Diet in Liver Cirrhosis and Liver Failure
Liver is the seat of metabolism in the body. Whatever food we eat, after digestion passes through liver and after proper inspection, the liver processes the food into various parts. The proteins are processed and broken down into amino acids. The carbohydrates into glucose molecules, the fats into amino acids. The vitamins and minerals are utilized in various enzymatic chemical reactions to break down and convert the food into utilizable form.
Liver cells use various enzymes to perform these functions. The hepatocytes or liver cells work hard to keep us disease free as they also halt the entry of bacteria and viruses into our body. The chemical drugs, preservatives, alcohol, pollutants are also toxic to the liver as liver cells work at war scale to commit suicide to neutralize the toxins overload.
DIET IN LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND FAILURE
The diet in liver failure - The liver cirrhosis diet should be a very balanced diet.
What food to be avoided in liver failure
Alcohol, High protein diet, Cheese, Peanuts, Dry fruits, wine, beer, All packaged food which contain preservatives, frozen food, soft drinks, Non-veg diet, sea food and eggs ( Egg white can be given if the albumin is very low). Spices like ginger, turmeric, garlic are not recommended as they are pungent in nature. Alcohol is also pungent in nature. So pungents are not recommended in liver failure.
Which diet is good in liver cirrhosis
Coconut water is excellent in liver cirrhosis. Drink fresh coconut water, daily in the morning.
All fruits, vegetables which are bitter in taste are excellent. By Bitter, I mean Bitter and not pungent. There are 6 tastes in total. Sweet, Sour, Salty, Pungent, Bitter and Astringent.
Bitter tasting vegetables are - all gourds, long gourd, bottle gourd, round gourds, bitter gourds.
Other foods good in liver failure are Turnips, radish, carrots, potatoes. Radish juice- 10-20 ml once daily is recommended.
Liver Cirrhosis Diet
It is very important to cleanse the liver. Drinking water is very important if there is no water retention or ascites. Drinking a lot of water helps the liver to clean the toxins more effectively. Minimizing the alcohol and drug intake also helps in improved liver function and thereby longevity.
Consuming raw vegetables in the diet plan, especially dark and leafy vegetables, cabbage, wasabi, broccoli, onion, turnip, bok choy etc. different types of berries. avoid sour fruits at all cost. Lemons, oranges are not recommended at all.
Try to include seeds in the diet such as sunflower, flax, pumpkin seeds, and sesame. Small quantity is recommended and twice weekly is fine.
Avoid junk food and Soft drinks - Even if there is no Cirrhosis or you are living normal life -
This machine (Human body) is made by nature and the nature has given the best fuel on our planet for running and maintaining this machine. Putting in junk food, drugs, chemicals, preservatives, alcohol, Soda, Soft drinks (all soft drinks contain Co2) is just like running your car on kerosene.
When we can follow the manufacturer’s manual in case of our car and put the right kind of premium fuel in it for its proper maintenance why can’t we put the right kind of fuel (natural food) in this nature made machine for its optimum performance.
Why can’t we follow nature’s manual i.e. Ayurveda
Why do we have to drink Co2 (Soft drinks) by spending hard earned money when the body is putting its best efforts to eliminate Co2 from the blood through lungs and maintain the pH to slightly alkaline.
Have we forgotten that Co2 is an acidic gas ?
We have studied all these things when we were kids in school. Body tries to maintain the pH of the blood and liver plays an important role in it.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan- MD (Ayurveda ) explaining about Liver cirrhosis treatment in Ayurveda. The cirrhosis can be caused by any reason - Hepatitis, Alcohol, Drugs or any other toxins.