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ADAPT YOUR FAVOURITE MEALS

You don’t have to start from scratch or give up the meals you love. The Fatty Liver Diet can still include your usual favourites — just with a few smart swaps to make them better for your liver.

Casserole/stew

  • Choose lean cuts of meat (you can’t see any marbling).
  • Trim all visible fat from the meat BEFORE cooking.
  • Replace some meat with legumes (chickpeas, lentils or kidney beans)
  • Use extra virgin olive oil.
  • Sprinkle toasted nuts and seeds on top before serving.

Roast

  • Choose lean cuts of meat (you can’t see any marbling). Trim all visible fat from the meat BEFORE cooking.
  • Place your meat on a rack over a baking tray with 1-2 cm of water (for extra flavour add herbs or wine to the water).
  • Keep meat moist by brushing with a marinade. Or cover the meat with foil or a lid, or use an oven bag.
  • Roast meat on a rotisserie/spit to allow fat to drain away.
  • Roast vegetables in a separate pan so they don’t absorb meat fat.
  • Roast vegetables in extra virgin olive oil instead of other fats and oils.

Meat and poultry

  • Trim off all the fat you can see BEFORE cooking.
  • Remove skin before cooking.
  • Use extra virgin olive oil to cook.

Shallow fry or sauté

  • Use extra virgin olive oil instead of other fats and oils.
  • Don’t re-use the same oil.

Deep fry

  • Steam or microwave the food until it’s soft. Then brush with extra virgin olive oil and crisp it up in the oven or air fryer.
  • Crumb and oven bake foods rather than deep-frying.
  • Shallow fry in extra virgin olive oil rather than deep fry.
  • Instead of batter, use pure cornflour and then fry in extra virgin olive oil.

Milk, yoghurt, cream

  • Use reduced fat milk.
  • Use natural, Greek or pot-set yoghurt.
  • Use low fat ricotta cheese or natural yoghurt whipped with a little bit of icing sugar instead of cream.

Sour cream

  • Use Greek yoghurt.
  • Make strained Greek yoghurt: put pot-set Greek yoghurt in a strainer over a bowl in the fridge. Leave to drain for several hours. It will be really smooth and creamy!

Cheese

  • Use a small amount of grated parmesan cheese, not cheddar cheese.

Butter, margarine and spreads

  • Use extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil-based margarines.
  • Choose a ‘light’ extra virgin olive oil if you don’t like the flavour.

Oil

  • Use extra virgin olive oil. Different types have different flavours. Extra virgin has a strong flavour, light extra virgin has most of the flavour removed.
  • Choose Australian oils where possible.

Mayonnaise or dressing

  • Use yoghurt or our creamy dressing recipe.
  • Use extra virgin olive oil and balsamic or other vinegars, or lemon juice.
  • Make your own mayonnaise in a food processor or blender using extra virgin olive oil.

Cakes and biscuits

  • Eat less than once a week.
  • For special occasions, eat homemade rather than store bought.
  • Where possible, include grains, fruit, nuts and seeds.

Pastry

  • Use filo pastry and brush with extra virgin olive oil.
  • Make your own pastry using extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil spread.

Coconut cream and milk

  • Choose light coconut milk rather than full fat or coconut cream.
  • Choose unsweetened coconut water or carton coconut milk (the kind for drinking) instead of full fat coconut milk.
  • Make a coconut liquid: put 1 cup of desiccated coconut in a bowl and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. After the water has reached room temperature, strain into a bowl. Use the liquid for cooking.
  • Use coconut-flavoured light evaporated milk.
  • If you’re making a curry or dish in a coconut sauce, consider a tomato-based recipe rather than a coconut base.

White sauces

  • Use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
  • Use fat-reduced milk.
  • Use a small amount of Parmesan cheese for flavour, not cheddar cheese.
  • Instead of cheese, use French mustard, nutmeg, clove, or onion/garlic infused extra virgin olive oil.
  • Blend either ricotta cheese or strained Greek yoghurt with a tablespoon or two of grated parmesan cheese.