What Is the Best Oil for Fatty Liver?

Choosing the best type of oil when you have a fatty liver can help you reverse your condition faster, by providing the required nutrients your body needs and also ensuring that you’re not putting in any harmful substances.

In today’s article, I will tell you exactly what type of oil to choose if you suffer from fatty liver disease – based on my own experience from reversing my condition, as well as solid research on the matter.

If you have a fatty liver, then you probably know already that greatly reducing the amount of fat in your diet is a solid approach if you want to reverse it.

This means that you should never eat any deep fried products, for example, no matter what oil you use for cooking. I just wanted to say this to make sure that everybody is aware of it from the beginning.

It doesn’t matter how good the oil you use is. Anything deep fried becomes a caloric bomb filled with unhealthy saturated fats and that is unhealthy especially for a liver that’s already suffering.

But for other foods like salads, dressings and even sauteing when needed, you should still use the best oil for fatty liver. And, of course, focus on home cooking. That’s the best approach to feed yourself.

What’s the best cooking oil for fatty liver disease?

extra virgin olive oil for reversing fatty liver

The single type of oil that everybody seems to agree that it’s perfect for fatty liver is extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Avocado oil is also a good choice, but it’s not necessarily better than EVOO.

And since avocado oil is so much more expensive, I don’t really see any solid reasons to use it instead of olive oil. But it’s up for you to decide.

One thing to note, though: your olive oil should always be extra virgin, cold pressed (and if you can afford it, organic as it is considered the best of the best).

Also make sure to purchase a trustworthy brad and from a trustworthy store to avoid fakes. I will list my favorite ones below, so keep reading!

Why is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Best for Fatty Liver?

Olive oil is the staple of the Mediterranean Diet, the diet that I have followed (with slight alterations) to reverse my NAFLD and the diet that most doctors and nutritionists recommend for reversing fatty liver disease.

It has high contents of unsaturated (healthy) fats, including the even better polyunsaturated fats and a lot of antioxidants which are perfect for the liver.

It also appears that the healthy fats and antioxidants from the extra virgin olive oil reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, so you get an added benefit from introducing it to your diet!

Also, according to the US National Center for Biotechnology Information, extra virgin olive oil, the first pressed oil, having maximum free acidity, contains an abundance of squalene and phenolic antioxidants including simple phenols (hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol), aldehydic secoiridoids, flavonoids and lignans (acetoxypinoresnol, pinoresinol).

Interestingly, it contains significantly higher concentrations of phenolic antioxidants and squalene than other refined virgin and seed oils.

In addition, seed oils, which contain very low amounts of squalene, have none of the phenolic antioxidants that are present in virgin and refined olive oils.

In English language, this means that the extra virgin olive oil is an amazing choice – and the best choice, in my opinion (I eat nothing but this type of oil now) when dealing with a fatty liver or when you want to eat healthy in general.

I usually prefer the Greek olive oil because it has a distinct, more powerful flavor and smell, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter what choice you make as long as you are consuming extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Italian and Spanish brands are great choices too!

What Is the Best Olive Oil to Choose?

bottles of EVOO

As I said earlier, it doesn’t really matter what brand you choose, as long as it is trustworthy and you are 100% sure you’re getting what is advertised (which is cold pressed, first hand extra virgin olive oil, ideally organic).

If you want my opinion and see what I use personally, here are my top choices, from a bit pricey to really cheap. (Please note: the links below are affiliate links).

1. Iliada Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This is by far the best tasting, most amazing EVOO that I have tried. I absolutely love it and I am sure that you will too, especially if you’re a fan of a stronger tasting oil.

It comes in a larger, 34 ounces (1 liter) can, but as long as you store it correctly in a dark place, it should start oxidating too soon. Alternately, you can split it into 2-3 smaller bottles (make sure they are really dark) and store them in a dark place too.

I usually don’t and I have been consuming this for years without a problem. Highly recommended.

2. Sky Organics Organic EVOO

Cold Pressed, unfiltered and Non-GMO award winning Organic Oil. This is a really high quality product which does come at a higher price than usual, but if you don’t mind spending a bit more for your health, it is a perfect choice.

It’s organic, unlike the brand recommended above and it has a solid flavor that last well. Comes from Greece too.

3. AmazonFresh Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

If you want to keep costs low, go for Amazon’s own brand and choose this oil made from Italian olives.

While it doesn’t have the same strong flavor that I love about most Greek olive oils, this could be an advantage for those who don’t really like that particular taste. It’s really cheap too, and that always comes as an added bonus.

How to use EVOO for maximum benefits for your liver

When it comes to olive oil, have two things in mind: store it in a dark, cool place because the oxidation process starts almost as soon as you open the bottle. And oxidation makes it go bad and alters its taste.

This is why it’s best to go for the smaller containers or, if you buy the larger ones, transfer them into smaller bottles and seal them and keep them in a dark place to reduce the oxidation process to a minimum.

However, if you notice that the taste is altered and it smells or tastes rancid, you should throw it away, as it might be more unhealthy than good for you.

I never had this problem with the oils recommended above, and the Iliada usually lasts me a couple of months.

olive oil for NAFLD

Also, try not to cook it! Use it raw and if you want to add it to your home cooked dishes, add it AFTER you’re done cooking.

This guarantees that the oil stays intact and offers the best nutritional punch possible. Heating it will alter it a bit and change some of its nutrition.

However, if you really want to heat it, you can do so as EVOO has a relatively high smoking point: 210 degrees Celsius (410 Fahrenheit). This makes it perfect for sauteing or oven-cooking.

My grand-grandmother swears that EVOO saved her live

And finally, a short personal anecdote on why I prefer the extra virgin olive oil to any other type of oil: according to my mother, my grand-grandmother had liver problems (she doesn’t know what exactly, though).

We’re talking about the mid 1900s here, when medicine was not as advanced and people went for natural cures.

Apparently, my grandmother found the best one after a doctor recommended her to drink one table spoon of olive oil per day. And so she did.

It is unclear for how long, but she got cured, never had any other liver problems and lived until she was 90 years old. She always said that it was olive oil that saved her life.

Now if the other members of the family believed her and used olive oil in our diets, maybe I wouldn’t have had fatty liver problems in the first place…

I don’t say that you should start drinking olive oil like she did – I certainly wouldn’t – but I do say that I strongly believe that olive oil (especially extra virgin) is the best oil for fatty liver and since there are studies showing that it might actually help reverse the condition… why not try it?

What other oils are safe for fatty liver?

While you don’t really need an alternative and Extra virgin olive oil remains the best choice for NAFLD, if you really can’t stand the taste, it’s good to know that you have options.

And one of the best oils for fatty liver is avocado oil. Similarly to EVOO, it helps our body with various healthy fats and antioxidants.

There is also a study published in 2019 that found avocado oil to be beneficial in our fight to reverse fatty liver.

This is a more uncommon type of oil and also pretty expensive so you don’t really have to go overboard to consume it. But if you don’t like Extra Virgin Olive oil, this would be the alternative!

Just like with EVOO, you shouldn’t consume it in large quantities – just add a little drizzle to make your food taste better. But never overdo it!

Wrapping up

We know now that extra virgin olive oil is the best type of cooking oil for those suffering from a fatty liver disease. It’s the type of oil I personally used exclusively, and I did manage to reverse my fatty liver, so at the very least, it doesn’t cause any harm.

Avocado oil is equally good – so you have a solid alternative if you don’t enjoy the taste of EVOO. But if you do – make sure to add it do your diet and replace any other type of cooking oil you might be using.

And if you’re looking for ideas on what to cook, I have an article sharing fatty liver-friendly recipes, as well as one debating whether or not you should eat pork with fatty liver disease.

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8 thoughts on “What Is the Best Oil for Fatty Liver?”

  1. Hi. I think extra virgin olive oil is the best among all olive oils I know of; however, I have read that in case of heating all its antioxidants and stuff that makes it better evaporates, so in that case which olive oil should one use for cooking( not for salads etc)? Since extra virgin costs more, it would be a waste buying it for cooking.

    Reply
    • There are many studies that confirm what you’re saying. But since frying food is a big no-no in the case of people suffering from a fatty liver, olive oil still remains the best choice in my opinion. Plus, if you REALLY think that you have to add it to your cooked foods, you should add it after cooking it, while the food is still hot.

      Reply
  2. Is Avocado Oil okay for NAFLD? I use olive oil in salads, but use avocado oil to cook with as it tolerates higher temperatures!!

    Reply

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