A Living Diet While Dealing with Liver Disease

Since everything that we eat, breathe, and absorb through our skin gets detoxified through our liver, it is extremely important to keep in mind nutrition and our eating habits when we have liver problems. For individuals who have cirrhosis like I do, the sodium intake has to be lowered, the medication has to be carefully monitored, and the type of healthy food has to be considered every day.

The liver has 85 to 90% of the blood that goes through the body and converts the nutrients in the blood into the substances that the body can use. The liver is the processor for carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and minerals that the body will use. As the liver gets to a more serious state of failure there are some conditions that may develop. These complex conditions include the inability to convert the carbohydrates, which are sugars that may cause hypoglycemia; a form of diabetes or it may not filter all of the amino acids from the blood which allows a build up of ammonia. There is also the probable chance that with the loss of a properly functioning liver then the bile which is produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder will not be enough to digest the amount of fat intake. In most cases liver failure is not caused by poor nutrition, but is an inevitable outcome in most cases from liver failure. For this fundamental reason, from day one it is of the utmost importance that we have a much better diet. We also need to remember that as we progress in the liver failure stages, we become less mobile which in turn means we do not exercise enough to burn all of the calories that we once did.

One of the first people that I visited when I went to Lahey Clinic was a nutritionist. Some of the major criteria that we discussed were sodium intake, type of medications I could or could not take, and what I could eat or more importantly what I should eat. The individual items that I was definitely not to eat were fast food, pizza, Chinese food, frozen prepared meals, canned vegetables, vinegar, apple juice, or table salt. My total sodium intake was not to exceed 2000mg per day. The next item was that I needed to start eating breakfast and actually eating 4 smaller meals. That would be difficult for me since I was generally eating one meal a day only and it was around 2 in the afternoon. My meals were to be full of proteins and lots of fresh vegetables. The individual items I could drink included a lot less soda and coffee, and lots more water. I was also told that I could drink juice especially the juices similar to cranberry juice, but they were to be 100% fruit juice. I could have like one can of soda a day and 2 small cups of coffee a day. They were seriously putting a cramp in my eating habits.

So, I have changed a lot of my eating habits. I create healthier meals at home more, but only because I no longer work, and I make meals with a lot of healthy vegetables and lean meats that I make from scratch. I use Montreal seasoning, minced garlic, scallions, onions, sweet peppers, and Italian spices to flavor the foods. I never was one to eat table salt before so I do not miss it now. People seem to enjoy my cooking so I believe it tastes ok. My calorie intake is not to exceed 2500 calories, but I have no personal clue what it is. I do cheat and eat pizza and Chinese food and fast food, but a heck of a lot less than I did before. It does not seem to taste as good to me anymore. To change your diet is something that eventually takes a lot of commitment, and dedication but on the other hand, good nutrition and a balanced diet with adequate calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates can actually help the damaged liver to regenerate new liver cells.

I have my 3 major medications that I must take daily. I also am allowed to take a men's daily vitamin and my milk thistle. If I have a headache, etc. that I just cannot handle, then I am allowed 2 regualr ibuprofen only. I cannot take any tylenol or aspirin at all. So even the medications that I take has to be closely monitored.

People with cirrhosis often experience increased loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and weight loss, giving them an emaciated appearance. Adults with cirrhosis require a balanced diet rich in protein, providing 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day to actively allow the liver cells to regenerate. However, too much protein will result in an increased amount of ammonia in the blood; too little protein can reduce repair of the liver. Since my original visit to my family doctor to today, which is a little more than 30 months my weight has gone from 225 down to 180 and back to around 200 pounds. These fluctuations have usually been 3 to 5 pounds every 2 months. It is very important to keep track of my weight fluctuations as well as my water retention and blood pressure. The nice thing is that my blood pressure has stayed close to 102 over 69.

It is an uphill battle when you have a debilitating disease that may become fatal. To truly stay on top of things, we need to stay on top of our eating habits and some types of physical exercise, if it is no more than walking. The stage I see that probably scares me the most is being in a wheel chair with a constant IV for pain and nutrients connected to me. At this point the bloating in the abdomen is usually severe and jaundice is very easy to see. When I go to Lahey, I have seen several patients waiting for donors that are in this condition. The other view I get to frequently see is the amazing success cases of several who have ranged from 6 months to 22 years of having a liver transplant and are doing very well. There is hope and there is a way to continue with a long happy life, but it depends significantly on the generosity of different people willing to donate the gift of life by donating parts of organs that they can when alive or through cadaver donation which would be so noted on their driver's license.