What should you eat with HepC and Liver Damage?

[countrygirlcansurvive]

I found this article on Nutrition with HepC and Liver damage Foods to eat and foods to avoid.

My Question is to everyone what do you feel like the best foods for you are,and What do you eat? I'm so tired of trying to figure out what I am going to eat everyday..Please give me Your Suggestions!! Country girl has got to eat before I starve my self...



Tips to Avoid Liver Damage From Hepatitis
You need a healthy liver to convert food into energy. To avoid liver damage from hepatitis, start with a well-balanced diet.
By Dennis Thompson Jr.
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH




People with hepatitis need to follow a healthy lifestyle to minimize damage to the liver. Start protecting your liver by paying more attention to nutrition.

"There's no special diet for hepatitis," says Keri Gans, RD, a registered dietitian in New York City and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "A person with hepatitis just needs to follow a healthy, well-balanced diet."

That diet should include:

    Plenty of fruits and vegetables
    Whole grains such as oats, brown rice, barley, and quinoa
    Lean protein such as fish, skinless chicken, egg whites, and beans
    Low-fat or non-fat dairy products
    Healthy fats like those in nuts, avocados, and olive oil

"That's what you want to eat, a varied diet including those components," Gans says. "I tell my clients to picture a dinner plate. One-quarter of the plate should contain high-fiber carbohydrates like whole grains, one-quarter should contain lean protein sources, and the remaining half should contain fruits and vegetables."

To help your body better process food and function at its best, you also need to make sure you drink plenty of fluids. Water is better than caffeinated drinks like coffee and cola. Aim to drink 1 ounce of liquid for every 2 pounds of body weight each day; that means if you weigh 180 pounds, you should drink 90 ounces of water, or about 11 8-ounce glasses.

What Not to Eat or Drink

Keep in mind that an unhealthy diet can contribute to liver damage. If you eat too much high-calorie greasy, fatty, or sugary food, you'll gain weight and fat will begin to build up in your liver. A "fatty liver" can contribute to developing cirrhosis, or scarring, of the liver. Fat in your liver can also interfere with the effectiveness of drugs that target the hepatitis virus.

Avoid the following:

    Saturated fats found in butter, sour cream, and other high-fat dairy foods, fatty cuts of meat, and fried foods
    Sugary treats like cookies, cake, soda, and packaged baked goods
    Foods heavily laced with salt
    Alcohol

Many experts recommend that hepatitis patients also avoid raw or undercooked shellfish, which can harbor viruses and bacteria. You may consider limiting your consumption of processed foods as well, since they can contain chemical additives and high levels of salt.

Other Precautions

Because your liver is battling the hepatitis virus, take special precautions to protect against any disease that would increase the chances of liver damage. Wash all meats, fruits, and vegetables to remove any potentially harmful residues, and wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling food to prevent cross-contamination.

Supplements for Hepatitis

People with hepatitis should talk to their doctors about taking a multivitamin once a day, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a doctor and a registered dietitian in Sarasota, Fla., as well as a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. B vitamins in particular can help spur healing.

"You really want to make sure your body has everything it needs," Dr. Gerbstadt says.

However, you also need to make sure that you don't take in too much of certain vitamins and minerals through the use of supplements, since some can cause liver damage. Be cautious of:

    Iron
    Vitamin A
    Vitamin B3 (niacin)
    Vitamin C
    Vitamin D

Hepatitis patients looking for herbal remedies may consider milk thistle, available in capsules and other forms. Milk thistle may have some restorative properties, suggests Gans. Some studies have found that milk thistle can improve liver function in hepatitis and cirrhosis patients. However, you should always consult with your doctor before trying any supplement or herb, especially if you have hepatitis.

Thanks and by the way I'm still doing good with my tx.Start week 9 of 12 tomorrow..

~Country~

[gegegepa]

I am 80 and most likely had chronic hep c for 60 years.  Discovered in 88 I had hep B antibody (good thing) and non a non b, which in 90 diagnosed as Chronic hep c, with mild damage to the liver.  Had been on Whittaker vitamins before that.  Went on his milk thistle and have been on it continually. My blood work is stable.  Have been retested, still have it, but my viral level has dropped.  I eat healthy, but I live also, so I do cheat.  I have osteoporosis And at 35 had osteo arthritis. I work out 3 times a week to keep me going and as strong as I can possible be.  Now I would like to eat a piece of liver once in awhile?  My husband could sure use it to get iron.  He is 82 and because of my illness is quite healthy....he is not on any drugs.  I am on b.p. Med.

[hepc4Sandi]

Why don't you post your question as a new question, just as you have it worded. Click on green box on the right top, you will get better responses that way.

[mopdog]

I am new to the forum and I need advice on what to eat after I have had a procedure to clear my bile duct. I still feel sickly and I am afraid of eating in case I cause liver damage and in turn blocked bile duct just simple advice will be good

[Stronglady14]

I was told not to take vitc cause it can increase your intake of iron. Also was told not to take SAMe cause I'm allergic to sulpha. Can't take milk thistle either cause allergic to ragweed. I have so many allergies and such I find it very hard to eat. I also have IBS. Allergic to lactose, bad reactions to wheat and corn too. I do keep probiotics in the house if I run out I try to keep soy yogurt in the fridge, sometimes I can't get it. I'm to the point of saying well heck whats left for me to eat. I'm 63 yrs old and it seems the older I get the worse all these issues get. And yes I do have hepc about to finish my tx in 4 days, been undetectable since week 4., geno 2a/2c , fibroscan was 9.9 last one I had. I actually get sick sometimes from not eating cause half the time I don't know what to eat. No luck in finding a nutritionist yet where I live. I am also a severe chronic pain patient due to a very bad car accident, living on morphine now cause its the lesser of evils to some of the other pain meds. I guess I'll end here I already stole someone elses forum and I do apologize.

[Stronglady14]

has no one heard the warnings about how arsenic is very high in rice now. Sorry have no websites to show about it ,just google arsenic and rice. Has something to do with it being in the fertilizer on top of whats in the ground to begin with. I keep as far away form rice as I can. And brown rice is even worse.  They had a big thing about it on world news and yahoo. I can't see going out of my way to put a known poison into my system. Between gmo and poisons it gets tougher and tougher for people with health issues to eat. I just saw a thing on yahoo how this town in Syria is has problems with kidney disease due to poisons being put on the plants and while doing it being barefoot. When I garden I am true organic gardener never use pesticides or artificial fertilizers. I truly believe in companion gardening. Ok going off subject going to end.

[Dee1956]

I recently discovered a Kale salad at my grocery store, delicious!  I don't even notice it is Kale.  They add everything a salad should have and  a lot of sunflower seeds and walnuts, yum!

[orphanedhawk]

If your liver is healthy, you can eat anything ! Just don't drink alcohol.
If you have cirrhosis, then you should indeed go on a special diet.

Hep C itself is not a problem. The damage it can cause our livers, is THE problem.

[keepingOnkeepingOn]

It's never too late to start over but you have to want it bad. All it takes is one step at a time and one day at a time. Wear clothes that cover your tats and keep dreaming of the life you want to live away from the street life. Dreams do come true. If you do well and school yourself to change then in 10 years you will be a completely different person instead of being a 47 year old loser still. The journey starts with the first step.

[keepingOnkeepingOn]

Yes me. I get pretty bad from too much protein. 4 oz max per day and every other day for me. Depends how I'm feeling at the time. Yes too much protein can send me to ER. Bummer. Ammonia levels can be controlled from diet. I have to watch it or the Ammonia build-up will send me to ER. They can even cause fever and chills. Severe confusion and weakness is a sign that a trip to ER may be needed.

[keepingOnkeepingOn]

Kale is excellent even though I can't stand it. It's very good for the liver and has Vitamin k as well as 'stopping replication' properties. You can look up all the foods that help stop virus replication. I printed the list out long ago. Another is blueberries.  From a combo of all my transfusions and eating foods that stop replication I went from 15MM VL down to 6.1MM VL just from diet.
Now the S/O has killed the 6.1MM VL. Yeah.

[keepingOnkeepingOn]

Great topic and ditto to most of your suggestions. For me personally I can't eat oatmeal or I throw it up. I can't eat chicken but rarely or the high protein will cause sick liver symptoms. I can and do eat beef after being a vegetarian all my life. I have to have it at least once a week. It helps me feel better. I limit bread altogether. It contains too much salt. No salt for me.
Salt does damage on my stomach and makes my liver sicker.
I can eat a pastry now and then but not when I'm feeling symptoms. I have to have my fruit. In ICU a liver doc told me to consume lots of vitamin C. It worked well for my anemia. When sick or dizzy a glass of blueberry/pomegranate juice helps. We are all different.
I have to be careful with watermelon or I throw it up. I have to be feeling pretty good to keep it down. It seems each person has to find what works for them using these guidelines. VARIETY is my saving grace. Diet is of utter importance to self care. Coconut milk-my liver loves it.

[winkiey]

wow just found out that i had hep c im starveing can i have pizza i know last night i had fried chicken and like to died cant have that so what can i have

[ceanothus]

Welcome to the Hepatitis C forum! I believe you can find a lot of support here, but you probably will need to start a new thread to get very much attention. Many members just don't notice new posts when they are added to the end of something that is a year old or older. To start a new one you just have to go to the top of the page and click the orange button that says "Post a Question". You can just copy and paste what you wrote above into a new post, and MANY more people will see it - though you might want to correct the typos that say "geo", which I'm guessing are supposed to say "hep", just to reduce any confusion.

This forum is pretty welcoming to people from any sort of background and with any sort of beliefs, and we have members from a huge range if different lifestyles. The only requirements seem to be dealing with Hepatitis C (or helping a loved one with it) and keeping a civil tongue, though trying to be kind to each other is also strongly encouraged here. In addition to provide emotional support, this forum is a great place to learn about the disease and how best to regain your own health.

I applaud you for trying to deal with your problems! Overcoming the addiction is a truly huge step, and I hope you are getting plenty of support for that elsewhere. I know there is another medhelp forum for addictions, and I encourage you to check that out too. When you write again tell us more about your Hepatitis C, whatever you know so far about it, such as genotype, your liver biopsy results, your blood test results, what kind of doctor you are seeing, and whether you've tried treating it yet or are hoping to treat it soon. Lastly, I recommend reading up on this virus at another website, http://hcvadvocate.org. We have all the info here, but it can be hard to find since the site is designed more as a question and answer support forum, whereas they just have the straight info, especially well laid-out for learning the basics quickly. Good luck!

[tempster]

Tempster here, First time here, first time or better said my first step in trying to be healthy and taking my geo c condition more serious then i have, i'm at a stage in my life that I finally got tired of being tired, know what I mean, so change was n is needed, i'm ,37,latino, ex gang member, that like others have it but don't know anything about geo, n the lifestyle we live usually ends with violence rather then illness, unless like me I get tired, I convinced myself that i'm not to old to change and I may still be someone I should of been, content, work house etc. but living enjoying a movie a drive, without fear or violence, and so my use of heroin is my biggest problem left after deciding to change my lifestyle, i'm working on that now but someone like me, my past my look is very much my down fall people just see me n my tattoos, etc my chances for help are gone, so i'm trying it here you guys talk to each so respectfully n listen maybe never knowing one another, so maybe I too can ask for any help tips to use so can cope deal with my hep c eat healthy while working on my up coming changes that I hope take me or put me in a place I never been, in a normal (to me normal means work school, TV friends, no fights, guns, prison,)state of living beOooing n thinking happiness to me would be just that, n I got to enjoy it healthy people seem to do it best so here i'm asking to please lead me in some direction thanks, sorry for rambling,

[ceanothus]

I want to welcome all the newcomers who have jumped onto this thread, but I also want to warn you that tacking your question on to the end of an older thread is not the best approach here. Many of the regulars here have their forum preference set to show the most recent threads first, so the older the thread (as dated by the original question at the top), the farther down the list it will be, and since we all have limits to our time those farther down the list are often not read. It's far better to use the orange "Post a Question" button at the top of the page. Your question will come out on top and will be seen by all, and you will get many more answers and better advice.

[ceanothus]

I want to welcome all the newcomers who have jumped onto this thread, but I also want to warn you that tacking your question on to the end of an older thread is not the best approach here. Many of the regulars here have their forum preference set to show the most recent threads first, so the older the thread (as dated by the original question at the top), the farther down the list it will be, and since we all have limits to our time those farther down the list are often not read. It's far better to use the orange "Post a Question" button at the top of the page. Your question will come out on top and will be seen by all, and you will get many more answers and welcomes!

To Gilsgirl, your question is fine in this forum but would could also go in the "Cirrhosis of the Liver" forum. Lots of people there are very familiar with the ammonia problem. I hope he is now on lactulose to control the hepatic encephalopathy, is seeing good hepatologists at a liver transplant hospital, and has been given nutritional counseling. Yes, turmeric is good for the liver, but no medicines or supplements should be taken by a cirrhotic without first running it past his hepatologist. His diet should be low sodium and very low in red meat, but I believe vegetable proteins are fine. He must completely avoid all alcohol, as a cirrhotic liver is a very fragile liver. His hepatologist should be able to clarify dietary restrictions or may have a nutritionist give him advice. Other forum members will also add good advice if you post as a new question.

[Gilsgirl566]

Hi. my fiance was diagnosed In may with hep c and liver failure. they say he needs a liver tranplant. my ? Is- has anyone had problems with their amonia levels building up causing SEVERE confusion and disorientation. he has been hospitalized seven times in four months. its so heartbreaking to see him like that. also i heard tumeric is goodfor boosting the liver function. in process of checking this out. also does too much protein adversely affect the liver function? btw countrygirl how r u now? i noticed the post was in 2012...its a year later how is everybody else doing as well? any improvements.

[PegPotter]

Hello, you don't know how happy I am to have found this website. I already feel at home. I was diagnosed with the virus 15 years ago. During those years I must have been in denial because I continued to engage in casual drinking and eventalually put on 200 lbs. Obviously this was wreckless and stupid behavior. In June of this year I was diagnosed with a low white blood cell condition that my doctor said is linked to the virus. I got scared and very serious about my situation. I stopped the cold beers after work and started eating healthier. I lost 25 lbs and I'm still losing because my liver sends a very uncomfotable message to my gall bladder and spleen. I immediately drop it from my menu. I also became aware of Dr. Robert Lusting, the author of Sugar Has 56 Names. He also has videos on YouTube. Please, this is not a shameless plug. I've learned a lot about things that can exascerbate and excelerate further damage to my liver. Yes my virtual doctor has given me hope. I only hope that what I have learner will slow the damage down.

I also find it challenging to come up with satisfying meals. However, when I get bored I keep in mind that this is life and death. My desire to live helps me to deal with those things I can no longer have. You see it's life and the love of my family that taste savory and sweet.

[RNLee]

I didn't have an appetite, but took the invicek with 1 tbl of olive oil, it is tough, but 20 gr to 1 tbl, leaves just 8 more, maybe just a "heavy" tablespoon.  What appetite?  Yogurt, jello,, everything else had to just nibble on.  Lost 25%, MD states it will come back.
Hang in there, I did it, and had trouble swallowing it, but leaned not to resist to spit it out.

  

[scratchinghead]

Skip the Milk Thistle. Last big mass of info I read is that it does nothing for Hep C .
I believe this was presented a recent worldwide conference about a year ago. Correct me if I'm wrong. Eat your Kale, young man. Wonder food in salads and (bleah) smoothies!

[Fastblack52]

Thanks for all of the tips I just bought Milk Thistle and start eating healthy what about spinach & Kale us these greens okay to eat. I like to put them in my green shake?

[orphanedhawk]

I'm glad scratchinghead posted because I re-read your original post.

I never stopped eating dairy other than cheese because of the salt content and it's hard to digest. I ate lots of yogurt. You probably should also be taking calcium and vitamin D.

If you're looking for a cookbook, look for one specifically for cirrhotics. What ever the cause of the cirrhosis, the effects are the same.

Many small meals are suggested for people with cirrhosis because you simply aren't getting the nutrition out of your food that you should.

[scratchinghead]

Also, and I know I there is no actual scientific URL connected with my info below, but BCAAs are used to avoid muscle breakdown in people with bad livers because the 3 BCAAs bypass the liver and go directly to muscle protein synthesis.

http://svakanda.hubpages.com/hub/branched-chain-amino-acids-bcaa

Is bcaa good for liver?
The oral administration of BCAAs was found to improve health condition in patients with liver cirrhosis. According to the 2007 study by Japanese scientists, branched-chain amino acids improve hypoalbuminemia in patients with cirrhosis. Seven cirrhotic patients with hepatitis were given 4 grams of BCAA after each meal for eight weeks. After 8 weeks, the oxidized / reduced state of serum albumin (which is very high in cirrhotic patients) improved significantly, which suggests that BCAA is good for the liver and can be used as a part of cirrhosis healing program

I buy my BCAAs by the kilo for $34 plus freight.

[scratchinghead]

Sounds like the doctor quoted in the start of this thread just threw in the whole kitchen sink to look intelligent. I hate author's like that that fill so much space, not with much scientific backup.

I don't know if anyone remembers what HR said.  (see in middle where he says:
"Many small meals each with fiber embedded slow resorption carbs+30% lean protein+ only healthy fats/oils ") Sounds like beans and lentils are the way to go for your carbs.

hepatitisresearcher

12/01/07
TMG has been used in very large doses in trials and found to be extremely safe. It is correct, that somebody, that already takes a large dose of SAMe, has less of a need for a methyldonor ( thats what TMG is, for numerous synthetic reactions in the liver).

I metioned TMg before SAme, because it is much cheaper than SAMe and wil produce SAMe naturally in your liver - but maybe not in the high dose range as you take your SAMe. Also needs some folic aid, B12 and B6 to achieve this.
There is no problem in adding the TMG to the SAMe, like in 2x500mg doses, it might still add to the liver protective effects.
It is very important to understand, that these are not stand alone measures. They focus on certain aspects ( like TMG for Methyl groups requiring reactions), but it is difficult to estimate the relative benefits that they will have.

Therefore always this is the hirarchy ( organized by priority) of the approach:

Eating patterns - liver metabolic stress reduction. Many small meals each with fiber embedded slow resorption carbs+30% lean protein+ only healthy fats/oils

Intrestinal health- eubiosis - Glutamine(integrity of intestinal epithelium),prebiotic ( Inulin, Lactulose), Probiotic ( Lactobacillus GG)

Supplements - :
Supporting specific aspects of liver metabolic burden - like TMg, SAMe

Thiol containing compounds: NAC (always with equal mg Vit C),, ALA, Taurine : Build fundamental hepatic/bodywide Glutathione reserve, protect from ox stress toxicities ( like Tylenol)
They also help to block the ox stress dependent stellate cell(fibrogenesis) activation pathways.
Many more functions of course not mentioned here.

PPC: membrane fluidity and functionality


Inhibiting the activation of stellate cells into fiber producing myofibroblasts:

Resveratrol: inhibits with high efficacy  Tumor Growth factor beta - the key player in the activation of fibrogenesis in the liver ( is key activator of improper "wound healing", scar formation (fostering the production of collagen fibvers from transformed stallate cells) inside a parenchymal organ- the liver)

Curcumin : Most effective in blocking the activation of NFKappaB, a nuclear activator of proinflammatory gene expression and also extremely involved in the formation of fiber forming cells in the liver from stellate cells)

Green tea extracts : Same as Curcumin, with less NFKB deactivating capacity, but likely other
complex antiinflammatory benefits.


Overall several key pathways leading to activation of fibrosis will be blocked/reduced in their activity, which will build to a synergistic effect over time. Each of these individual  measures has decent research backup, while all are considered GRAS, but no direct comparison has ever been made so it is hard to estimate the relative contribution.