easier by limiting the amount of insecticides, chemicals, cigarette smoke, and aerosol products you’re exposed to regularly (or by taking protective steps when exposed, like wearing a mask and gloves).  
3. Limit alcohol. Alcohol can cause a lot of damage to the liver, especially when consumed in excess; it contributes to fat buildup in the liver, causes inflammation and destroys liver cells (alcoholic hepatitis), and can create scarring in the tissues of the liver over time (cirrhosis of the liver). 
4. Protect yourself from hepatitis strains. Hepatitis means “inflammation of the liver,” and some viral illnesses specifically target the liver and cause disease, like hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and B exist, and hepatitis D can also be prevented through vaccination for hepatitis B. Though there’s no vaccine for hepatitis C, it’s spread through blood and can be prevented with safe sex practices, proper healthcare protocols, and the hygienic use of needles, whether it’s related to tattoos and piercings, drug use, or medical injection. 
5. Avoid drug use. While people come into contact with needles in a variety of settings, illegal drug use is a major contributing factor to the spread of hepatitis viruses like B and C because of cross-contamination with other users’ bodily fluids and blood.

The bottom line: Eat a balanced diet for liver health

Whether you want to repair the damage done to your liver or simply keep it healthy for the future, there are a number of foods that can help it function better. Adding plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet, as well as whole grains, lean protein, and some caffeinated beverages can supply your liver with the nutrients it needs to continue doing its many all-important jobs (like filtering out toxins and circulating the right amount of protein and fat through your body). A few other lifestyle choices, like exercising regularly and limiting alcohol and your exposure to toxins, can also promote liver health.