Foods to Avoid with Fatty Liver (and What to Eat Instead)

The main foods to avoid with fatty liver are sugary drinks, sweets and other foods high in added sugar, refined carbohydrates such as white bread, ultra-processed snacks, fatty and processed meat, butter and ghee, deep-fried food and alcohol. Official guidance in the US and Europe says to avoid sugary drinks and to limit most of the rest. In their place, eat more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans and lentils, nuts, fish and olive oil.

Here, fatty liver means MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), the newer name for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This guide is for adults without cirrhosis, which needs different advice.

Foods to avoid with fatty liver: the list at a glance

This table sums up the fatty liver foods to avoid. The food groups come from the guidelines. The dishes are our own everyday examples from South Asia, the Gulf, the Philippines, Mexico and the US.

Limit or avoid	Everyday examples (ours)	Better choice (our suggestion)
Sugary drinks	Soda, sugary chai or karak tea, juice drinks, milk tea, energy drinks	Water, sparkling water, tea or coffee with little or no sugar
Sweets and added sugar	Mithai, kheer, kunafa, halo-halo, pan dulce, cakes	Whole fruit, plain yogurt, sweets kept for special days
Refined carbs	White bread, naan, maida paratha, big plates of white rice, flour tortillas, pandesal	Whole-wheat roti, brown rice, oats, beans and lentils
Ultra-processed foods	Chips, namkeen, packaged biscuits, instant noodles, hot dogs, luncheon meat	Home-cooked meals, fruit, roasted chana, a few nuts
Saturated fat	Ghee, butter, cream, fatty mutton or beef, sausages, chorizo, lard	Olive or canola oil, fish, chicken, beans
Deep-fried foods	Samosas, pakoras, samboosa, lumpia, fries, churros	Grilled, baked, roasted or stir-fried dishes
Alcohol	Beer, wine, spirits	No alcohol, or only what your doctor says is safe

What not to eat with fatty liver, and why

1. Sugary drinks

EASL, the European liver guideline, recommends avoiding sugar-sweetened drinks. NIDDK, part of the US National Institutes of Health, says your doctor may suggest avoiding foods and drinks with large amounts of simple sugars, especially fructose. It names sweetened soft drinks, sports drinks, sweetened tea and juices as sources. In one study cited by EASL that followed people over time, 4 or more servings of soft drinks a week were linked to a 45% higher risk of developing fatty liver.

Drinks add up quickly. These US figures for a 12-ounce (355 ml) drink come from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025:

Drink (12 oz)	Calories	Added sugar	Teaspoons of sugar
Water or unsweetened tea	0	0 g	0
Chai tea latte	180	23 g	5½
Sweetened tea	115	29 g	7
Regular soda	156	37 g	9
Lemonade	171	43 g	10
Fruit drink	238	59 g	14

Homemade drinks vary. By our math, a cup of chai with 2 teaspoons of sugar has about 8 g of added sugar, because USDA lists a teaspoon of granulated sugar at 4.2 g. Three such cups a day add about 25 g. For scale, the current Dietary Guidelines (2025-2030) say no amount of added sugar is recommended, and one meal should have no more than 10 g.

Everyday examples (ours): sugary doodh patti and sweet lassi in South Asia; karak tea and soft drinks in the Gulf; milk tea, powdered juice drinks and 3-in-1 coffee mixes in the Philippines; refrescos and sweetened aguas frescas in Mexico. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines say to choose water, still or sparkling, and unsweetened drinks. We suggest cutting the sugar in tea a little each week.

2. Sweets and other added sugar

Sugar in food counts too. EASL says added sugars, especially fructose, play a major role in the development of fatty liver. AASLD, the American liver guidance, says too much fructose raises the risk of fatty liver, its inflamed form (NASH) and advanced scarring, independent of calorie intake. NIDDK explains that table sugar is a major source of fructose, because digestion quickly turns it into glucose and fructose.

Everyday examples (ours): mithai such as gulab jamun, jalebi and barfi, plus kheer and halwa; kunafa and luqaimat in the Gulf; halo-halo, leche flan and sweet breads in the Philippines; pan dulce and churros in Mexico; donuts, cookies and cakes everywhere.

Read labels. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines suggest looking for ingredients with “sugar” or “syrup” in the name, or ending in “-ose”. The sugar naturally found in whole fruit and plain milk is not added sugar, and none of the guidelines we checked tells you to avoid whole fruit. See fruits for fatty liver.

3. Refined carbohydrates

AASLD links a diet with excess calories, particularly excess saturated fat, refined carbohydrates and sugar-sweetened drinks, to obesity and fatty liver. NIDDK names white bread, white rice and potatoes as high glycemic index foods, which affect blood glucose more than most fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines advise significantly reducing highly processed refined carbohydrates such as white bread, packaged breakfast foods, flour tortillas and crackers.

Everyday examples (ours): naan, white bread, and puris or parathas made with maida (white flour); big plates of white rice; pandesal; bolillos; sweetened breakfast cereals. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines also list masa, the corn dough used for tortillas, as a refined grain, so we count corn tortillas made from masa too.

Swap toward whole grains. The 2020-2025 edition lists whole-wheat chapati, brown rice, oats, millet and whole-grain cornmeal as whole grains. Rice can still fit in modest portions: see is rice good for fatty liver.

4. Ultra-processed foods

EASL recommends limiting ultra-processed food, which it describes as rich in sugars and saturated fat. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines say to avoid highly processed packaged foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy, and to favor home-prepared meals.

Everyday examples (ours): chips, namkeen and packaged biscuits; instant noodles; packaged cakes and pastries; hot dogs, luncheon meat and other processed meats.

5. Fatty and processed meat, butter and ghee

AASLD favors diets with limited saturated fat and more unsaturated fat. EASL notes that saturated fat worsened liver fat in several short-term clinical trials, and that observational studies link high intakes of red and processed meat with fatty liver. NIDDK says replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats, especially omega-3s, may lower your chance of heart disease if you have fatty liver.

For a practical list, the NHS advice on lowering cholesterol says to eat less meat pies, sausages and fatty meat; butter, lard and ghee; cream and cheese; cakes and biscuits; and food containing coconut oil or palm oil.

Everyday examples (ours): desi ghee in parathas and halwa, fatty meat dishes such as nihari, and malai; ghee in Gulf rice dishes; lechon and longganisa in the Philippines; chorizo and lard-cooked carnitas in Mexico.

The same NHS page lists oily fish, olive and rapeseed (canola) oil, nuts and seeds among the foods to eat more of. For eggs, see are eggs good for fatty liver.

6. Deep-fried foods

None of the liver guidelines we checked names fried food, but deep-frying adds a lot of fat. In USDA data, fast-food fries have 14.7 g of fat and 312 calories per 100 g (a medium serving is 117 g), against 0.1 g of fat and 93 calories for a baked potato (a medium one is 173 g). NIDDK says your doctor may suggest limiting fats, which are high in calories and raise your chance of obesity. If the frying fat is ghee, lard or palm oil, all on the NHS eat-less list, you also get more saturated fat. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines suggest baking, broiling, roasting, stir-frying or grilling instead of deep-frying.

Everyday examples (ours): samosas, pakoras and puris; samboosa and fries; lumpia, chicharon and fried chicken; churros and taquitos.

Tandoori and tikka dishes and grilled fish are easy swaps (our suggestion).

7. Alcohol

NIDDK says to minimize alcohol, which can further damage your liver. AASLD calls alcohol a cofactor that can make fatty liver disease progress. EASL says people with fatty liver should be discouraged from drinking, especially those who drink moderate or large amounts, and that emerging evidence links any amount, even within recommended limits, to worse liver outcomes. The NHS says to keep to no more than 14 units a week.

With scarring, the advice is firm. AASLD says people with significant fibrosis (stage F2 or higher) should stop drinking completely, and EASL says the same for advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. If you drink, ask your doctor what is safe for you.

Fatty liver foods to eat instead

The guidelines point to a Mediterranean-style way of eating. EASL describes it as high in olive oil, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, fish and seafood. AASLD adds that similar changes tailored to your culture and tastes may help you stick with them. You do not need Mediterranean recipes, just the same building blocks. Our suggestions:

• South Asia: dal, chana and rajma; whole-wheat roti; sabzi cooked with less oil; tandoori chicken or grilled fish.
• The Gulf: grilled fish or chicken, lentil soup, hummus, tabbouleh and smaller rice portions.
• The Philippines: fish sinigang, ginisang monggo (mung beans), grilled fish and plenty of vegetables.
• Mexico: frijoles de olla (whole beans, not refried), nopales, grilled fish or chicken and salsa.

For a full plan, see our Mediterranean diet for fatty liver guide.

Weight matters too. If you are overweight, NIDDK says losing at least 3% to 5% of your body weight can reduce liver fat, and doctors recommend losing it gradually. If you are not overweight, EASL still recommends diet and exercise to reduce liver fat, and notes that small studies found more fructose and sugary drinks in the diets of people with fatty liver who do not have obesity.

When to see a doctor

The NHS says fatty liver does not usually cause symptoms, and it is mostly found when people have tests for another reason. See a doctor:

• If you think you could have fatty liver or are at higher risk. The NHS lists being overweight (especially around the waist), type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and being over 50.
• For regular checks after a diagnosis. The NHS advises check-ups at least once a year and tests every 2 to 3 years.
• If you have fibrosis or cirrhosis. The NHS says you will need a liver specialist. Do not cut foods on your own: EASL says diet in cirrhosis should be adapted to how severe it is and to your nutrition, and recommends a high-protein diet and a late-evening snack for some people, such as those with muscle loss.
• Before taking supplements, herbal remedies or liver tonics. NIDDK says to talk with your doctor first, because some herbal remedies can damage your liver. EASL says there is not enough evidence that such products work or are safe.
• If you have diabetes or another long-term condition. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines advise people with a chronic disease to ask their health care professional whether the guidelines need adapting.

Avoid crash diets. NIDDK warns that rapid weight loss and malnutrition can make liver disease worse.

Liverleaf, the fatty liver diet app we are building, is still in development. Until it launches, our fatty liver diet guides cover more everyday foods.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition.