How to Eat Healthy with Liver Disease: The Main Ingredients Toward Recovery

You just discovered you have liver disease. . . now what? Your doctor told you that you’ll need to make some lifestyle changes, like exercising more often and having a well-rounded diet. You know to avoid foods high in fat or sodium, but what else should you look out for? What are the foods that are both delicious and good for you? And why do you need to make these changes anyway?

For starters, your overall nutrition can be negatively affected when you have liver disease. Your liver produces bile to help you digest your food, especially when it comes to fat. If it's not functioning properly, you won’t be able to fully absorb essential nutrients, and you may also have difficulties digesting certain foods (1). Liver disease can make you feel sluggish and unproductive, and it can even lead to other serious complications. If you make the following changes to your diet though, you could possibly see a slowing of the progression or even reversal of your disease (2)! 

 

 

Let's start positive and focus on the foods you can eat. When it comes to liver disease, it is crucial to follow a low fat and high lean protein diet that is also rich in fiber to aid in digestion (1, 3). A diet like this includes: 

● Fruits and vegetables 

● Whole grains 

● Lean meats (chicken and fish without the skin)

● Low fat dairy

● Nuts

● Legumes 

● Olive oil (2, 3) 

● Herbs and spices (to add flavor to food) (1)

This balanced diet of whole foods should help with decreasing stress on your liver, thus minimizing extra fat. The key is to stay consistent and also drink the recommended amount of water to help your liver recover. While this list may seem limited, healthy recipes are abundant and easy to make. We’ll even provide you with one ourselves! 

Our Quick & Easy Bibimbap 

 

 

Let’s showcase The Plug’s Korean roots with this traditional Korean dish that is both liver- and gut-friendly! Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish packed with flavor and personality that can enhance your healthy eating habits. This inspired recipe is full of whole grains, low fat protein, fresh veggies, and healthy fats. It also features unique ingredients like sesame oil (which reduces liver enzymes) and gochujang (a spicy fermented Korean sauce that reduces fat buildup in your liver).

Ingredients:

● 2 cups brown rice or Korean multigrain rice (Japgokbop) 

● 8 ounces chicken breast or tofu

● 1 teaspoon salt

● 1 teaspoon pepper

● 1 egg (hard boiled or poached) 

● ½ cup spinach (or any leafy green)

● ½ cup mushrooms (enoki recommended) 

● ½ cup bean sprouts 

● 2 teaspoons garlic powder

● ¼ cup radishes, thinly sliced

● ¼ cup kimchi 

● 1 tablespoon sesame oil

● 1 tablespoon Korean red pepper paste (gochujang) 

Directions: 

1. Cook desired rice in a pot or rice cooker for around 30 minutes. 

2. Cut chicken into strips or tofu into cubes and season with salt and pepper. 

3. Sauté chicken or tofu in a pan at medium heat until fully cooked, then set aside. 

4. Hard boil or poach egg in pot with boiling water, then set aside. 

5. Blanch spinach, mushrooms, and bean sprouts in a pot with boiling water. Set aside and season veggies with garlic powder. 

6. Thinly slice the radish and set aside. 

7. Assemble all ingredients (including your kimchi) in a bowl, mix with sesame oil and gochujang, and serve.

*Makes 2 Servings 

Now let’s get to the nitty gritty and discuss the types of foods you should definitely avoid if you want to help your liver recover. Generally, you should abstain from consuming excess calories and fat, as your liver will have difficulties with digestion (1). Most of these foods come out of convenience and prioritize their addictive taste over health. The foods and drinks you should avoid if you have liver disease include:

● Fried/fast foods 

● Processed foods (packaged sweets, chips and packaged snack foods, microwavable and instant foods)

● Foods with added sugar 

● Sugary drinks 

● Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose)

● Refined grains 

● Red and processed meats 

● Alcohol (2)

● Raw or undercooked shellfish (oysters, clams) (3)

 

 

Most of these foods are high in fat, salt, and sugar – all of which can easily make your liver disease worse, especially if you have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) (2). All of these foods are super common and regularly available in grocery stores or fast food places. Cutting them out may seem difficult, but it is necessary when you are living with liver disease. You gotta do what you gotta do in order to get healthy!

One outlier in this list that you may have noticed is raw or undercooked shellfish. It is not high in fat or sugar, but its dangers lie at a cellular level. Raw oysters and shellfish may contain a bacteria called vibrio vulnificus. This bacteria can create an infection that is known to progress rapidly in those with liver disease and can result in death, so it is best to avoid raw oysters and shellfish (4). 

By following a balanced diet and avoiding those no-no foods, you can start the road to recovery from liver disease! But that’s not all – specific herbs like turmeric, ginseng, licorice, dandelion, and garlic can also assist in preventing the progression of liver disease by lowering your liver enzymes (2). If you have liver disease, you probably already know that high levels of liver enzymes like AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine transaminase) are a sign of liver injury and damage (5). This is why those herbs can be just the key for protecting your liver!

As your liver’s sidekick, we include licorice root and dandelion in The Plug’s proprietary formula to aid in not just liver health but also immunity and gut health. We include turmeric as an exclusive ingredient in The Plug Pills too – remember that we only want the best for your liver!

Pairing your new healthy diet with The Plug is truly a dynamic duo like no other. As you move forward on your way to liver recovery, we hope you succeed in beating liver disease to the curb with us by your side. You’ve got this, PlugFAM!

Bibliography

1. Shah N. Eating Healthy with Liver Disease [Internet]. 2016 June 7. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_lIDYtvrF0&t=2s

2. Jacobson A. 8 Foods That Are Bad for Your Liver — And Options That Can Reverse the Damage [Internet]. GoodRx. 2024 Apr 1. Available from: https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/liver/foods-bad-for-liver

3. Tips on How to Take Care of Your Liver [Internet]. American Liver Foundation. Updated 2025 June 5. Available from: https://liverfoundation.org/health-and-wellness/healthy-lifestyle/liver-disease-diets/

4. Vibrio v. & Liver Disease [Internet]. Alabama Public Health. 2022 May 18. Available from: https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/hepatitis/liver-disease.html#

5. Daniel C. Understanding Liver Enzymes and Signs of Liver Dysfunction [Internet]. Verywell Health. Updated 2025 Apr 12. Available from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/liver-enzymes-1759916# 

Quick & Easy Bibimbap Recipe Inspiration

Tan S. Spring Bibimbap [Internet]. K-Mama Sauce. 2023 May 4. Available from: https://kmamasauce.com/recipes-spring-bibimbap