The liver metabolizes food into energy and synthesizes nutrients in your body. When you have liver disease, you require a special daily diet that includes large amounts of carbohydrates to fulfill most of your calories, moderate fat intake, 1 g of protein per kilogram of body weight or less with severe disease, limitation of sodium to under 2 g and vitamin supplements, particularly B-vitamins. Consult your doctor about a liver disease diet menu.
Breakfast
Start your day with a glass of orange juice and bowl of whole grain cereal, such as amaranth or steel-cut oatmeal, with fruit, such as strawberries or blueberries, and cow's, soy or almond milk. If you are hungry, you may also eat a whole grain muffin or toast with fruit jam. Eating carbohydrates, such as whole grain cereal, fruit, muffin and toast, helps you preserve glycogen, a compound your body uses to store carbohydrates for future use when you need energy. With liver disease, your liver may not properly metabolize proteins. With a buildup of glycogen, your body does not need to break down protein from your liver for energy.
Lunch
For lunch, enjoy a sandwich on whole grain bread that can include tuna fish, grilled tempeh, lean turkey breast or low-fat cheese with lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts. Add a side of cole slaw and potato salad. When preparing your lunch meal, be sure to use products that are low in sodium, as sodium can cause your body to retain fluids and swell, particularly your legs and arms. Increasing sodium intake can also increase your blood pressure and risk of stroke. People with fatty liver disease have increased blood pressure as the liver disease progresses, according to research by scientists at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald in Germany and published in the "Journal of Hypertension" in September 2010.
Dinner
Your dinner can include a small salad followed by grilled fish or chicken breast with brown rice and broccoli. Don't overload on protein foods since your liver may not be able to properly process protein, causing waste products to build-up, which can affect your brain and kidneys. Choose a salad dressing with healthy fats, such as olive oil, and without added sodium or high fructose corn syrup. Dietary fructose in high fructose corn syrup is converted to fat in the liver and may cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, according to research by scientists at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut and published in "Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism" in November 2010.
Snacks
People with liver disease can lose their appetites quickly while eating meals. Eating snacks between meals can help you obtain additional calories and nutrients. Whole grain energy bars and fruits that have high concentrations of antioxidants, such as strawberries and cherries, are healthy snack foods. Research by scientists at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois and published in "Nutrition Reviews" in September 2002 indicates that antioxidants may be beneficial in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
References
- MedlinePlus; Diet - Liver Disease; June 22 2011
- Drugs.com; Liver Disease Diet; 2011
- Centers For Disease Control and Prevention; Sodium: The Facts; 2010
- "Journal of Hypertension"; The Association between Fatty Liver Disease and Blood Pressure in a Population-Based Prospective Longitudinal Study; Katharina Lau, et al.; Sep 2010
- "Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Fructose Induced Lipogenesis: From Sugar to Fat to Insulin Resistance; V.T. Samuel; Nov 8 2010
