Proper nutritional care for patients with liver disease

  The recovery of liver disease patients is a long-term project that needs to be adhered to day by day. In addition to active treatment, great importance should be attached to the following aspects: proper nutrition, appropriate exercise and positive psychological adjustment. As the saying goes, “three parts treatment, seven parts nourishment”, which shows that the nutritional health care is quite important, which is always a great concern for liver disease patients. So how can liver disease patients achieve reasonable nutrition?  According to experts, the first thing is to have a reasonable dietary structure and a wide variety of foods to ensure adequate nutrition to supply sufficient calories, the right amount of protein, rich and comprehensive vitamins, and the right amount of fiber. Eating more vegetables and fruits in order to get enough vitamins and fiber will also help to promote digestive function. Decreased liver function often affects fat metabolism, so many patients with chronic hepatitis will have a combination of post-hepatitis fatty liver. Therefore, the diet should be low in fat, low in sugar (too much sugar is easily converted into fat in the body) and high in protein. The protein diet should include both vegetable and animal proteins, such as soy products, beef, chicken, fish, etc. It is worth noting that if picky eating leads to malnutrition, it is very detrimental to liver disease recovery. It is recommended that the daily diet does not have to be taboo too much, otherwise it may lead to nutritional disorders.  The second thing is to try to avoid burdening the liver. Hepatitis B patients will have weakened digestive function, too much food often leads to indigestion, will also increase the burden on the liver, so the amount of food should be appropriate. It is advisable to stir-fry lightly, put less oil, eat less greasy and fried food, and eat less cold and stimulating food.  Thirdly, the reasonable application of Chinese medicine tonic. In fact, hepatitis patients do not need to deliberately supplement, because too much reliance on tonic and ignore the normal diet is to put the cart before the horse. The use of ginseng and other tonic medicines is not advocated for patients with mild to moderate hepatitis. Patients with severe liver disease and cirrhosis must seek the advice of a physician when taking Chinese medicine or tonic, and treat them with evidence. For those patients who have poor appetite for nutrients, in addition to considering increasing the variety of food and improving the taste of food to enhance appetite, they can additionally supplement a variety of nutrients, such as vitamin series, calcium and various trace elements, etc.  Fourth, as the saying goes, disease enters through the mouth, so it is important to avoid the intake of harmful substances. The liver of liver disease patients is already fragile and must be carefully taken care of to avoid damage. First of all, you should follow your doctor’s advice to avoid smoking and alcohol, otherwise the substances contained in them that need to be detoxified by the liver will overwhelm the liver. In addition, you should also take special precautions against aflatoxin in certain moldy foods, nitrosamines in substandard drinking water, nitrites in meat products such as ham, sausages, cured meats and pickled vegetables, and carcinogens in grilled or fried foods such as ribs, grilled chicken, duck, fish and fried eggs. Avoid these high-risk foods as much as possible. Close exposure to certain metals may also be closely related to the occurrence of liver cancer, so be vigilant.  In conclusion, doing a good job of one’s nutrition is equivalent to doing a good job of the logistic supply of all body systems, because a rich and reasonable healthy diet inputs rich nutrients to the body, thus guaranteeing the operation of all body systems. In particular, the construction and operation of the immune system is closely related to the nutritional supply. The immune function of liver disease patients is particularly important and is equivalent to the body’s healthy defense force against internal and external attacks by dangerous molecules. Only with good nutritional care can this defense force be continuously strengthened and brought into full play, which is obviously beneficial to the recovery from liver disease.  Although there is still some difficulty in eradicating hepatitis B, it is not as terrible as imagined, if treated properly and the health care program is reasonable, it is possible to control the disease for life and have a happy marriage and life, so please relax and keep a relaxed and happy life, there is no need to carry a heavy psychological burden.