Practical food guide
There is no single food that treats fatty liver. A more useful approach is to build most meals from vegetables and fruit, wholegrains, beans and pulses, suitable protein foods, nuts and seeds, and unsaturated fats — while keeping sugary drinks and heavily processed foods less routine.
General information for adults with MASLD/NAFLD. If you have cirrhosis, kidney disease, diabetes requiring medication adjustment, pregnancy, significant unplanned weight loss, an eating disorder or another condition affecting your diet, ask your healthcare team for individual advice.
The quick answer
Current NHS guidance advises a healthy, balanced diet for people with fatty liver, also called MASLD or NAFLD. The 2024 European MASLD guideline goes further by recommending better overall diet quality in a Mediterranean-style direction, with more minimally processed foods and fewer ultra-processed foods, added sugars and sugar-sweetened drinks.
That does not mean you need a specialist product list or a collection of “liver superfoods”. Think in food groups and meal patterns instead. Vegetables, whole fruit, beans and lentils, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, fish and other suitable proteins, and unsaturated fats are all practical building blocks.
Food groups
These groups fit the broader healthy, Mediterranean-style eating pattern recommended in current MASLD guidance. You do not have to eat every group at every meal.
Use fresh, frozen or tinned vegetables to make meals easier to repeat. Aim for variety across the week rather than chasing a particular “best” vegetable.
Easy choices: broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms, green beans and mixed frozen vegetables.
Whole fruit can fit a balanced eating pattern and provides fibre as well as vitamins and minerals. Whole fruit is a different choice from sugary drinks and fruit juice.
Easy choices: berries, apples, pears, oranges, kiwi, peaches, plums and bananas.
Pulses are useful because they can provide protein and fibre together. They work in soups, curries, chilli, salads, pasta sauces and tray bakes.
Easy choices: chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, butter beans, green or red lentils and reduced-salt baked beans. See the beans & fatty liver guide for canned-bean and portion context.
Wholegrain or higher-fibre versions of bread, oats, rice and pasta are useful everyday choices where they suit the meal. Potatoes can also form part of balanced meals, especially when preparation and portions are sensible.
Easy choices: porridge oats, wholemeal bread, brown or mixed-grain rice, wholewheat pasta, barley and potatoes with their skins.
There is no need for every meal to revolve around meat. Rotate plant and animal protein sources according to your preferences and any advice from your healthcare team.
Easy choices: beans, lentils, tofu, eggs, fish such as salmon, skinless poultry, plain yoghurt and other suitable lower-sugar dairy or alternatives.
Current European guidance includes nuts, seeds and olive oil within a Mediterranean-style pattern. They are nutrient-dense, so they can be useful without needing to be eaten in unlimited amounts.
Easy choices: walnuts, almonds and other unsalted nuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, olive oil, rapeseed oil and avocado.
Make it practical
This is an example of how the food groups can come together. It is not a calorie-controlled or personalised meal plan.
Oats + whole fruit + a protein-rich dairy food or suitable alternative.
A higher-fibre starch + protein + plenty of vegetables.
Protein + vegetables + wholegrain carbohydrate, with herbs, spices or lemon for flavour.
Simple foods that are easy to keep on hand.
Shopping
If the kitchen contains foods that are easy to turn into meals, the plan is much easier to follow. A basic basket might include frozen mixed vegetables, salad vegetables, apples or berries, oats, wholemeal bread or wraps, brown rice, tinned beans or lentils, eggs, fish or tofu, plain yoghurt, unsalted nuts and olive or rapeseed oil.
Frozen and tinned foods can be practical options; check labels for added sugar and salt where relevant. You do not need to buy expensive “health foods” for this eating pattern.
Start with one of the pre-built baskets, remove anything you do not eat and add your own quantities or custom items.
Food-by-food questions
Bread, potatoes, rice, cheese, yoghurt, eggs and convenience foods are good examples. Whether they fit well can depend on the type you choose, how they are prepared, what else is on the plate and how often you eat them.
That is why this site does not divide every food into a simplistic “good” or “bad” list.
Search 50 foods and drinks in the Food Lookup →Next steps
Move from broad food choices into the part of the site that matches what you are trying to do next.
See the overall dietary pattern and how the food choices fit together.
Move from individual foods to structured meal-planning ideas.
Browse breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas as the recipe library is built out.
See the separate intent owner for foods and drinks that are better made less routine.
Evidence checked 17 August 2026
We use these sources to describe general dietary patterns. See our editorial policy, evidence policy and medical disclaimer.