The liver is an essential organ with multiple functions: It removes waste products from the blood, produces bile that breaks down fats, produces cholesterol, stores glucose from carbohydrates as glycogen and helps regulate blood clotting. Because the liver is an essential part of food digestion and waste removal, your doctor may recommend you eat a special diet when your liver is damaged due to disease or injury.
High-protein Foods
The amount of protein you eat in your diet needs to be proportional to the amount of protein your liver can process and the waste products of protein the liver can remove. If your have a severely damaged liver, your doctor may recommend that you avoid eating lots of protein in your diet. Make sure to consult with your doctor first, however, because your body does need some protein to grow and repair damaged tissues throughout the body. High-protein foods include beef, chicken, pork, fish, dairy, and eggs.
High-salt Foods
A damaged liver can retain excess fluids, which can lead to swelling in your abdomen and/or feet. To aid in the removal of this fluid and prevent its buildup, it is important to avoid foods that are high in salt. Replace the salt shaker with an herb shaker, which will help add flavor to foods. Also, avoid many processed foods, such as lunch meats, which contain large amounts of salt.
High-fat Foods
It is important to keep your fat intake moderate, as eating fats help prevent the breakdown of protein in your body. Skip French fries, fried chicken, full-fat salad dressings, and foods with lots of butter. However, make sure you are still eating some fat, such as those in poultry, fish and healthy oils, like olive oil. Make sure to follow your doctor's recommendations and read the nutrition label to see if the fat content is right for you.
Alcohol and Large Amounts of Fluids
The liver breaks down alcohol, and a damaged liver cannot perform this function efficiently. You should completely abstaining from drinking alcohol when you have liver disease. Additionally, drinking very large amounts of fluids will promote the fluid retention that commonly occurs with liver disease. Because of this, your doctor may recommend that you limit the fluids you drink, and even those you "eat," such as in semi-liquid foods like gelatin, ice cream, and ice cubes.
