Introduction

Alcohol

Diabetes

Fats

Salt

Coffee, tea and caffeine

Sugars

Red meat

Dairy foods

Food colours and preservatives

Vitamin and mineral supplements

Further health information

 

Introduction

Staying as healthy as possible will help you cope better with hep C. To help improve your health, eating a wide variety of food in the right balance is important. The following advice about diet and food has been developed by dietitians who work with hep C. It aims to dispel myths and help you to stay as healthy as possible.

Avoid restrictive or cleansing diets as there is little clinical or biological basis to support them. The bottom line is that if you don’t have serious liver damage (e.g. cirrhosis) there are no particular foods that you should seek or avoid because of your hep C. If you do have serious liver damage, speak to your specialist or doctor for dietary advice.

Alcohol

Your risk of developing liver damage is higher if you have hep C and drink alcohol. Reducing your alcohol intake can be the first step towards lessening the risk of serious liver damage. Try to reduce your alcohol use to, or below, the National Recommendations for the general public, which are:

• You (both men and women) should not drink more than two standard drinks per day (a standard drink is one schooner of light beer, one middy of full strength beer, one standard glass of wine or one nip of spirits)
• If on any occasion, you do drink over the above limit, you should not drink more than four standard drinks in a day

If you have difficulty reducing your alcohol intake, seek advice from your doctor or the Alcohol & Drug Information Service (web link). The following tips may also be helpful:

• Have regular alcohol-free days
• Try low alcohol drinks
• Follow each alcoholic drink with several non-alcoholic drinks
• Avoid places where there is pressure to drink
• Avoid drinking in rounds (having turns at buying everyone’s drinks)
• Finish your drink and then wait a while before starting a new one

Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent) is more common among people with hep C than among the general population. It can lead to nerve damage and disease of the kidneys and heart, as well as eye disorders, stroke and serious ulcers. Initial management of type 2 diabetes is related to diet and this makes it especially important that you avoid overuse of sugars, avoid becoming overweight and stay as fit as possible. Speak to your doctor or specialist about blood tests to see if you are at risk.

Fats

Unfortunately, eating too much fat is common among Australians. It puts us at greater risk of getting heart disease and diabetes and of becoming overweight. Because of this, people are generally advised to eat less fat. You shouldn’t cut out all fats and oils because some are needed by your body to make hormones, and for cells to function properly. Try eating reduced-fat dairy products. Buy fat-trimmed, lean meats such as those that carry the Heart Foundation tick of approval. Avoid processed foods that are high in saturated fat or trans-fat (such as pizza, salami, sausage, meat pies, pasties, dim sims or battered fish and chips).

Salt

High salt intake can increase your blood pressure and your risk of heart disease and stroke. Most of our salt intake (about 75%) comes from processed foods and it is worth trying low-salt or salt-reduced varieties of these foods. Also try to use less salt in your cooking and on the food you eat.

Coffee, tea and caffeine

Caffeine in coffee and tea can increase your alertness. There is no published evidence suggesting that tea, coffee or caffeine-containing drinks consumed in moderation cause particular problems for people with hep C.

Sugars

Sugars can give you energy but it is better to get your energy from foods like whole grains, meats, fruits, cereals and vegetables. Many processed foods have sugar added to them but whether this poses a health problem depends on your overall sugar intake. You should avoid eating too much sugar or becoming overweight, both of which increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Red meat

There is no scientific evidence suggesting people with hep C have problems eating red meat. In small servings with the fat removed, red meat is a very useful food to include in a balanced diet. It is a valuable source of iron and B group vitamins.

Dairy foods

Although dairy foods can contain high levels of saturated fats, they are excellent sources of other nutrients essential for health. It is hard to get enough calcium if you exclude milk products from your diet so try lower-fat dairy products instead of full fat.

Food colours and preservatives

There is no scientific evidence to suggest people with hep C have particular problems with artificial colours or preservatives in foods. Avoiding all artificial colours and flavours would severely limit your shopping choices and add unnecessary stress to your life. Anyone with a known sensitivity to particular colours, preservatives or foods should be careful, whether they have hep C or not.

Vitamin and mineral supplements

Illness can increase your body’s need for vitamins and minerals but if you are eating well you should be getting enough from your food intake. Vitamin and mineral supplements may be useful if your appetite is poor. Care should be taken not to exceed the recommended dose as this may be harmful. It is best to avoid vitamin A as large doses or long term use is associated with abnormal liver function tests and increased fibrosis.

Further health information

If you eat well, exercise, do not smoke and are careful about your alcohol intake, you will be doing the best you can to keep yourself healthy. For further information about good health, speak to your doctor. If you have a level of liver damage or symptoms that require more specialised dietary and lifestyle advice, your doctor will probably refer you to a dietitian or specialist at your local hospital.

 

 

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Stock photos used. People shown may have no actual connection with hepatitis C.

Top image by KirrilyRobert, taken with thanks from www.flickr.com

This page last updated 12 May 2010

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