What should eat and drink as a hepatitis C patient to avoid for further liver damage?

Hi Rauf, this is a great question. We have a hub that shares several resources about nutrition and eating well while living with hep C. Alcohol should be avoided because it can damage the liver. Some particular foods to avoid include salty foods, and artificial sugars and sweeteners. High fatty goods can cause an excess buildup of fat in the liver.

This article by our patient advocate Connie highlights some important dietary considerations when living with hep C. Staying hydrated with plenty of water, having health fats, and taking in proteins like eggs, fish, and chicken come suggested.

-Matt (Team Member)

Hi Rauf, Matt gave you great advice. There are actually no foods you need to avoid unless you have end stage liver disease. Of course any amount of alcohol is a no-no. A heart healthy diet, as Matt described, is the best way to eat. Take care, Matt.

Hi Rauf,
You asked a very proactive question. First, knowing what to avoid that harms the liver is just as important as knowing what is helpful to your liver. Avoid alcohol of all types. For anyone with liver disease, drinking alcohol is like throwing gasoline on a fire. This increases inflammation and liver damage. Avoid recreational drugs. Plus talk to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter or prescription medications that are hard on the liver.

Avoid processed foods as much as possible. These are loaded with high sodium and unhealthy fats, and chemicals that are hard on the liver.

Depending on your liver condition, if you have cirrhosis or another medical condition like diabetes, heart or kidney disease, you would need to talk to your liver specialist and a registered dietitian who can design a diet specific for your overall condition.

A general liver healthy diet consists of eating fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. Balanced proteins with eating poultry, fish and plant based proteins. You can eat beef, but only eat it occasionally since beef takes longer to digest. Pork is generally high in sodium and not recommended if you have cirrhosis or another medical condition.

Matt gave you the link to an article with more dietary considerations. You can check it out for more detail.

Make sure to drink at least 64 ounces of pure water daily or water infused with citrus. This helps keep you hydrated while flushing toxins out of your system.

I hope this info helps. Keep us posted on how you're doing. Let us know if you have other questions or concerns. We're here for you. Blessings my friend, Connie-Author/Moderator@Hepatitis C.net