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Doctor recommends adding these top magnesium-rich foods to your diet to avoid fatty liver

Protect your liver from fatty acid by including these magnesium rich food sources that reduce the risk factors. 

Updated on: Apr 30, 2025, 10:30:09 IST
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The liver is a crucial organ, making it all the more important to follow a diet that supports its functions properly. Whether detoxifying the body or regulating digestion, the liver takes care of major vital processes. But liver health is at risk with the rise of sedentary lifestyles, long hours of sitting, and increased consumption of processed foods. However, certain nutrients help support liver function. Magnesium is one such nutrient.

Eating right will help with your liver functions. (Shutterstock)
Eating right will help with your liver functions. (Shutterstock)

Florida-based Gastroenterologist Dr Joseph Salhab, also known as ‘the stomach doc’ on Instagram, shared top sources of magnesium-rich foods on his social media, highlighting the importance of magnesium in supporting liver functions.

He revealed the benefit of magnesium and elaborated, "Studies show people who eat more magnesium-rich foods have a lower risk of a fatty liver."

While typically nutrients like magnesium are not as much associated with liver, with lean protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamins taking up the spotlight, it's time you look at the lesser-known players in the game of nutrition and know how magnesium quietly supports your liver. Moreover, some magnesium-rich foods also contain vitamins, fibre, and healthy fats, multitasking as big nutritional powerhouses.

ALSO READ:Experts warn of rising fatty liver disease among young adults in India

Here are some top magnesium-rich foods that Dr Joseph Salhab recommended, elaborating on the nutritional benefits and ideal pairs to go with:

1. Pumpkin seeds with avocado

Pumpkin seeds are a good source of magnesium. (Pexels)
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of magnesium. (Pexels)

The first is pumpkin seeds,one of the highest in magnesium, and if you combine them with another liver-healthy source like avocado, it makes a great breakfast.

ALSO READ: Pumpkin seeds for better sleep: A complete guide to their nutritional value and how to add to your diet

2. Spinach with olive oil

Spinach: Spinach has antioxidants that may help in preventing fatty liver. (Unsplash)
Spinach: Spinach has antioxidants that may help in preventing fatty liver. (Unsplash)

The next is spinach, add some olive oil for extra liver health benefits.

3. Black bean

Black beans are high in fibre. (Freepik)
Black beans are high in fibre. (Freepik)

It boosts both fibre and magnesium.

4. Dark chocolate

70 % dark chocolate is most suitable. (Pexels)
70 % dark chocolate is most suitable. (Pexels)

The next is dark chocolate, perfect if you have a sweet tooth and goes great with any fruit.

5. Edamame

Edamame contains protein too, (Freepik)
Edamame contains protein too, (Freepik)

The next is edamame, it's a perfect blend of protein and magnesium.

6. Almonds and cashews

Cashews contain essential vitamins. (Shutterstock)
Cashews contain essential vitamins. (Shutterstock)

This pair combines both vitamin E and magnesium, which are both great for a healthy liver.

ALSO READ: We should eat 22-23 almonds in a day. Myth or fact? A dietician answers

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

  • Adrija Dey
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Adrija Dey

    Adrija Dey’s proclivity for observation fuels her storytelling instinct. As a lifestyle journalist, she crafts compelling, relatable narratives across diverse touchpoints of the human experience, including wellness, mental health, relationships, interior design, home decor, food, travel, and fashion that gently nudge readers toward living a little better. For her, stories exist in flesh and bones, carried by human vessels and shaped through everyday endeavours. It is the small stories we live and share that make us human. After all, humans and their lores are the most natural and raw repositories of stories, and uncovering them, for her, is akin to peeling an orange under a winter afternoon sun. Always up for a chat, she believes the best stories come from unfiltered yapping, where "too much information" is kind of the point. A graduate of Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, and an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Adrija spends her idle hours cocooned with herbal tea and a gripping thriller, scribbling inner monologues she loosely calls poetic pieces, often with her succulents in attendance. On lazier days, she can be found binge-watching, for the nth time, one from her comfort-show holy trinity: The Office (US), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Modern Family. Dancing by herself to her peppy playlists, however, is an everyday ritual she swears by religiously.Read More

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