Diet for those who suffer from a Liver Disease. Nutrition:

There are a lot of foods that we eat that stress the Liver and other organs. Meat products are a prime example. When eating meat products you have just added stress to the digestive process, stressing the liver, gall bladder and pancreas. Meat is one of the hardest foods to digest. It can sit in the stomach for 5-7 days and ferment, causing flu like symptoms, gas, bloating, and even more stress. Changing your diet is one of the hardest things to achieve. Most of our bad eating habits were started by us eating something thinking that it would make us feel better. By eating all of our "comfort" foods, we inadvertently made ourselves feel worse. We need to break this habit! NEVER try to change your eating habits overnight.
Take one step at a time.
You don't want to throw your body into shock. Start by changing a few foods at a time. (I am still trying to change all my bad eating habits)

•  Eat 4 small meals a day
•  Don't eat for at least a few hours before bedtime
•  Try new foods
•  Eat slowly and eat alone if and whenever possible* Don't eat in front of the TV* Don't eat standing up
•  Don't eat and then go lay down
•  Try to prepare your foods in advance (then they are ready when you are)
•  Chew Chew Chew, don't just inhale your food

Nutrition Fact:
Vitamin D can be absorbed through the skin from sunlight. 15 minutes a day of sunshine on your hands and face will supply 100% of your daily needs for vitamin D . Foods That Are Liver Healthy:

• Distilled and/or bottled water (lots and lots of this!)
• Whole wheat bread
•  Whole grain cerealsCheeriosOatmealCream of WheatBrown Rice
•  VeggiesBeans, all kinds, even Refried beansVegetable juice
•  Fresh fruit (in moderation)
  Better Than Milk (soy product)
•  Corn tortillasOrganic flour tortillas made w/unbleached white or whole wheat flour
•  Salsa (I can eat this one every day!)Canned tunaPastaSpices and herbs
•  Herbal teas, iced or hot
•  Lemonade made with fresh lemons and stevia for sweetening
•  Organic unbleached flour (white) in moderation
•  Organic Virgin Olive Oil
•  Flaxseed Oil
•  Homemade Vegetable Soup
•  Baked chips
•  Nayonaise (instead of mayonnaise)
•  Yogurt, plain & with fruit (I eat this one each day)

Foods That Are Not Liver Healthy: (I avoid these as much as possible)
Animal Products: When you consume animal products you consume what that animal has consumed, such as grains that have been chemically sprayed. Then there are the injections, growth hormones, antibiotics, steroids, etc.
Caffeine: Colas, chocolate, coffee, some teas, OTC meds. (I do indulge in my one cup of Java each morning, it's my only hope of rising to the day!) Tap Water: Tap water may contain; chlorine, fluoride, inorganic chemicals & compounds that the liver is not able to process. Although filtered water is of course better than tap water, the filter can breed bacteria.
Junk Food: Junk food is JUNK! We need to stay away from fats, sugars, empty calories, chemicals, additives, etc. No "nutrition" found here!
Bleached White Flour: This has been chemically processed. Lots of vitamins and minerals are lost during the process.
Hydrogenated Oils: These are refined oils. This is another product that is hard for the liver to handle. Any type of oil or fat that hardens when cold. Better choices are flaxseed or virgin olive oils.
Dairy Products (animal): Dairy foods are extremely hard to digest and once again you are eating whatever the animal ate.
Fruit Juices: Fruit juices are high in concentrated sugar. Sugar is a shock to the liver, stresses the digestive process, stresses the pancreas, and it is known to feed the virus.
Artificial Sweeteners: The word "artificial" should clue you in. These sweeteners are extremely hard for the liver to process.
Processed Foods: These foods contain unnatural substances, preservatives, fillers, and chemically treated substances. Common sense, NOT HEALTHY!

Vegetarian Diet and The Liver

Nutrition plays a very large part of staying healthy. The liver is the bodies' chemical workshop for human beings. All nutrients and other substances absorbed from the intestines pass through the liver before entering into the systemic circulation. In that we can see that the liver is vulnerable to the damage caused by a host of infections and toxic agents. Several types of viruses and alcohol are by far the common destructive agents. When the liver is impaired, function usually manifests as a yellowish tint to the eyes and skin known as jaundice. Persistent infection and continuing impairment of liver function may be followed by death unless these changes can be controlled.
The morphological changes in liver damage can manifest as fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the liver. A well regimented diet is of utmost importance in the prevention and treatment of most hepatic disorders. It has been proved beyond doubt that some of the proteins derived from animals are responsible for producing persistent symptoms related to liver disease. Thus vegetarian diet, as mentioned below, is in strong recomendation for those why have hepatic disorders.

Viral HepatitisAs yet there are no antiviral medications against hepatitis, rest, abstinence from alcohol and dietary modifications are the mainstay of the treatment. Most patients have nausea and lack of appetite. They should be served with attractive and well cooked foods. Small meals served separately is better tolerated than three large meals. A diet containing approximately 2000 kcal which can be provided by 20-25 gms fat, 80-90 gms proteins and 400 gms carbohydrate is suitable. This requirement can be fulfilled by glucose, sugar, fruits, fruit juices, bread, cereals, vegetables, salads, jelly, jam, rice, boiled potatoes and puddings made with cereals and sugar. Diets high in their fat content do not ultimately influence the course of the disease they are poorly tolerated by jaundiced patients. Fried food, milk and butter cause dyspepsia and should be avoided. Thus a vegetarian diet is better tolerated by the patients suffering from viral hepatitis.

Cirrhosis of LiverMost of the patients of cirrhosis of liver are severely malnourished and require a high calorie and high protein diet. A high protein diet, particularly if derived from animal proteins, carries a high risk of precipitating hepatic encephalopathy (disease of the brain). The best source of vegetarian proteins is milk, its products and Casilan. Choline present in foods like wheat germ, soyabean, peanuts and skimmed milk may prevent the formation of a fatty liver. It is also believed that cerebral disturbances due to liver damage are caused by the type of protein in the diet. Cirrhotic diet prescribed in a standard Indian books on diet and nutrition does not contain proteins derived from animal sources. A diet high in carbohydrate and proteins low in fat and fortified with vitamins would be most suitable. Thus a vegetarian diet is more suited to patients having cirrhosis of liver.

AscitesIn terminal stages of cirrhosis fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity due to failure of the liver to synthetize plasma albumin. For such patients, a high protein diet which is low in sodium would be most suitable. But since these patients have no appetite, milk is the only practical diet which can supply the above requirements. Finally when the liver fails - the condition is known as hepatic encephalopathy. There is a strong incidence of animal protein intake increasing the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy. The clinical features of this syndrome are sleep disturbances, restlessness, drowsiness, impaired intellectual function, confusion and stupor progressing to coma. Significant number of these patients develop chronic encephalopathy and can be managed successfully at home. They should be given 20 gms of protein in the diet. This should mainly be derived from skimmed milk. Thus, it is very obvious that a vegetarian diet is more useful in the treatment of all liver disorders including the last stage of liver failure.

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