When a person is healthy, he thinks little about how he eats. Having got sick, he begins to eat almost any medicine, not always even going to the doctor, and does not even remember about changing the diet. But recovery, regardless of the type of pathology, is always associated with nutrition, especially when it comes to the liver.
Hepatitis C is a viral pathology that causes inflammation and fibrosis of the liver. The virus spreads almost instantly, as it spreads by blood. This is not to say that only with the help of diet it is possible to cure this pathology, but correction is still required in order to reduce the negative effect of certain foods on the liver.
Why you need a diet for hepatitis C
Diet helps liver cells recover faster, which is extremely important in hepatitis. It also helps to reduce the negative effect of drugs, which cannot be avoided in this case, on the entire body and liver.
With hepatitis, it is recommended to eat regularly, 5-6 times throughout the day. It’s best to have all your meals at the same time every day.
The calorie content of the diet should be at the level of 2200-2300 units. You should not reduce the calorie content of the diet, because otherwise, the body will not have enough energy to cope with the pathology.
You will have to completely exclude from the diet any foods that contain flavor enhancers or dyes. You do not need to fry any dishes, everything should be served boiled or baked, steamed. You will have to give up any cold food, everything should be at room temperature.
Chew food thoroughly. The amount of salt must also be strictly controlled. You do not need to sit at the table if there is a salt shaker on it. All dishes must be undersalted.
Diet for chronic hepatitis C
The chronic form is a disease that lasts 6 months or more. The form can flow into cirrhosis.
In the chronic form of the disease, it is recommended to adhere to the diet of table number 5 according to Pevzner. It is as gentle as possible for the liver and helps to restore its function.
The total calorie content of the diet varies from 2800 to 2900 units. It implies a balanced intake of proteins and carbohydrates in the body, but limiting fat in the diet. This is especially true for refractory ones.
Also, any products that contain nitrogenous substances, cholesterol, essential oils and oxalic acid are banned. The number of foods that contain fiber and lipotropic substances, pectins, increases. It is forbidden to eat fried foods and use sauces.
It is recommended to use soups with cereals and vegetables. Low-fat meats and fish.
Diet for acute hepatitis
In case of exacerbation, it is recommended to stay in bed. Diet table number 5A is prescribed. Its main essence is that almost all dishes are served grated. Energy value of food up to 2500 units.
Any fried foods are strictly prohibited. We’ll have to give up legumes, exclude garlic, radish, onion and radish. You can only dry bread and only white, premium or 1 grade. Vegetables can be consumed, but it is better to give preference to grated, even if they are raw.
You can eat meat, but best of all in the form of a soufflé. You can even eat chicken in pieces, but it must be boiled. Milk and cheese are allowed, but not necessarily spicy and salty.
All meals should be served warm, in no case cold meals are allowed.
If hepatitis C is mild, then usually this diet should be followed for 4 to 6 weeks.
During this period, the water-salt balance is carefully monitored. You need to drink from 2 to 2.5 liters of water per day. This amount includes juices, compotes and a decoction of rose hips. You can drink tea with milk. It is necessary to monitor the amount of fluid you drink and the amount of urine.
In case of noticeable fluid retention in the body, the amount of salt is reduced to 4-7 g. At the same time, the daily fluid intake decreases.
Allowed Products
The diet for hepatitis C is based on the consumption of vegetables and fruits. It is in them that there is a large amount of vitamins and minerals, thanks to which you can quickly cope with the disease . They need to be eaten every day.
Also, proteins should be present in the diet. Recommended products in this category include:
- eggs;
- seeds;
- tofu;
- fish, cod, carp, pike, pike perch;
- nuts;
- turkey;
- beans;
- butter, but not more than 10-20 g per day;
- hard cheese.
Fermented milk and dairy products are also recommended for consumption. They will saturate the body with vitamin D.
Complex carbohydrates must be present in the diet. It can be oatmeal, wild rice, but better not polished, whole oats, rye porridge. They will saturate the body with useful fiber and zinc and other minerals.
Fully or partially limited products
However, some foods should be eliminated from the diet altogether, or at least cut to a minimum. First of all, we are talking about fat, which can cause liver degeneration.
It is best to completely abandon visiting fast food , eating sweets, and baking. Sour milk and dairy products are recommended, but they should not be fatty. There should be no canned foods in the diet. Marinades and pickles will also have to be abandoned, at least for the duration of treatment.
In the acute form of the course of the disease, rye bread and any baked goods are completely prohibited. You will have to give up coffee, mushrooms and any spicy and spicy dishes. Do not eat offal, duck and goose. They are too fat and will only aggravate the condition of an already diseased organ.
You can not eat sour and unripe fruits, this applies to berries and fruits. It is unacceptable to use chocolate and carbonated, especially sweet drinks. We’ll have to give up cream, as they also have high fat content.
It is very important for hepatitis C to monitor the amount of salt consumed. There should be a minimum amount of it in the diet. Its quantity should be taken into account in all products, especially in semi-finished products.
You will also have to monitor your blood glucose levels, since with hepatitis C there is a high risk of developing diabetes.
Menu for hepatitis C. Diet
In acute form, the menu can be composed as follows:
- Breakfast. Herculean porridge in milk, which must be brought to a viscous state. Cheese and tea.
- Lunch. Rosehip drink.
- Dinner. Vegetable soup. Vegetables must be finely chopped, you can even grind them. Boiled lean fish and mashed potatoes. Fruit jelly.
- Afternoon snack. Wheat bread croutons and kefir.
- Dinner. Stewed carrots, possible with milk sauce, steamed cutlets.
Before going to bed, you can drink a glass of low-fat fermented baked milk or kefir.
After the removal of acute symptoms, the patient is transferred to a more varied diet, that is, diet No. 5. Which will have to be adhered to for 6-12 months, after that, if the results of laboratory tests confirm the fact of recovery, then the patient is transferred to an ordinary and usual diet. At this time, you will still have to eat 5 times throughout the day.
In the chronic form of the disease, you can make the following menu for a day:
- Breakfast. Low-fat cottage cheese, with sour cream and a little sugar, tea and a little oatmeal in milk.
- Lunch. Baked apples.
- Dinner. Broccoli puree soup, any other vegetarian soup, boiled chicken and some wild rice. Everything can be washed down with a compote of fresh berries and fruits or dried fruits.
- Afternoon snack. Fruit jelly.
- Dinner. Mashed potatoes, steamed fish, some cheesecakes, green tea.
Before going to bed, if you feel hungry, you can drink a glass of kefir.
The second menu option for the whole day:
- First breakfast. Tea with milk and a steam omelet.
- Lunch. An apple, maybe not even baked.
- Dinner. Soup with buckwheat and vegetables. Meat pieces, a little dried bread, dried fruit compote. Stewed carrots.
- Afternoon snack. Crackers and juice from fruits or vegetables.
- Dinner. Boiled cod, whole grain millet porridge . Carrot and apple salad. A drink of your choice from the permitted ones, for example, fruit drink.
In the evening, you can drink a rosehip decoction, before going to bed.
Remember that not only drug addicts and people who lead an inappropriate lifestyle are at risk for hepatitis C. This disease is viral, so anyone can get it. By the way, such a disease often appears after visiting salons where tattooing or manicure is done .
To date, there is no vaccine for this pathology, but doctors are able to cure a person if he follows clear instructions. Consume medicines and follow the recommended diet. If untreated, hepatitis C will definitely lead to the development of liver cirrhosis, with all the ensuing consequences.