End Stage Liver Disease Diet
While a diagnosis of end-stage liver disease is never something to be considered good news, keep in mind that the battle has yet to end. You can still strive to maintain a positive attitude, using every tool available to forestall liver failure. One of your primary weapons against end-stage liver disease is a proper diet. While diet is certainly no cure, it can buy you some additional time to fight.
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End-Stage Liver Disease
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The "end stage" is normally the final stage of any liver disease. At this point, it is no longer a question of whether the liver will fail, but when. In many cases, the only thing that can guarantee prolonged survival is a liver transplant. But while liver failure is considered inevitable, that doesn't mean it has to happen right away. You can put off the point of terminal failure with a proper diet.
Waste Products
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The liver is the body's main detoxifying organ. Its job is to filter waste products out of the blood. A proper diet can reduce strain on the liver by ensuring that there are fewer waste products to process, thus extending the organ's useful life.
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Recommendations
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In general, an end-stage liver disease diet is much like a heart-healthy diet. Try to eat at least 1 g to 1.5 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, and minimize sodium and sugar intake. Eat a diet low in saturated fats; make sure the meats you eat for protein are lean cuts. Round out your diet with fresh fruits or vegetables with every meal.
Sample Diet
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A healthy breakfast for someone suffering from end-stage liver disease could consist of an egg-white omelet with low-fat cheese, a fruit salad, and some turkey bacon.
Lunch could be a grilled chicken salad with olive oil dressing and an apple or orange on the side.
Dinner could be heart-healthy salmon alongside whole-grain dinner rolls, broccoli and carrots.
Sticking to mostly natural foods will reduce the strain on your liver.
Supplement
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Consider supplementing your diet with omega-3 fats from a commercially available fish oil. Omega 3 fats have been shown to help in improving fatty liver disease, potentially providing another buffer between you and liver failure. Taking 5g to 10g a day could provide some benefit.
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