Diet for Damaged Liver

A person who has problems with liver damage can alter his diet to help deal with his liver problems. A person who has an unhealthy liver needs to focus on making sure he gets the proper kinds of vitamins and minerals, while also making sure that he avoids the foods that could make liver damage worse.

Liver Function

• A person who has a damaged liver should view his liver as a processing plant. The liver works on many substances and sends them to the right parts of the body. It is the liver's responsibility to break down and process fat, proteins and carbohydrates. These substances are taken into the bloodstream after they have been processed.

  A damaged liver is less likely to be able to properly process these substances, even though they still go to the liver after they have been digested. When a liver is unable to process foods, a build-up occurs. As the foods continue to build up, the likelihood for more liver damage increases.

  There are some simple things that can be done to encourage the liver to properly operate or at least assist it in giving it less work to do.

Nutrients Needed

• A person with liver damage should limit the amount of protein he eats because damaged livers have trouble processing proteins. If the proteins are not able to be processed, a toxic increase of ammonia stays in the bloodstream.

  Although proteins should be decreased, the same is not true of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are needed so that the body can have a resource from which it can gather energy. Healthy livers are able to make glycogen from carbohydrates.

  Glycogen, in turn, is broken down and used when energy is needed in the body. Because a damaged liver is unable to do this effectively, those who suffer from liver damage should eat as many carbohydrates as possible to make up for the liver's lack of ability to create glycogen.

  The amount of fat that you eat when you have liver damage should not change drastically. Some fat is needed because it provides the vitamins and calories that the body needs, however it is never good to eat too much fat because it can lead to other health problems.

  Limiting the amount of fluids you drink and the amount of sodium you eat can help prevent the build-up of high blood pressure in the liver's major vein. Avoiding putting extra salt on your meals is one effective way to decrease the amount of sodium in your diet.