Hope your weekend is going well folks. Here in Michigan the family spent the day collecting apples, running away from a few bees, and drinking cider at our local orchard.
There's no denying it - nothing says autumn quite like fresh picked apples. Not only do they taste great, The Cleveland Clinic listed apples as one of the best fruits for boosting heart health. Apples also contain an antioxidant called quercetin which may help boost and fortify your immune system.
There isn't really a diet for people with hepatitis C, but research has shown people with HCV that are obese have a higher risk for developing fibrosis, scarring, and cirrhosis of the liver.
Recently a study published in the 2013 August issue of "Nutrition Journal" suggested exercise, low-fat or low-calorie diets can improve fibrosis, steatosis and insulin resistance in people living with the virus.
Maintaining a healthy liver begins by incorporating the right foods into your diet. Adding plenty of high-fiber foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts reduces oxidative stress throughout the body, including the liver. For instance an antioxidant called glutathione found in avocados can help detoxify the liver and walnuts are high in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids which also help the liver filter out harmful toxins.
The liver also helps our immune system fight infections, remove bacteria from the blood and make bile, which is essential for digestion.
Published this month on the "Al D. Rodriguez Liver Foundation" website is an article offering healthy diet advice for people living with viral hepatitis or liver disease.
Diet Adjustment for Hepatitis Patients: A Friendly List of Food to Avoid
Being diagnosed with hepatitis – or other diseases – may require significant and sometimes painful adjustments to one’s diet. Dealing with these adjustments doesn’t have to be too burdensome and frustrating; if you know what food to AVOID, it should be easy to identify food that you CAN eat and make the diet change perfectly manageable.Continue reading here
Tips From The American Liver Foundation - Ways You Can Take Care of Your Liver
Why is the liver important?
The liver is the second largest organ in your body and is located under your rib cage on the right side.
It weighs about three pounds and is shaped like a football that is flat on one side. The liver performs many jobs in your body. It processes what you eat and drink into energy and nutrients your body can use. The liver also removes harmful substances from your blood.
How does a healthy diet help the liver?
Eating a healthy diet helps the liver to do its functions well and to do them for a long time. Eating an unhealthy diet can lead to liver disease. For example, a person who eats a lot of fatty foods is at higher risk of being overweight and having non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
For people who have liver disease, eating a healthy diet makes it easier for the liver to do its jobs and can help repair some liver damage. An unhealthy diet can make the liver work very hard and can cause more damage to it.
What does a healthy diet include?
• Eating foods from all the food groups: grains, proteins, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and fats
• Eating foods that have a lot of fiber such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, rice and cereals
Are there diet changes for those with liver disease?
It is important for people with liver disease to maintain a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet with foods from all food groups. Also,
• Do not eat uncooked shellfish such as oysters and clams
• Limit eating foods that have a lot of sugar or salt
• Limit eating fatty foods
Limit the Amount of Alcohol You Drink
Alcohol can damage or destroy liver cells. Liver damage can lead to the build up of fat in your liver (fatty liver), inflammation or swelling of your liver (alcoholic hepatitis), and/or scarring of your liver (cirrhosis). For people with liver disease, even a small amount of alcohol can make the disease worse.
"Long-term alcohol use has synergistic effects with other causes of chronic liver disease to accelerate progression of liver disease. For example, patients with Hepatitis C who regularly consume alcohol experience an accelerated progression to fibrosis, and a higher incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)"
See "Alcohol and Chronic Hepatitis C " for more information
Watch a video presentation of this article - Watch the interview with the author
Manage Your Medications
When medicines are taken incorrectly – by taking too much or the wrong type or by mixing – the liver can be harmed.
- Learn about medicines and how they can affect the liver
- Follow dosing instructions
- Talk to a doctor or pharmacist often about the medicines you are taking
Avoid Breathing in or Touching Toxins
Toxins can injure liver cells.
- Limit direct contact with toxins from cleaning and aerosol products, insecticides, chemicals, and additives in cigarettes
- Do not smoke
Hey, I Have Questions About Cirrhosis And My Liver......
Dr. Galati- Watch: Is there a Special Diet for Hepatitis C?
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