Non-Alcoholic Wine and Fatty Liver Disease: Can You Drink It?

If you used to enjoy your glass of wine before being diagnosed with a fatty liver, you’re surely suffering today because you can no longer have it.

But what about drinking alcohol free wine if you have a fatty liver disease? Is that something that is allowed or not? This is what we’re going to talk about today!

Ever since I have been diagnosed with a fatty liver back in 2014 and even after I managed to reverse my fatty liver, I have stopped drinking anything that had alcohol in it.

It’s getting close to a decade now and I am still not touching alcohol, not even a glass of beer or wine. Not even a sip, actually. Why risk it? I encourage you to do the same.

This is one of the most important things you should do in order to reverse your NAFLD because alcohol is bad for your fatty liver. Even if your diagnosis is “non alcoholic fatty liver”.

But in this article we’re going to talk about non-alcoholic wine and fatty liver disease and see how will might change our approach to drinking.

Can you drink alcohol free wine if you suffer from a fatty liver?

Non-alcoholic wine can be considered safe for those who suffer from a fatty liver disease, as long as it is wine without any added chemicals, preservatives or sugar. It should also be had in moderation – I recommend it only for special occasions, for example.

I am not a doctor. As I keep saying, I am a patient – one who managed to reverse this condition, though.

I’ve had no problems over the years drinking alcohol-free beverages and this makes me believe that they are safe for fatty liver as long as you have them in moderation.

I drank non-alcoholic wine and had no problems. I have reversed my fatty liver since being diagnosed, so the alcohol free beverages definitely didn’t make it impossible for me to heal my liver.

One thing to have in mind though: there are many drinks out there that are labeled “non-alcoholic wine” or similar, but in reality are just a mixture of chemicals and have no grapes/grape juice in them.

Make sure to double check the list of ingredients and only go for those that have the least amount of chemicals in them – ideally none.

Don’t overdo it, even with those that look good and clean: even if it’s non alcoholic, wine does have a lot of calories and usually carbohydrates as well, so you should always watch the size of your portion! We shouldn’t consume carbs in excess with a fatty liver disease.

I recommend trying to stick to just one glass a week and even fewer if there’s really no need to do it. Drink it to enjoy it, drink it in moderation and it will be an even more pleasant experience! Ideally, keep it for special occasions only.

What alcohol free wine is the best?

Unfortunately, unlike the non alcoholic beer that manages to taste pretty much the same as regular beer, I wasn’t able to find a non alcoholic wine to taste exactly like the “real” deal.

However, I don’t find the taste of non-alcoholic wine terrible and it’s definitely better than my regular lemon-water or plain water that I am having, sometimes mixed with apple cider vinegar.

Sure, ACV is great for a fatty liver… but its taste is not!

But after a few years of not touching wine, even the alcohol free one will taste acceptable.

Even better, some are much better than others: it is all a matter of trying various brands and options out there to see what works for you. But definitely don’t expect to find something to taste exactly like real wine.

The ones that I’ve tried were also tested by my wife (who still drinks alcohol socially) and she agreed that although not spectacular by any means, most of these wines are at least drinkable!

Best Non-Alcoholic Wine for those with a fatty liver disease

Please note: I get commissions for purchases made through the links below (but they don’t have an influence over the recommended products or their price)

Here are a few recommendations (there are really not a ton of options anyway) for the best alcohol free wine to try if you have a fatty liver.

White: Lussory Non-Alcoholic White Airen
Red: Ariel Dealcoholized Cabernet Sauvignon
Bonus: The Non-alcoholic Wine Two Pack (Cabernet and Chardonnay)

My personal experience with alcohol-free wine

The problem is that, before being diagnosed, I enjoyed a drink here and there. I was mostly drinking beer to be honest, but I’d always find time to enjoy a glass of wine during a nice dinner with my family.

Now, so many years after touching any type of alcohol, I am definitely missing it, especially since everybody around you won’t stop having at least a bit of their favorite beverage…

As I result, I sometimes allow myself to enjoy 0% alcohol beer – especially during the cold summer days – but without going crazy. (There is a link at the bottom of this article that you can follow to read more about drinking beer & fatty liver disease).

But back to today’s topic, I have to admit that I only learned that alcohol free wine exists a few years after being diagnosed with my fatty liver (and reversing it).

This can really be a game changer for most of us – but especially you wine lovers out there!

The problem with most alcoholic drinks is that the alcohol itself can cause a lot of damage to the liver and puts extra, unnecessary pressure on it.

However, if you remove the alcohol from the equation, you can drink the beverage and fool yourself that you’re having the real thing… while sometimes even getting a few of the benefits of the said beverage (if any).

I must say that I wasn’t able to find a lot of information regarding the safety of drinking alcohol free wine when having a fatty liver, but everything I read during my research – as well as my own experience with non alcoholic wine and beer – tell me that it’s safe as long as you have it with moderation, every now and then.

I even read a study that found out that non alcoholic wine is healthier than regular wine, having even better positive effects in lowering blood pressure, for example, than alcoholic wine, as well as coming with other heart-related benefits. Great news!

It makes sense, too: any positive effects these drinks have on one’s health are not caused by the alcohol, but other components, which should normally be the same even when the alcohol is removed. We do have alcohol for various reasons, but never its health benefits!

These would be my thoughts about non alcoholic wine, as well as and my recommendations.

I am sharing these with you because I had no idea that this was an option and that alcohol free wine even existed.

If you’re in the same spot as I was, you’ll probably be very happy to hear that you do have options, even though limited – it’s better than nothing, though!

If you enjoy drinking beer instead of wine, I wrote an article about that too so make sure to read my thoughts about drinking beer with a fatty liver.

Conclusion

I have to say this again: I am NOT a doctor and even though I had no problems drinking alcohol free beverages and I don’t think other people suffering from NAFLD would, make sure to talk to your doctor about this first.

Fatty liver, in some cases, goes hand in hand with diabetes (which is not my case) and then, even non alcoholic wine could be out of question.

So if in doubt, make sure to bring this up on your next visit to the doctor and don’t drink anything until you get the OK from them.

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