Diet for hepatitis C
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Diet in hepatitis C allows you to eliminate infectious liver damage. Consider the rules of nutrition, banned and allowed products, an approximate diet and recipes for delicious dishes.
Infectious disease occurs due to the entry of the virus into the blood. The disease is quite common among drug addicts, people prone to promiscuous sexual relations, clients of dishonest masters of tattooing, piercing and manicure. There is no special vaccine from the virus, so in the treatment process a special role is given to prevention. A special diet is designed to restore normal liver function.
This type of hepatitis is the most severe. The peculiarity of the disease in the long asymptomatic current. Very often, the infection is detected when passing the tests. If the disease worsens, the patient has weakness, lack of appetite and jaundice. If these symptoms are not treated, then their progression can lead to liver cirrhosis, stomach damage (ulcer, gastritis) and pancreas (pancreatitis).
To protect liver cells, a mechanically and chemically sparing diet is used, the prescriptions of which largely depend on the patient's condition. Healthier nutrition has a positive effect on the well-being of patients, reduces pain and improves overall health. At the heart of the diet should be food that unloads the liver cells. The main goal of such treatment is to supply the body with useful vitamins and minerals necessary for maintaining the health and protection of the liver.
Treatment of hepatitis C with diet
Proper nutrition plays an important role in the therapy of any disease. Treatment of hepatitis with diet helps at an acute stage of the disease, reducing the load on the liver and digestive organs. This allows you to reduce pain and transfer the disease to the stage of remission. If this is not done, the increased nutritional load will slow down the process of restoring the damaged organ and recovery. In addition, without proper nutrition, the effectiveness of antiviral therapy will significantly decrease, the main task of which is suppression and removal of the virus from the body.
Nutritionists recommend to reduce the daily calorie intake and reduce the consumption of protein, as its digestion gives a load on all digestive organs. It is worth paying attention to carbohydrate food, which supplies the body with enough energy. If the disorder is in an aggravation stage, then patients are prescribed a diet number 5A. At the stage of recovery, that is, during remission, food should not be too strict. The diet should be balanced, in order to provide the body with all the necessary nutrients.
The essence of the diet for hepatitis C
Any therapeutic diet is based on supplying the body with the necessary micronutrients, provided that the caloric content is reduced and the harmful products are discarded. The essence of the diet for hepatitis C is based on these rules. Patients are prescribed diet No. 5 or No. 5A, which consists of foods that do not irritate the liver. The food included in the diet ensures that all nutrients are consumed within the limits of the norm.
Basic principles of therapeutic nutrition:
- The daily diet should not exceed 3000 kilocalories. The menu does not exceed 100 g of proteins, 100 g of fats (30 g of vegetable), up to 450 g of carbohydrates (50 grams of sugars), 10 g of salt. The daily intake of such trace elements must be ensured: calcium, 1.5 g phosphorus, 0.5 g magnesium, 15 mg iron, 0.5 mg vitamin A, 10.5 mg carotene, 2 mg vitamin B1, 4 mg vitamin B2, 20 mg of nicotinic acid and 200 mg of vitamin C.
- Portions should be small, per day for about 5-6 meals. Particular attention should be paid to the method of preparation, the dishes should be cooked better, steamed, baked or stewed. From fried it is necessary to refuse or to reduce to a minimum its use.
- Avoid trans fats, which are contained in fats for baking, fast food, margarine, canned foods. Avoid partially hydrogenated oils and products with cholesterol.
- Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and greens. Please note that dried fruits and juices are not a full-fledged replacement for fresh fruit, and contain many calories.
- Minimize the use of sugar, give preference to whole-grain products. In the diet should be vegetable proteins, nuts, seeds, legumes.
- Pay attention to the water regime. A day should drink up to 2 liters of water. Avoid diets that limit the amount of nutrients. Do not starve, eat food at room temperature.
Diet 5 for hepatitis C
To eliminate diseases associated with the functioning of the liver and digestive organs, in addition to drug therapy, it is recommended that dieticians follow the advice. Diet 5 for hepatitis C - this is the option of therapeutic nutrition, which not only supports the body, but also improves well-being. With its help, painful sensations in the right side are reduced, a feeling of constant fatigue and a lack of energy go away.
Diet 5 allows you to consume foods such as:
- Any dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, yoghurt, sour cream).
- Fish and meat of lean varieties (baked and boiled).
- Porridge from whole-grain cereals: buckwheat, rice, oats.
- Fresh vegetables, fruits, greens.
- Soups, broths, salads, vegetable stew.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Freshly squeezed berry, fruit and vegetable juices.
- Herbal and green teas
It is necessary to reduce the consumption of salt and fat. It is necessary to adhere to a fractional food, a day should be about 5-6 meals. If the hepatitis occurs in a chronic form, then a softer version of the diet is used.
Prohibited products:
- Fatty meat and fish.
- Meat and fish broth.
- Marinated, salted and canned billets.
- Smoked meat.
- Canned food.
- Spice.
- Cooking fats.
- Good pastries.
- Sweets.
- Carbonated water, alcohol, strong tea and coffee.
Pay attention, regardless of the form of the disease, the above list of products does not change. If these rules are observed, hepatitis is effectively treatable.
Diet 5a for hepatitis C
To restore the functions of the liver and organs of the gastrointestinal tract, therapeutic nutrition is used. Diet 5a for hepatitis C helps with acute form of the disease and cholecystitis, any lesions of the biliary tract, inflammatory intestinal and gastric diseases, as well as ulcerative diseases of the stomach and duodenum. It has a high-grade energy value, since the diet contains enough carbohydrates, proteins, vegetable fats. The restrictions apply to products rich in nitrogenous extractives, coarse fiber, cholesterol and oxalic acid.
Daily caloric content and chemical composition of table №5А:
- Carbohydrates - 350-400 g (90 g of sugar).
- Proteins - 80-100 g (60% of animals).
- Fats - 70 g (25% vegetable).
- The liquid is 2-2.5 liters.
- Table salt (sodium chloride) - 8 g.
- Caloric content - 2000-2750 kcal.
The list of allowed products includes: vegetables, lean ripples and meat (steamed), milk porridges (buckwheat, semolina, rice), yesterday's bread from the highest grade flour, fresh vegetables, fruits, greens, dairy products.
During treatment it is necessary to minimize, and it is better to completely abandon such products: fatty grades of fish, meat and poultry, mushroom and meat broths, liver, kidneys, brains, legumes, sausages, canned food, eggs, garlic, hard cheese, sour berries and fruit, coffee, carbonated drinks and water, strong black tea.
Diet for cirrhosis and hepatitis
Diseases that cause serious changes in the work and structure of the liver negatively affect the functioning of the whole organism, causing a number of complications. The most commonly used diet for cirrhosis and hepatitis, which improves well-being and has a therapeutic effect.
Hepatitis refers to infectious diseases, if it occurs in a neglected form, it can cause cirrhosis. This complication is characterized by serious changes in the work of the body. The treatment is based on medical therapy and significant changes in lifestyle. The main goal of a healthy diet is minimal stress on the digestive tract. This will normalize the functioning of the liver and improve the separation of bile.
Therapeutic diet is based on adjusting the patient's eating habits. Based on the peculiarities of the patient's condition, the severity of the underlying disease and the presence of concomitant ailments, a suitable diet is selected.
Recommendations for nutrition:
- The diet should be balanced, nutritional value from 2600-2700 calories.
- To eat it is necessary fractional, that is small portions - 5-6 times a day.
- During the day, you need to drink up to two liters of clean water.
- Food is recommended to cook for a couple, cook, bake or simmer.
- Food should be warm, hot and cold not to take.
- When consuming wiry meat or vegetables with high amounts of fiber, foods must be served in a grinded form.
Particular attention should be given to the method of preparation. From the diet it is necessary to exclude any fried dishes, since during cooking toxic substances are released because of incomplete decomposition of fats. It is better to steam, boil or bake. If vegetable or animal fats are used, they should be consumed in kind, that is, not subjected to heat treatment.
[13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]
Diet for chronic liver hepatitis C
Any neglected diseases significantly impair the quality of life and adversely affect the functioning of the whole organism. Diet for chronic hepatitis C of the liver is aimed at improving the performance of the body and alleviating the painful symptoms. A severe progressive course of the disease can lead to disability and death of the patient. The main danger of chronic form in its asymptomatic course at the first stages.
Therapeutic diet requires strict dietary guidelines. As a rule, doctors appoint table number 5 for Pevzner. It is necessary to completely abandon fatty varieties of meat, fish and poultry, products with preservatives and colorants. In addition, it is necessary to exclude the use of alcohol and get rid of bad habits, such as smoking. Meals should be divided, about 5-6 meals a day.
Permitted products:
- Dietary, lean meat and fish.
- Dairy.
- Cereals.
- Dried or yesterday's bread.
- Fresh fruits, vegetables, greens.
- Marmalade, pastilles, honey (sweets with easily digestible carbohydrates)
Prohibited:
- Fried, smoked, fatty, pickled, spicy, salted.
- Fresh bread and pastry.
- Mushrooms and mushroom broth.
- Beans.
- Eggs (boiled, fried).
- Cream.
- Sour cottage cheese.
- Canned food
Nutrition requires an integrated approach and patience, as the diet will have to adhere to for many years. This will restore the functions of the damaged organ and improve the functioning of the body. Properly organized food intake for chronic hepatitis C, relieve the excess burden from the liver and relieve a number of serious complications, such as cirrhosis.
[19],
Diet with exacerbation of hepatitis C
To eliminate any disease, a comprehensive approach is used, which consists of drug therapy and therapeutic nutrition. Diet with exacerbation of hepatitis C is necessary to minimize the burden on the injured organ and digestive tract as a whole. At the stage of exacerbation, patients are prescribed a hard variant of nutrition, and in the period of remission is more free.
Patients are advised to adhere to the dietary table number 5A. The main task of the diet is to minimize the burden on internal organs and speed up the process of liver repair. Food should consist of chemically and mechanically sparing food with a normal amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates. There should be 5-6 meals a day. I'd better cook steamed, bake in the oven, cook or simmer. Fried foods are contraindicated.
The main threat to the liver is alcohol, which has a direct toxic effect on its cells. During therapy, alcohol should be completely eliminated, as it can cause cirrhosis and exacerbation of hepatitis. Many patients note that with the observance of dietary recommendations, the well-being improves, passes the lethargy and weakness, which are characteristic for the disease.
Diet for a week with hepatitis C
Exacerbation of a chronic disease is a difficult period in the life of any person. In order to reduce pain and minimize the negative effects of the disease on the body, a specially designed dietary table is used. The diet for a week with hepatitis C is based on dietary guidelines # 5 and # 5A. This system is based on reducing the consumption of fatty foods and salt. The daily diet should not exceed 2400-2600 calories per day, provided the normalized content of proteins, carbohydrates and vegetable fats. To eat it is necessary fractional, about 5-6 receptions in day. Particular attention should be paid to the water regime, in a day you need to drink about two liters of purified water.
Consider an approximate menu for the week for the treatment and prevention of hepatitis C:
Monday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with fruit, green tea.
- Snack: baked apple, rye bread.
- Lunch: vegetable soup with noodles, buckwheat and steamed chicken from minced chicken.
- Snack: a glass of yogurt and a biscuit biscuit.
- Dinner: boiled fish, vegetables.
- Second dinner: a glass of kefir.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: milk buckwheat porridge, green tea.
- Snack: a handful of dried fruits.
- Lunch: cabbage rolls, soup with oatmeal.
- Snack: baked apple.
- Dinner: steam omelet with sour cream.
- Second dinner: cottage cheese and a glass of yogurt.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: boiled fish and rice.
- Snack: fresh apple or banana.
- Lunch: lean borsch, buckwheat with vegetables.
- Snack: a glass of yogurt, rye bread.
- Dinner: rice porridge on milk with dried fruits.
- The second dinner: a glass of yogurt and a biscuit biscuit.
Thursday
- Breakfast: carrot and apple puree, green tea.
- Snack: cottage cheese casserole.
- Lunch: mashed potatoes and boiled chicken breast, vegetable salad.
- Snack: fresh apple.
- Dinner: milk buckwheat porridge.
- Second dinner: a glass of yogurt and dried fruits.
Friday
- Breakfast: a handful of nuts or dried fruits, a glass of kefir.
- Snack: steam omelet and vegetable salad.
- Lunch: soup with meatballs on vegetable broth, rice porridge.
- Snack: boiled vegetables.
- Dinner: boiled fish with rice.
- The second dinner: a banana and a glass of yogurt.
Saturday
- Breakfast: vegetable salad and steam omelet.
- Snack: a glass of yogurt and a biscuit biscuit.
- Lunch: vegetable soup, steamed vegetables with meat.
- Snack: green tea with waffles.
- Dinner: milk soup with vermicelli.
- The second dinner: a glass of kissel and a biscuit biscuit.
Sunday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with fruit and green tea.
- Snack: fresh apple or banana.
- Lunch: lean borsch, vegetable salad with steam cutlets and buckwheat porridge.
- Snack: carrot puree with honey.
- Dinner: baked fish with vegetables, rice.
- Second dinner: a glass of yogurt and a biscuit biscuit.
Diet recipes
When faced with dietary nutrition, many patients have questions about the method of cooking and various diet recipes. So, in the treatment of liver damage, food is better taken in boiled, baked or steamed. From roast you need to give up and minimize the use of stews. During the preparation, the products can be combined, but with minimal use of salt and various seasonings.
Delicious diet recipes:
- Beet soup
- Beet borsch.
- Boiled water 1.5 liters.
- Fresh cucumber 1-2 pcs.
- Boiled chicken breast 150-200 g.
- Sour cream 50-70 g.
- Greens to taste.
My beets, peeled and peeled on a large grater. The shredded vegetable is placed in a saucepan and poured with water for 1-2 hours. Chicken meat mode cubes, cucumber peel and cut into cubes. Settled beet water is poured into a saucepan, cake can be thrown out. Add to the future soup sour cream and a little salt for taste, carefully mix. We add chicken meat, cucumber and greens, mix well and set to cool.
- Dietary cabbage rolls
- Figure 150 g.
- Chicken mince 400 g
- Cabbage leaves.
- Bow.
- Carrot.
- An Apple
The rice must be boiled. Onion, carrot and apple grind and pass over low heat with the addition of olive oil. Cabbage leaves wash, cut a hard vein. Finished rice mixed with minced meat, add a little salt and ¼ of the vegetable dressing, mix well. Ready filling stuff on the cabbage leaves and wrap well, add to the pan. Fill future cabbage rolls with water and put on medium fire for 20 minutes. As soon as the water boils, add to the pan the remains of vegetable dressing and boil for 10-15 minutes.
- Appetizer from courgettes
- 1-2 squash.
- Garlic 1-2 teeth.
- Breadcrumbs or crushed oat flakes.
- 2 egg whites
If zucchini are old, then we clean them from the peel, if young, then just mine and cut into small brusochki 2 cm thick and 5-7 in length. Egg whites are beaten into thick foam and enveloped in it zucchini. Garlic crushed and mixed with breading. Gently roll the squash in breading and lay them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. We send the dish to the oven until the zucchini is browned and softened. As a sauce, sour cream with garlic and dill is perfect.
- Stuffed pepper
- 3-4 Bulgarian or salad pepper.
- Cottage cheese 500 g.
- An Apple.
- Carrot.
My pepper, cut out the stem and cleanse the seeds. Carrots and an apple three on a large grater, mixed with cottage cheese. Fill the filling with peppers and send it to the oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Pumpkin dessert with honey
- Pumpkin 300-400 g.
- Honey 150 g.
- Lemon.
- Raisins.
- Walnuts.
- Cucumber seeds.
Pumpkin, peel and peel for small portions. Cook the dish better in a glass dish in a microwave or oven. Add to the pumpkin dried fruits, nuts and honey, pour all with lemon juice. We send the preparation until the pumpkin is soft and rosy.
What can you eat with hepatitis C?
To facilitate the work of the liver is recommended to make a menu, which includes only authorized products. What you can eat hepatitis C, how many meals should be and how to prepare food properly, this is told by the attending physician or dietitian.
Permitted products:
- Dried or yesterday's bread.
- Porridge (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal).
- Dairy products.
- Low-fat varieties of fish, meat and poultry.
- Vegetable, dairy and fruit soups-broth.
- Herbal teas and infusions.
- Fresh vegetables, fruits, greens.
- Vegetable, berry and fruit juices (freshly squeezed).
- Olive and vegetable oil.
- Macaroni products from flour of the highest grade.
- Dried fruits (dried apricots, raisins, prunes, dried banana).
- Bee products and honey
At first glance, the list of acceptable products seems monotonous. But patients quickly get used to healthy food and prepare a variety of delicious dishes from it. As a rule, the diet number 5-5A is designed for the whole life of a person, to maintain health and as a preventive measure of the disease.
What can not be eaten with hepatitis C?
Dietary food always involves restrictions in the choice of foods. In diseases of the liver, products that are chemically and mechanically irritating to the body are prohibited. Consider what can not be eaten with hepatitis C:
- Fresh baked pastries.
- Cooking fats.
- Synthetic additives, spices, condiments, sauces.
- Pickles, smoked meat, marinades.
- Fatty grades of fish, meat and poultry.
- Meat, fish and mushroom broths.
- Hot, fried, pickled, canned, smoked.
- Any strong broths.
- Mushrooms.
- Sorrel.
- Sour cottage cheese.
- Cocoa and coffee.
- Chocolate, ice cream and other sweets with synthetic additives.
- Any strong drinks, including tea and soda water
All of the above products are prohibited for patients with liver damage. Nutrition is designed by nutritionists, so by eliminating unwanted products, the patient has every chance to restore health and maintain it at the proper level.
Reviews about diet
Numerous positive responses about the diet, confirm its effectiveness. And this is not surprising, since a healthy diet minimizes the burden on the liver and other digestive organs. The patient improves well-being, painful sensations, lethargy and drowsiness leave.
Diet for hepatitis C should be observed on an ongoing basis, as it is a pledge to restore liver cells and maintain the normal functioning of other organs. The therapeutic diet not only eliminates the underlying ailment, but also acts as an excellent preventative of concomitant diseases, allows to normalize weight, improves skin color and mood.