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.
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.