type of foods to eat during treayment

[shane601]

i start treatment on the 18th of september what type of foods should I stock up on?

[Bill1954]

From Schering-Ploughs PEG-Intron prescribing info:

http://www.spfiles.com/pipeg-intron.pdf

Effect of food on absorption of ribavirin:

Both AUC and C-MAX increased by seventy percent when Rebetol Capsules were administered with a high fat meal: (841 kcal, 53.8 g fat, 31.6 g protein, and 57.4 g carbohydrate) in a single-dose pharmacokinetic study.

[Kim63]

I was a little suprised to read the full insert on the Ribavarin. It does state that the absorption of the Riba is increased by 70 % if taken with a high fat meal. That is interesting. 70 % is huge. I am tring to at least take my a.m. dose with english muffin, with peanut butter.  As far as food preferences, My cravings vary everyday. I do find too, that I like pizza, and other "tomato" based food, although too spicy tends to hurt my mouth right now. I don't have much desire for sweets...Thats a first !

[jdwithhcv]

Rockerforlife:
Your own personal food preferences, phobias and conspiracy theories notwithstanding, there is no specific list of foods to add or avoid on treatment.  

shane601:
Avoid alcohol.  Eat a healthy diet.  You will find that some foods are appealing at times, and unappetizing at other times.  You will perhaps not feel like eating sometimes, but I advise you to eat something before taking the ribavarin, as it can be very unpleasant to take the pills on an empty stomach.  The manufacturers of ribavarin recommend that it be taken with some fat for better absorption.  I found that a yogurt smoothie, or some peanut butter or avocado in a meal was palatable and met the fat requirement.

Eat what you can, and try not to worry too much about it.  Just try to get adequate nutrition, and check with your doctor before taking supplements.  Good luck.

jd

[Bill1954]

The poster’s question was *specific* to hepatitis management, Rockerforlife. I maintain that tap water, commercial soda, white flour, etc. are not specifically detrimental to a Hepatitis C patient. Try to focus on answering the questions, not injecting personal, unsubstantiated beliefs—

Bill

[Rockerforlife]

Yes,tumeric is published in pubmed studies to be not taken with SOC  TX...even HR stated this,and grapefruit,di i need to explain this one and VIT A an IRON...this is well know tru out the medical field.....and as for TAP WATER.....anyone who drinks tap water before filtering it needs the get there head examined...;)

[Rockerforlife]

Can you cite published, peer reviewed studies that demonstrate that *any* of what you just posted has a detrimental affect on viral response?


I never said that,im saying the foods i listed are not heallty for the liver,or your whole body for that matter,but common sense says stating away from like this may weel indeed help the response now you mention it..

but like i say...this is common sense

[copyman]

probably the most important thing to eat is food with a high fat content when taking your Riba pills. This helps with the absorption of the riba into the system. Other then that eat anything you can within reason like bill said.

[Bill1954]

Can you cite published, peer reviewed studies that demonstrate that *any* of what you just posted has a detrimental affect on viral response? In other words, how can you state not to eat certain things?

Bill

[Rockerforlife]

HERBS THAT MAY HARM THE LIVER OR CAUSE HEPATITIS


http://www.liverdisease.com/harmfulherbs_hepatitis.html

[Rockerforlife]

DO NOT..drink commerical soda drinks

[Rockerforlife]

Concentrate on waht you should not eat instead,makes it easier,secret is KEEP IT SIMPLE.
dont eat flax seed seeds or heavy bran cereals with the RIBA,eat fatty foods instead.
DO NOT eat grapefruit,tumeric,Large doses of Vitamin A, iron,saturated fats,White rice,White flour,Frying (using oil)
Canned and processed foods(MEATS).white sugar

TAP WATER

[kudos132]

I lost my appetite for sweets especially during treatment.  I found it was easier to eat breakfast then suppers.  I drank carnation instant breakfast to keep my vitamins & nutrition up.  Also,  if you have to do the cooking,  you may want to get some frozen healthy microwave meals in case you don't feel like cooking.  You have to take the ribavirin pills with food or you will feel sick.  Atleast eat a banana with peanut butter or drink milk with them,  it helped me.  Also,  pizza was easy to tolerate.  Good health!!  The medicines aren"t fun,  but it is a commitment to health.  Use your family & the forum for support & learn all there is to know about the hep c.  Avoid cigs,  alcohol,  & any drugs that can harm your liver.  A liver is something you need to survive,  try to keep it healthy.

[Bill1954]

You can eat anything you want within reason; there’s no specific diet or dietary constraints due to HCV or its treatment, unless decompensated cirrhosis is present. Try to watch your weight; maintaining proper BMI is recommended.

You can discuss this with your doctor; but you’re likely to get the same response. Of course, eating a diet that’s high in fiber, low in fats and sugars is good for anyone, but it’s really not going to affect your viral response one way or the other.

Best of luck—

Bill

[Joey_M]

I have done treatment twice and what you want to or can eat will vary. My first round I had a lot more nausea and lost about 15 pounds (I am 5'10", 165lbs so that wasn't good). This last round, I kept my appetite and lost about 3 pounds. What is your current weight situation? If you are think and start losing weight quickly, i would say to eat anything that is palatable because the weight loss can make you weak and potentially affect treatment.

Try to eat as healthy as possible - whole grains, lots of healthy proteins, fruits and veggies. I found fresh papaya really helped my digestive enzymes. Later on in treatment, as I had some GI issues, I cut out sugar and processed foods which helped. Avoid fried foods and large quantities of red meat. Grab some herbal teas which can be soothing to the stomach or for relaxation / sleep.

See how you feel and what you want - it is likely to change so stocking up now, you may wind up with a lot you don't use. Not sure where you are located, but i found it one of the pleasant errands I could do while on treatment - getting to the grocery store or farmers' market.