Liver-Healthy Foods to Fight Inflammation

Chronic liver disease and other conditions can make a person feel like their body is out of control. But, we have more control than we think. A great place to help your body fight inflammation that is associated with hepatitis C and liver disease is diet.

Learning what foods contribute to inflammation and what foods help fight inflammation is a great way to help your body fight hepatitis C and liver disease. Foods that contribute to inflammation often increase the risk for other liver associated conditions like diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, and weight gain.

While eating liver healthy foods to fight inflammation, you are also reducing stress on your body and helping boost your immune system. A definite win/win combination.

Foods that cause inflammation

Knowing what foods cause inflammation and what to avoid is a proactive step to help your liver. Harvard Medical Publishing from Harvard Medical School recommends avoiding the following:¹

• Processed foods, including processed meats
• Refined carbohydrates like white bread, pastries, and high sugar treats
• French fries and other fried foods
• Margarine, shortening, and lard
• Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
• Red meat (such as burger and steak)

Foods to fight inflammation

Harvard Medical Publishing recommends these foods to help fight inflammation:¹

• Fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges
• Fresh green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collards
• Nuts such as almonds and walnuts
• Tomatoes pack inflammation-fighting nutrients
• Olive oil
• Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines

Tips for fighting inflammation

The Mayo Clinic recommends these tips to help fight inflammation in your diet:²

• Eat a variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Fresh is best, frozen is good, but avoid can options that contain added sugars and chemicals.
• Eat foods high in antioxidants like colorful fruits, and vegetables such as berries, leafy greens, beets, avocados, beans, lentils, whole grains, ginger, turmeric and green tea.
• Eat foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and nuts like walnuts, and pecans, as well as ground flaxseed and soy.
• Avoid or eat fewer foods and meat that can contribute to inflammation like red meat and processed foods.

In summary

While eating inflammation-fighting foods is a great health benefit to hepatitis C and liver disease, this does not replace medical treatment for hepatitis C, which is needed to eliminate the virus from the body and stop further liver damage from occurring. Talk to your doctor and a registered dietitian about a liver-healthy diet designed especially for your liver and health condition.