Diet for hepatitis A
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
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Since the liver plays a leading role in the metabolism, the appointment of a rational diet has long been suppressed in the complex treatment of viral hepatitis. However, if earlier in most recommendations the need for a predominantly carbohydrate diet was substantiated with a significant restriction of proteins and especially fats, now it can be considered generally accepted that the diet for hepatitis A should be high-grade, high-caloric and, if possible, physiological. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be 1: 1: 4-5.
It is shown that the prolonged restriction of animal proteins and fats in the diet tightens the period of convalescence, reducing the resistance of the organism, regenerative and glycogen-forming function of the liver. On the other hand, a diet rich in protein enhances the synthesis of glycogen in the liver and prevents the development of fatty degeneration of hepatocytes. Food fats, especially dairy and vegetable fats, serve as the main energy material, a source of energy in the body, they provide biosynthesis of phospholipids of cell membranes and the synthesis of fat-soluble vitamins, and impart flavor to the food. Therefore, for normal functioning of hepatic cells and enhancement of their regeneration, a sufficient amount of proteins and fats corresponding to the physiological norm in the diet of the patients is necessary.
Diet for hepatitis A sparing (for culinary processing and exclusion of irritants), table number 5
[What can not be eaten with hepatitis A?
For 6 months after discharge, special attention should be paid to nutrition, which should be sufficiently full with the complete exclusion of substances harmful to the liver. Eat throughout the day should be regular every 3-4 hours, avoiding overeating. Alcoholic beverages (including beer) are strictly prohibited.
From the diet, hepatitis A excludes extractives, refractory fats (lard, margarine, combi), fatty sausages, pork, oat crusts and, canned meat, raw eggs, fatty birds, fatty fish, spicy infusions, marinades, legumes (peas, beans, sharp cheeses, garlic, radish, radish, chocolate, cakes, cakes, sweets, spicy seasonings (mustard, pepper, mayonnaise), smoked meats, mushrooms, nuts, almonds, horseradish, etc.
What can you eat with hepatitis A?
Proteins are introduced into the diet in the form of cottage cheese, milk, kefir, low-fat varieties of meat (beef, veal, chicken), low-fat fish (cod, pike-perch, navaga, pike, etc.), omelet, low-fat cheeses. Fats are given and a visa of butter and vegetable oil (corn, olive, sunflower).
Carbohydrates - in the form of rice, semolina, oats, buckwheat porridge, bread, pasta, sugar, potatoes, etc.
In a daily diet, it is necessary to provide enough raw and boiled vegetables (carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, beets, tomatoes, green peas, zucchini), greens, fruits, juices.
At the same time, honey, jam, pastil, cookies from uncomfortable dough, dried apricots, thistles, raisins, mousses, jelly, kissels, salads, vinaigrettes, soaked herring, and gelatinous fish are allowed.
In the presence of symptoms of intoxication, a plentiful drink of not hard-boiled tea, tea with milk, lemon, chalk, jam, broth of wild rose, fruit and berry juices, compotes, shelled mineral waters, 5% glucose solution is especially shown.
The above recommendations can be considered only indicative, since in the appointment of a diet in each specific case it is necessary to take into account many factors, among which the age of the patient, the severity of the condition, the stage of the pathological process are of great importance. We must also take into account the individual tolerability of food, national and personal habits. It is obvious that in the acute phase of the disease, especially in the early days, when symptoms of intoxication are maximally expressed, and the patient can have complete anorexia in combination with nausea, vomiting, the diet for hepatitis A should be as gentle as possible, with the exception of fats and restriction of animal proteins. Patients in this period receive mainly fruit juices, fruits, kefir, cottage cheese, sweet tea, jelly, milk porridges and other products at will. Do not forcibly feed, as this leads to an increase in dyspeptic manifestations. Such restrictions in the diet are justified only for moderate and severe forms of the disease for several days; at lungs and the more so at atypical forms they are not shown. It is impractical to introduce them even in cases when the patient enters the hospital at a decline in clinical manifestations, regardless of the severity of the pathological process.
In accordance with modern ideas of hepatitis A as a benign disease that does not lead to the formation of chronic hepatitis, the recommendations of the past years about the need to observe dietary restrictions for 6 months from the onset of the disease should be considered obsolete. In the vast majority of patients, a complete restoration of the structure and function of the liver occurs only 2-3 months after the onset of the disease, and a longer correction of the diet is pathogenetically unjustified. It is clear that the restrictions in the diet should be removed individually, taking into account not only the functional state of the liver, but also the presence of possible violations from the bile duct and gastroduodenal pathology.
It is also obvious that with a prolonged course of the disease, a diet for hepatitis A should persist throughout the pathological process in the liver.