Foods that are good for hepc but not for Cirrhosis...

[Sharron1]

Hello again...I have been reading about foods and diets to help with appetite and hep C.   Spinach and kelp was high on my list for juicing and trying to add to diet.....blending fruits and veg so thick to eat  rather than drinking Juice but now I see people posting that if you are cirrhotic, NOT to eat spinach and kale......anyone help, ty

[PaulaAnn]

you're doing good cici....its tough to learn the computer and all the different sites.  hugs..Paula

[cicijones]

DON'T KNOW , HOW TO COMMEND ON YOUR LETTER ABOVE. BUT ! BY ME READING THAT , I'V LEARNED , WHAT I'M DOING IS GRRRRRATE STUFF. THANK YOU , THANK YOU ! IF YOU KNOW HOW TO REPLY TO ME , THANX ! AS , I'M TRYING TO LEARN C.PUTER STILL AND , WEBSITE .           CICI JONES

[HectorSF]

As Advocate said diet has no effect on the hepatitis C virus. The virus will continue to replicate and do more damage to your liver. The only way to effect your hepatitis C is to treat it and hopefully achieve SVR after completing treatment.

Since you have cirrhosis and portal hypertension you should be following diet guidelines for people with advanced liver disease (cirrhosis) because your liver is damaged and compromised. Your doctor should educate you on  a cirrhotic diet. As mentioned it is important to have a healthy, well-balanced diet, less than 2,000mg of sodium per day to avoid edema and ascites, no red meat if you have hepatic encephalopathy, eat many small meals throughout the day, raw seafood, especially shellfish, should NOT be eaten.

More details on diet -
https://louisville.edu/medschool/gimedicine/patient-care/Cirrhosis%20Recommendations.pdf

For more details on limiting sodium -
http://www.med.umich.edu/hepatology/images/Cirrhosis%20Patient%20Toolkit.v2.pdf
page 17

Please consult with your doctor who is managing your cirrhosis as each patient has individual needs.

Best
Hector

[Advocate1955]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say foods that are good for Hep C. Your diet will not affect your Hep C virus in any way. However, in general, a healthy diet (low fat, fresh fruits and vegetables) is good for you, and if you are oversight, getting to a good BMI is beneficial for your overall health and a less fatty liver helps your liver work better. If you have cirrhosis, it is even more important to avoid medications, herbs, or supplements that are filtered through the liver and to avoid vitamins that have iron because it is hard on the cirrhotic liver. In general, people.should limit their sodium intake to the recommended amount, but people.with cirrhosis need to be even more vigilant about limiting sodium to the recommended amount in order to prevent portal hypertension and as cites. So, in general, the recommendation for people with cirrhosis is to get to and maintain an ideal BMI, avoid iron, and limit sodium to the recommended level, eat adequate organic fruits and vegetables, don't drink alcohol, run all meds by your hepatologist, even herbs and supplements...None of these habits will affect your Hep C one way or the other, but they will lessen the burden on your liver and hopefully keep your liver functioning as well as possible. Only treating your Hep C will affect your Hep C.

[rivll]

What I forgot to add was after I said,'
The body usually only processes 10% of the iron from these greens but people with hemochromatosis take in 30% of the iron from foods and their condition often leads to cirrhosis. ' is that I do not think it follows that for someone w/o Hemachromatosis, it will increase damage to their liver by eating spinach salad...you are still just getting 10% of the iron.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/321711-high-iron-liver-problems/

Ask your doc.:-)

[rivll]

Hi Sharron,
I have thought of this for a few years because I used to juice greens until I came to this forum
The body usually only processes 10% of the iron from these greens but people with hemochromatosis take in 30% of the iron from foods and their condition often leads to cirrhosis.
I have searched for info about iron intake by natural food sources and have found nothing that requires us to eliminate these greens from our diet. I asked my Hepa as well and he was totally fine with salads.
No one wants to advise you to do something that may add to your trouble so I would just ask my Hepa. Also, the link is about healthy eating for cirrhotics.
I personally believe salads are good or adding a few leaves to an omelette but again, check it out and good luck to you.
All the best



http://hepatitis.about.com/od/questions/f/Cirrhosis_Diet.htm