Im a doctor eat these 6 foods to optimize your liver function

Talk about an organ-ic diet.Dr.Joseph Salhab, also known as @thestomachdoc on TikTok, is revealing his six must-have foods for ultimate liver function — avocados, olive oil, oily fish, nuts, green tea and coffee.The Florida-based gastroenterologist frequently shares the details of his diet with his 1.7 million TikTok followers to inspire them to adopt gut- and liver-friendly eating habits.His latest roundup of healthy picks comes as new research emerges about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the so-called “silent epidemic” that affects about one in four American adults.As its name implies, NAFLD is marked by excess fat in the liver of people who consume little or no alcohol.The primary cause is obesity, along with metabolic risk factors such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obstructive sleep apnea.

“If you have fatty liver disease, you’re always going to want to combine dietary changes with lifestyle changes like exercise at least four to five times a week, be at a healthy weight if you’re overweight, and avoiding liver toxins like alcohol,” Salhab advised.Salhab said that besides being a healthy source of fat and fiber, avocados contain “vitamin E, which we know is anti-inflammatory for the liver.”Eating an avocado a day has also been linked to improved sleep quality and cardiovascular function and a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes in women.Olive oil, a staple of the much-lauded Mediterranean diet and sometimes called “liquid gold,” is the queen of fats.

It is monounsaturated and packed with antioxidants and other healthy compounds.The potential benefits of olive oil include reduced risk of dementia and cardiovascular disease and relief of constipation.In addition to cooking with olive oil, Salhab suggests regularly using a drizzle as a topping, “By eating it like this, sometimes you’re able to preserve some of the more beneficial compounds within the olive oil that may get lost if it’s coo...