SIMPLE SWAPS
You can use this guide to help you make simple swaps that support liver health.
Below you’ll find everyday food options grouped into three categories:
Foods to include
Foods to limit
Foods to avoid
If something you usually eat falls into the Limit or Avoid group, you can check what’s in the Include list and try swapping it. For example, swap white bread for wholegrain Lebanese bread or sweetened yoghurt for plain yoghurt.
Breads and cereals
At least 5 serves per day.
One serve = 1 piece of bread, half a cup of cooked grains or half a cup of cooked pasta.
Include
- Wholemeal versions of breads such as:
- Lebanese bread
- Sandwich bread
- Pasta
- Couscous
- Brown rice
- White rice
- Quinoa
- Freekah
- Bourghul
- Barley
- Teff
- Sorghum
- Millet
- Semolina
- Natural muesli
- Oats and porridge made from oats (not a pre-packaged porridge mix)
- Sourdough (white sourdough is okay if it’s aged and doesn’t have added yeast. Check the label as many supermarket brands add yeast and other extras).
Limit
- White bread
- Commercial sourdough
- Plain fruit bread / scones / raisin toast
Foods in this group should make up no more than 1 serve per day in total
Avoid
- Pre-packaged porridge mixes
- Breakfast cereals that contain added sugars, including toasted muesli with honey
- Brioche buns, including hamburger buns
- Sugary iced breads and scrolls or fatty breads such as:
- Finger buns
- Cream buns
- Croissants
- Brioche
Vegetables
Minimum of 5 serves per day. One serve = ½ cup cooked or 1 cup of salad.
Include
- All fresh and canned vegetables without added salt
Limit
- Canned with salt
Avoid
- ‘Chips’ and crisps made from vegetables
Starchy vegetables
1 serve per day (If you choose to eat them). One serve = 150g or ⅔ -¾ cup of vegetables.
Include
- Taro
- Breadfruit
- Yams
- Potato
- Sweet potato
- Polenta/cornmeal
Limit
Avoid
- Salted and deep-fried versions of these vegetables
- Frozen chips for oven baking
- Hot chips
- Potato crisps
Fruit
2-4 serves per day. One serve = ½ cup of chopped fruit or a handful of whole fruit or 30g dried fruit.
Include
- All fresh whole fruit
Limit
- Dried fruit (limit to 3 serves per week)
- Fruit canned in natural juice, drain the juice before eating
- 100% fruit juice to drink (limit to 1 small glass (200mL) twice a week)
Avoid
- Fruit canned in syrup
- Fruit in jelly
- Fruit juice beyond the limit
- Fruit blends, fruit smoothies
Milk and dairy
2-3 serves per day. One serve = 300mL milk, 200g yoghurt, 30-40g hard cheese or ½ cup of un-aged fresh cheese Note: include1 serve of yoghurt per day.
Include
- Low fat milk
- Unsweetened yoghurt – Greek and pot-set varieties are good choices
- Other naturally fermented milk products e.g. Kefir
- Low fat cottage cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Low fat cream cheese
- Hard unprocessed cheeses like Parmesan and Romano
- Bocconcini and Buffalo Mozzarella
- Unsweetened calcium fortified dairy replacements such as soy, almond and oat ‘milk’
Limit
- Other cheeses
Avoid
- Cream
- Butter
- Sweetened and flavoured yoghurts
- Ice cream
- Cream cheese dips and desserts
- Sour cream
- Any food that includes large amounts of cheese or dairy above the daily limits
Red meat
Limit to twice per week. One serve = 100g.
Include
Limit
- Beef
- Lamb
- Pork
Avoid
- Highly processed or poor-quality meat products:
- Polony, salami
- Sausages
- Fat on meat
- Ham
- Bacon
- Heavily marbled meat
- Highly processed vegan plant-based meat replacements
Nuts
At least 5 serves per week. One serve = 30-50g.
Include
- All raw nuts
- Dry roasted nuts
- Unsweetened/unsalted nut pastes
- Ground nuts/nut meals
- Unsweetened nut pastes
Limit
- Salted nuts
- Nut mixes that include dried fruit and/coconut/soy crisps etc
Avoid
- Chocolate coated nuts
- Sugar coated nuts
Fish, seafood
At least 2 serves per week. One serve = 150g fish of or 200g shellfish.
Include
- Fresh fish and seafood
- Fish or seafood canned in water or oil
Limit
- Fish or seafood canned in brine/saltwater
Avoid
- Takeaway battered or crumbed deep-fried fish or seafood
- Packed battered or crumbed seafood
Eggs, poultry and rabbit
2-3 times per week and include 6-7 eggs per week. One serve = 100-150g of meat or 1 large egg.
Include
- Eggs
- Rabbit
- Skinless fresh:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Other poultry
Limit
Avoid
- Skin on:
-
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Processed chicken and turkey (e.g. pressed and packaged lunch meats)
- Chicken nuggets or similar
Oils and spreads
3 serves per day. One serve = 1 tablespoon.
Include
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Olive margarine*
- Avocado
- Unsalted unsweetened nut pastes
* Margarine is not generally recommend, but where you need to use a spreadable fat then choose an extra virgin olive oil margarine.
Limit
- Oils other than olive
- Butter
Avoid
- Non-olive-oil margarines
- Cream
- Sour cream
- Lard
- Dripping
- Duck or goose fat
- Copha
- Coconut oil
- Mayonnaise
- Commercial salad dressings
Drinks
At least 2 litres per day.
Include
- Water
- Plain soda water
- Soda water with added fresh lemon, lime, cucumber, mint
- Commercial soda water or mineral water with a ‘hint’ of fruit
- Herbal teas and chai made on water
- Tea – unsweetened
- Coffee – unsweetened
Limit
- Milk-based coffees and drinks e.g. cappuccino, café latte, flat white
- 100% fruit juices – limit to a small glass and no more than a couple of times a week
- Chai tea made of milk
Avoid
- Soft drinks (both diet/artificially sweetened and the full-sugar versions)
- Flavoured milk drinks
- Cordials
- Any alcohol above 2 standard drinks per day
- Spirits
- Beer
- Chai latte made from powder or syrup
- Fruit juice drinks
- Fruit flavoured mineral waters
- Energy drinks
- Vitamin waters, etc
- Smoothies and fruit blends