Tips for Managing Everyday Diet for People with Hepatitis C

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Medical Video: Hepatitis C | Nucleus Health

Hepatitis C is a chronic inflammation of the liver that can affect the way the body processes nutrients. That is why choosing and designing a food menu for hepatitis sufferers should not be arbitrary. Intake of the right foods will help your heart work better, thus reducing the risk of hepatitis C developing into other more severe liver damage.

Hepatitis C affects your diet

Whether from the symptoms of the disease itself or from the effects of the drugs used, hepatitis C can directly influence the diet of the sufferer.

Hepatitis C drugs can cause nausea and reduce appetite, for example. Pain in the mouth and throat due to infection can also cause you to be lazy to eat. This infection then also disrupts the work of the liver to process nutrients.

Although this disease prevents the body from getting enough nutritional intake, you still need to undergo a healthy diet to restore endurance and fight infection. The right diet is also needed to prevent cirrhosis in people with hepatitis C.

Cirrhosis of the liver that develops from hepatitis can cause loss of appetite so that the body weakens lack of energy - or vice versa, the body feels weak due to cirrhosis, which makes you lazy to eat.

Hepatitis can cause you to experience weight loss without realizing it, which risks worsening your condition.

Foods that should be avoided for hepatitis C sufferers

Certain foods damage liver function, which can worsen your condition. Therefore, you should avoid:

1. Foods high in fat

Even though the body needs fat as energy, eating too much fatty food can cause excess fat to accumulate in the liver (fatty liver). Fatty liver can develop into cirrhosis.

Not all types of fat should be avoided. Stay away from saturated fats and trans fats which are often contained in packaged foods and fast food. Examples of foods high in saturated fats are butter, milk and all animal products.

Instead, choose sources of unsaturated fats from nuts and seeds, avocados, and olive oil and fish oil.

2. Foods high in salt

A liver that is no longer functioning properly due to hepatitis cannot completely rinse the salt out of the body. As a result, salt accumulates in the body and ultimately increases blood pressure. High blood pressure puts you at a higher risk of fatty liver.

The maximum limit of salt consumption in one day for healthy adults is 5 gramssalt or equivalent to 1 teaspoon. If you have hepatitis, you may have to reduce it more. Talk further with your doctor to find out how safe the salt intake is for your condition.

Not only the addition of salt from the dish, you know! You also need to reduce salt intake from processed foods, such as canned food, including canned soup, canned meat (sardines or corned beef), sausages and nuggets, to canned vegetables which are usually very high in salt.

Also consult your doctor about medicines that can help control your blood pressure.

3. Foods high in sugar

Foods for people with hepatitis should not be high in sugar. Sweet foods can cause the blood sugar of people with hepatitis to surge dramatically.

Reducing sugar consumption aims to prevent diabetes as a complication of hepatitis, when the liver no longer functions well to regulate blood sugar levels and insulin production. Replace your sweet snack with fresh fruit and vegetables that taste sweet.

In the future, you can reduce sugar intake slowly. For example, reduce the size of sugar to half of what you normally use, and continue to set aside over time when you get used to it.

4. Underfood foods

eat sushi

Underfed foods are still at risk for bacterial contamination. Bacteria from raw foods such as sushi, half-cooked eggs, or unpasteurized milk and cheese can make hepatitis C infection worse.

5. Foods high in iron

Liver damage caused by chronic hepatitis infection can cause the body to not get rid of excess iron. Iron that accumulates excessively in the body can eventually damage the blood and other internal organs.

Therefore, most foods for people with hepatitis C are not recommended for high iron. Limit or if you can avoid eating red meat, animal liver, and other foods that have been enriched with iron.

You also need to limit alcohol and liquor, if you have hepatitis C.

Recommended food for hepatitis C sufferers

There is no specific diet guide for treating hepatitis C symptoms, but you can adjust your daily diet so that it is more healthy and balanced. What are the food recommendations for hepatitis C?

1. Vegetables and fruit

don't like vegetables and fruit

Fruit and vegetables must be in the diet for hepatitis C sufferers every day. Why? Fresh fruits and vegetables high in fiber and minerals increase the body's metabolism to support the liver to function properly, while reducing fat buildup in the liver.

People with hepatitis C are advised to eat fresh vegetables and fruit at least 5 servings in a day. For example, one serving of vegetables and fruit at breakfast, one plate of salad after lunch, while snacking in the afternoon, at dinner, and snack before going to bed.

The more diverse choices of vegetables and fruits of different colors, the better. However, you need to limit the portion of green leafy vegetables because of the high iron content that can be dangerous for people with hepatitis C.

2. Low-fat protein

Foods high in essential protein are included in your diet. You have hepatitis C. Foods high in protein help repair and replace liver cells damaged by inflammation due to hepatitis C virus attacks.

However, do not arbitrarily choose a protein source. High-fat protein foods (such as red meat and pure milk and derivatives) can cause clumping of ammonia in the body.

Prioritize protein intake from lean chicken meat, eggs, and fish, and vegetable protein. Avoid intake of protein with added sugar and choose milk that is low in fat if you want to consume dairy products.

3. Whole wheat

whole grain food for breakfast

Wheat and whole grains such as brown rice or brown rice are rich in complex carbohydrates to maintain gastrointestinal health.

In addition, complex carbohydrates are also digested more slowly by the body, making you full longer and having a more durable energy reserve for your activities. This food source is also rich in B vitamins, magnesium and zinc.

If you have gluten allergies, whole grains and whole grains can be replaced with quinoa.

Tips for Managing Everyday Diet for People with Hepatitis C
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