Try to Eat as Much Organic Food as Possible if You Have a Fatty Liver

Key takeaways:

1. Organic food reduces exposure to chemicals, potentially easing the burden on the liver for those with fatty liver disease.
2. Incorporate organic foods without breaking the bank by buying in bulk, choosing store brands and starting gradually
3. Not all non-organic foods are bad; some, like those listed in the “clean 15,” are safer due to lower pesticide levels.

When fighting against fatty liver disease, the diet you follow is probably the most important element for success.

And switching to eating organic food is even better, as it helps you remove even more of the chemicals and unhealthy elements and additives.

In today’s article, I will explain why you should do your best to eat as much organic food as possible and especially how to find organic food that won’t break the bank – because, as we all know, it’s usually extremely expensive for most of us.

Back in August 2014, I was diagnosed with a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD – now MASLD) and just seven months later I managed to reverse it, improved my overall health, and got on the right track to having a completely healthy liver.

If you read my previous articles, you already know what type of diet I followed (to sum it up, eating healthy and smaller portions, with nothing consumed in excess and completely avoiding the foods we’re not allowed to have).

What I didn’t say is that I think that you can get an even better & bigger boost by choosing the healthiest food options to reduce the harm done to your body. And that’s organic food.

Unfortunately, the sad truth is that most of the food available in stores and markets – even farmer markets – nowadays is full of chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, and even with extensive washing from our side, there will be at least some residue left over.

Here is what Nutritionist Lucy Miller said on the matter (via Vogue):

Organic produce will help to reduce the amount of chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic hormones and toxins that we are exposed to.

This mixture of chemicals is unhealthy even for an otherwise healthy individual – but even more so for those suffering from a fatty liver, as they will all pass through the liver, potentially causing even more harm.

So my advice? If you’re suffering from a fatty liver, eat as much organic food as possible.

Organic food is not more nutritious than regular food, even though some people believe it is. But while nutritional values are not different between an organic apple, for example, and a non-organic one, the actual benefits come from the lack of chemicals that are used to treat or grow the non-organic food that we consume.

Pesticides, tons of fertilizers, preservatives and other chemicals that increase the shelf life or make the foods we eat more attractive visually – all of these are actually unhealthy.

Sure, there are regulations that most companies adhere to, but it’s still lots of chemicals that you throw into your body and they do add up, even when trying to eat healthy and balanced meals.

And even so, every now and then a test is made and some producer is found to be using more of a chemical or another than they’re supposed to… and this is scary.

Organic foods, on the other hand, should not have any of these chemicals and regulators are even harsher with organic food producers, with huge fines on the line if they fail to comply.

I do believe that maybe some producers don’t really follow all the strict guidelines, but at least there’s a higher degree of control here and the fines and penalties can even take them out of business, so risking it doesn’t make sense for organic food producers.

As a result, eating as much organic food if you have MASLD is ideal.

Unfortunately, most organic food is extremely expensive and since not everybody is a millionaire these days, we can’t afford to eat a diet that’s exclusively organic.

But we should do our best to introduce as much organic food as possible – and with a bit of planning, we can get the best benefits from simple, minor adjustments.

Tips to introduce more organic food into your liver-friendly diet

Below, I am sharing a few of my tricks that I used in the months since I was diagnosed with a fatty liver to eat organic food without spending a fortune (and also maximizing the effects of this change).

– Start small with the cheapest products. I first started to buy products that, even though more expensive than non-organic varieties, last a long while.

Start with spices (this set – affiliate link – is insanely affordable and comes with 24 jars of different organic spices which can last months to a couple of years), then organic whole wheat pasta (affiliate link) and black rice (affiliate link).

You will use these products over a few months, and the financial shock won’t be that big, and you can slowly switch to adding more and more organic products into your diet, over time.

– Keep an eye on discounts and stock up. If we’re talking about products that don’t spoil quickly, you should buy as many as possible when they are available at special prices.

I always keep an eye on Amazon’s organic products (affiliate link) and buy in bulk and/or at discounts.

I really recommend you do the same – it requires a bit of getting used with all the products and prices (you should write them down for further reference!) but all this hard work is really worth it because, in the end, it’s your health that you’re taking care of!

– Buy in bulk. Usually, the more you buy, the better the prices – and a good example is all the products I recommended above. If these products happen to be at a discount, it’s even better.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out my previous article, where I share a Monthly Shopping List for Fatty Liver Reversal.

– Buy store brands instead of big brand names. Organic milk and yogurt is way cheaper at stores like Lidl or Aldi (and probably every store that has its own brand) and it’s still organic.

– Visit farmer markets and local farmers. Some won’t use pesticides and/or just natural fertilizers for their fresh products. Since most are not certified organic, this is risky, but a risk I am always willing to take.

Talk to the people selling their products, find out how they grow their crops and use common sense when buying (way too large and perfect looking products are usually not organic).

– Know which non-organic foods are still considered safe to eat. Keep an eye on the so-called dirty dozen and the clean 15: this is a list of fresh fruits and vegetables that are usually either full of pesticides and chemicals (the dirty dozen) or safer to eat. Check the list here.

This means that you’re bombarding your body with fewer chemicals if you get the non-organic versions of the clean 15, but you should try to eat as much of the ones on the “dirty dozen” organic.

There are also many other foods that are still safe to eat even if they’re not organic, as chemicals and pesticides are not used during the fabrication process.

If you have a particular product that you use a lot in your diet, simply do some research via google and decide if it’s still safe to eat it even if not organic. But do the research on multiple sources and make sure that they’re trustworthy!

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Finally, remember that “organic” does not automatically mean “healthy” when you have a fatty liver.

If you are buying processed foods, even if they are organic, they can be still very high in fat or sugar – or even have preservatives, artificial flavorings, and so on – so always make sure to read the label or, even better, ignore processed foods completely and buy the base ingredients.

Start slowly and adjust your budget accordingly. You will see that once you get used to it, eating mostly organic is not that much more expensive than consuming regular food, as long as you invest some time in finding best deals and planning your purchases accordingly.

Do you have additional tips for those looking to switch to eating more organic food in their quest to reverse fatty liver? Let us all know by commenting below!

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