Dr Sethi Recommends 7 Drinks to Support Liver Health Naturally

Q: What hidden additives in popular plant milks could be quietly sabotaging your liver health goals?

The main ingredients to watch in plant milks are added sugars, flavored syrups, and long lists of stabilizers or emulsifiers that turn a simple drink into a more processed product. For liver health, the biggest concern is sugar: sweetened vanilla, chocolate, “original,” or barista-style plant milks can quietly add enough sugar to work against efforts to reduce liver fat and improve insulin resistance. Experts cited in the reporting specifically recommend unsweetened soy milk and unsweetened almond milk, with label-checking as the key safeguard. Beyond sugar, many brands include gums and thickeners such as gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, and carrageenan, plus preservatives, flavorings, sodium, and added oils. These additives are mainly used to improve texture, prevent separation, or help milk foam in coffee. They are not proven direct causes of liver disease in the way excess sugar is, but they can make a product more ultra-processed and may be undesirable if you are trying to keep your diet simple and metabolically healthy. “Barista” versions deserve extra scrutiny because they often contain added oils, proteins, and acidity regulators such as dipotassium phosphate or citrate salts to improve frothing and prevent curdling. The safest rule is straightforward: choose unsweetened, unflavored plant milks with short ingredient lists, and avoid products with added sugar, syrups, heavy flavoring, or unnecessary additives whenever possible.

3 articles · Updated · The Economic Times · Aug 7

Seven drinks topped Dr Sethi’s liver-health list, led by water and black coffee, with green tea, herbal tea, sparkling water, unsweetened soy milk and unsweetened almond milk also recommended.
Black coffee and green tea stand out because research links them to lower risks of fatty liver, fibrosis and cirrhosis, while green tea may also improve liver enzymes and reduce fat buildup in NAFLD.
Unsweetened choices are the common rule: Dr Sethi warned against syrups, heavy cream and flavored versions, saying added sugar and excess calories can work against liver-health goals.
Water remains the baseline recommendation for hydration and waste removal, while sparkling water with lemon or lime and herbal tea after dinner were suggested as easier swaps for sugary drinks.