What to Avoid
There are two things you should avoid: alcohol and high-fat foods. For people with cirrhosis, regardless of the cause, alcohol should be completely avoided. And, diets high in fat for people with cirrhosis may cause potential digestion problems. The body digests (breaks down) fats using bile, which is a yellow-green fluid made in the liver. When the liver is damaged, the production and supply of bile may be affected.
However, it is important not to avoid fat entirely because the body requires a daily supply to remain healthy. Here, as is with much of proper nutrition, moderation and good selection is the key. For your dietary fat, choose foods like nuts, avocados, fish and plant oils.
With that said, you may need to further change your diet if you have complications from cirrhosis, according to your doctor's recommendations. Three relatively common complications are ascites, hypoglycemia and encephalopathy.
Ascites, which is the accumulation of large amounts of fluid in the abdomen, is aggravated by a diet high in salt, so doctors usually require a strict no-salt diet for cirrhosis with ascites. This is difficult to follow in today's highly processed marketplace because most prepackaged foods have a lot of added sodium (salt). When shopping for groceries, some good advice would be to skip the middle aisles and buy most of your food from along the walls, where the store keeps fresh meats, fruits and vegetables -- foods all relatively low in sodium.
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is another common problem of cirrhosis. If you experience this, you will need a diet of small, frequent meals that include complex carbohydrates such as breads, pastas and rice. Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar, causes many symptoms including fatigue, confusion and heart flutters because -- in the case of cirrhosis -- the liver isn't able to store enough energy (in the form of glycogen, a chemical the body uses for quick energy). Since the body is able to quickly break down carbohydrates and use them for energy, this can help smooth out the problems caused by hypoglycemia.
Encephalopathy. When the liver is injured, as with hepatitis, the liver can't handle normal amounts of protein. Protein, which the body uses for growth, maintenance and energy, is supplied from the diet in animal products like meat and eggs, and from plants like beans. When the body gets too much protein, a serious complication called encephalopathy can happen. This is because of the accumulation of large amounts of ammonia, a by-product from the digestion of too much protein, which is toxic to the brain. This is a life-threatening condition that can be prevented in people with cirrhosis by eating small amounts of protein from plant sources.
