Your Fatty Liver Meal Plan

Feeling overwhelmed after a new fatty liver diagnosis? You’re not alone. With so much (often conflicting) information out there, it can be hard to know what’s actually helpful—or where to even begin. The good news? Making meaningful changes to support your liver health is absolutely possible, and starting with a simple, realistic meal plan can make a big difference. Getting solid nutrition guidance early on is one of the most important steps you can take.

The liver is your body’s “metabolic hub”—it plays a key role in digestion, nutrient absorption, and storage. While heavy alcohol use is a well-known cause of liver damage, many cases of fatty liver disease are linked to diet and lifestyle habits. That’s why it’s so important to have routine medical testing done as part of your regular checkups. Catching signs of fatty liver early gives you the chance to make changes that can prevent the condition from progressing and causing long-term liver damage.

I always encourage my clients to ask their doctor to assess liver function annually—even if they feel fine. Early intervention is powerful, and working with a Registered Dietitian can be one of the most helpful tools for getting started. If you’ve been diagnosed with fatty liver, ask for a referral to a dietitian right away (sometimes you have to request it!). A meal plan tailored to support your liver can help take the guesswork out of what to eat.

Need support? You’re always welcome to reach out to me and my team—we’re here to help. Here’s a link to book a quick call to discuss. 

What is fatty liver?

The liver plays a key role in lipid metabolism, movement, and storage. It makes digestive fluid (bile) for lipid digestion and specialized proteins (lipoproteins) for moving lipids throughout the body. The liver also processes dietary fats into energy and ships the extra away for storage in adipose (fat) tissue. Due to its role with lipids in the body, it is normal to have a small store of fat in the liver. In someone with healthy liver function, that’s around 5-10% of your liver is fat (by weight). Anything beyond this is “fatty liver” with severity dependent on what percentage of the liver is fat. 

Sometimes, the liver is not able to process digested fat molecules correctly – this leads to a build-up of fat in the liver. Fatty liver can be classified as either nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) based on severity and the presence of inflammation and cell damage. 

NAFLD is often called the “silent liver disease” as it tends to be asymptomatic and often will not result in permanent liver damage. The key distinguishing factor between NAFLD and NASH is the presence of inflammation and cell damage. NASH is defined as the presence of inflammation and damage in fatty liver. As the liver becomes increasingly inflated with fat, it becomes inflamed, cells begin to die, and the liver begins to lose function. This is what leads to unpleasant symptoms like liver/abdominal pain, severe tiredness, weakness, weight loss, yellowing of skin/eyes, spider-like blood veins, and long-lasting itching. NASH can lead to permanent scarring and damage, and in extreme cases, liver cancer and liver failure if you don’t get help and make guided changes. This is where dietitians are a great resource! Let’s look at the role of diet and other factors in how fatty liver can occur.

Your liver plays a key role in how your body processes and manages fat. It helps produce bile for digesting lipids, creates specialized proteins (called lipoproteins) to transport lipids hrough the body, and converts dietary fats into energy. It also stores a small amount of fat—which is completely normal. In a healthy liver, fat makes up about 5–10% of its weight. When fat content exceeds that range, it’s considered fatty liver, with severity depending on just how much fat has accumulated.

Fatty liver develops when the liver can’t properly process or break down fats, leading to a build-up within the liver tissue itself. There are two main types of fatty liver disease:

• Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) – the most common type, often called the “silent liver disease” because it usually has no symptoms and doesn’t always lead to permanent damage.

• Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) – a more serious form of fatty liver where inflammation and liver cell damage are present. Over time, this can impair liver function and may lead to more severe outcomes like fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure.

With NASH, symptoms may eventually show up, including liver or abdominal pain, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), visible blood vessels, or persistent itching. While these symptoms often appear later, early detection and nutrition-focused care can help prevent progression and support healing.

This is exactly where a Registered Dietitian can make a big difference—helping you understand the role of diet and lifestyle in managing or even reversing fatty liver. Let’s take a closer look at how it all connects.

How does fatty liver happen? 

There are several diet and lifestyle factors that can contribute to the development of fatty liver. It’s often linked with other health conditions that affect how your body processes fats and sugars, including:

• High blood sugar or diabetes: When blood sugar levels are consistently high, the excess sugar gets converted into fat and stored in the body. Some of this fat can accumulate in the liver, especially if the liver’s ability to process and export fat is impaired.

• High triglycerides or cholesterol: A diet high in added sugars and unhealthy fats, along with low physical activity, can lead to elevated blood lipids. When there’s more fat in the body than the liver can process efficiently, it can start to build up in liver cells.

One reason there has been an increase in fatty liver in the United States is that the standard American diet (SAD) is high in saturated fats, added sugars, and ultra processed foods – all of which have been shown to increase risk of health issues like diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, and overall disease risk. SAD is also low in vitamins, minerals, and complex carbohydrates (fiber). As many as 95% of Americans likely do not meet daily recommended fiber intake goals – this can be a major contributing factor to poor blood sugar control and excess fat in the body. With the prevalence of poor diet in the USA, it is not surprising that around 25% of Americans have NAFLD, and about 5% have NASH. 

Unfortunately, it is also possible for there to be no clear reason for fatty liver to happen, and there are other components that are thought to contribute (like genetics or medications you have to take). This is another reason why regular health check ups and preventative/early lifestyle changes are so beneficial – you might have zero known risk factors and still have altered liver function which can progress and become problematic if not addressed.

The good news? Many of these factors are responsive to nutrition and lifestyle changes—which is why early intervention and support are so important. You can treat the factors that lead to NAFLD like high triglycerides, high cholesterol, high blood sugar/diabetes, and even reduce the amount of fat in your liver by consuming a well-balanced, anti-inflammatory plant-based diet – and I’m here to help you get started. This is the foundation of what myself and other Registered Dietitian Nutritionists do and how we help people. And I can tell you: it makes a huge difference. 

Nutrition to support the liver

An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on eating a diet rich in nutritious foods that have anti-inflammatory nutrients like vitamins A, C, E, omega fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, and more. The foods known to be dense sources of these nutrients include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and plant-based proteins. 

Let’s take a look at how these nutrients support your health and liver:

Anti-inflammatory Micronutrients

Examples: Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, selenium, copper
Food sources: Fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, seeds
Benefits:

• Act as antioxidants to help reduce liver inflammation

• Support immune function and overall cellular health

Complex Carbohydrates & Fiber

Types: Soluble and insoluble fiber
Food sources: Whole grains, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, seeds
Benefits:

• Help lower cholesterol levels

• Promote fullness and steady blood sugar

• Support a healthy gut microbiome

Healthy Fats

Types: Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
Food sources: Nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, plant oils (like olive and flaxseed), beans and legumes
Benefits:

• Help reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol

• Support satiety and stable energy

• Provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

Phytochemicals (Plant Compounds)

Types: Carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols
Food sources: Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, seeds
Benefits:

• Provide powerful antioxidant support

• Help modulate inflammation and support immune health

Your Fatty Liver Meal Plan

Making a change to your habits and lifestyle takes time, energy, commitment, and thoughtful planning. Many people just don’t have enough of these to dedicate to properly investing in nutrition – and it can get overwhelming fast. As a Registered Dietitian, I am here to support you in these things to help you improve your nutrition with ease and confidence. 

I am constantly developing quick and easy plant-based anti-inflammatory recipes for my clients to help reduce the amount of time spent in the kitchen while increasing their intake of important nutrients. I made this fatty liver meal plan to incorporate some of my favorite anti-inflammatory recipes to help take some of the pressure off of planning your meals, save time, and get great nutrition to support your liver health. 

With easy access to the recipes included (linked below each week), you can efficiently make a list and head to your local grocery store and grab all your groceries for the week in one go. Then the fatty liver meal plan guides you through strategically using these great recipes, designed to leave you leftovers that you can take for lunch later in the week. No more constantly worrying what’s for dinner or raiding the vending machine for lunch (this helps you strategically use your leftovers as well). 

This fatty liver meal plan was designed for you to be plant-based – a plant-based diet has repeatedly demonstrated its benefits for helping with blood sugar control, cholesterol management, and overall disease prevention. This is because plant-foods have high concentrations of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant nutrients and those nutrients that are “pro-disease” like saturated fats and large amounts of simple sugars are much less common in plant-foods versus animal products and ultra-processed foods. The foods I’ve included in your fatty liver meal plan were selected for their anti-inflammatory nutrients and abundance of healthy liver nutrients like B vitamins, omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber. 

Use this 3-week fatty liver meal plan to plan your grocery shopping, discover easy delicious anti-inflammatory recipes, and easily navigate your new approach to your diet, nutrition, and liver health. 

Week 1 recipe links

Spicy Green Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Coconut Lemon Curd Overnight Oats

One Pot Minestrone

Guacamole

Zucchini Muffins

Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Lasagna Casserole

Pumpkin Spice Homemade Waffles

Crispy Eggplant BLT

Week 2 recipe links

Egg and Veggie Breakfast Sandwich 

One Pan Salmon and Veggies  by Real Food Dietitians

Teriyaki Tofu Sheet Pan Dinner

Hummus

Banana Ginger Oats

Tortilla Soup by Feel Good Foodie 

One Pot Cauliflower Curry

Simple Quinoa Apple Power Bowl

Coconut Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Vegetable Stir Fry with Peanuts

Greens and Sweet Potato Hash by Morton Salt

Week 3 recipe links

Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal Bake

Chipotle Tempeh Tacos by Oh My Veggies

Easy Vegan Pasta with Summer Vegetables (Harvest Vegan Pasta) by Dietitian Debbie

Turmeric Grits with Greens

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

One Pot Red Lentil Soup by Minimalist Baker

Chickpea and Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Wild Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie

One Pot Enchilada Pasta

Garlic Chili Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Vegetarian Sheet Pan Nachos

More NAFLD resources for you

For more resources on an anti-inflammatory plant-based diet, check out my ebook Anti-Inflammatory Plant-Based Eating 101. This is a great place to find more great recipes, information on benefits of plant-based approach, shopping and budget guides, and more meal plans for anti-inflammatory eating.

For in-depth, personalized support getting started on your anti-inflammatory nutrition journey, enroll in my Anti-Inflammatory Restart Nutrition Program: https://gingerhultinnutrition.com/resources/#program. 

My Meal Prep for Weight Loss 101 ebook is another great place to start for helping build healthier habits with 4 weeks of pre-made meal plans and recipes, grocery list and tools for meal planning for yourself, and an overall balanced, healthful approach to healthier habits and weight loss.

Good luck, and happy cooking!