What Should Your Parent with Hep C Eat?

By Marina Pink | February 5, 2020 |

Hepatitis C, commonly called Hep C, is a disease that affects the liver. It is caused by a virus and is transmitted through the blood and other bodily fluids. It injures the liver by causing inflammation and scarring. Eventually, Hep C can affect the liver’s ability to do its job. While eating a certain way won’t cure Hep C, it can help to support the liver and improve your aging parent’s health.

Homecare in Glendale CA: Parent with Hep C

Hep C’s Impact on Diet

The treatments for Hep C can affect your parent’s desire to eat. Interferon treatment can cause a lack of appetite. It can also lead to nausea and vomiting as well as a sore mouth and throat. If Hep C has causes cirrhosis, that may also cause appetite loss and result in malnutrition.

Hep C often occurs alongside other medical conditions that can further affect the way your parent eats. For example, they may also have high blood pressure, which means needing to eat less salt. Other conditions that can occur with Hep C and change the way a senior eats are diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.

Although the treatment of Hep C doesn’t require a special way of eating, not eating well can cause more damage to the liver. For example, a poor diet can lead to weight gain, which can lead to fatty liver disease, a condition that can also cause cirrhosis.

Eating Healthy with Hep C

Everything your parent eats requires work from the liver. Therefore, it stands to reason that what they eat can affect liver health. Some foods that can help to support liver health are:

Fruits and Vegetables: Your parents should try to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. They are important for providing important nutrients, like folate, folic acid, and vitamins A, C, B12, and B6.

Protein: Protein is important for creating new, healthy liver cells and helping to repair those that have been damaged. Older adults should try to eat lean proteins, including fish, skinless chicken, eggs, nuts, low-fat dairy, and soy products.

Whole Grains: Whole grains are a good source of fiber. Choose products that list a whole grain within the first few ingredients.

Elder care can help your parent to manage Hep C and support their liver health. An elder care provider can cook meals that are healthy and help to keep the liver as healthy as possible. Elder care providers can even help with meal planning and grocery shopping. In addition to assisting with preparing meals, an elder care provider can also help with disease management by reminding them to take medications at the right times.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Glendale, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Help. Serving All of Los Angeles County. Call Us Today (888) 989-7388

Sources

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

https://www.healthline.com/

https://www.webmd.com/

Author
Recent Posts

Marina Pink

Owner at Home Care Help

Marina Pink is the Owner at Home Care Help. Home Care Help is an innovator in providing services in a caring and professional manner. We have an exceptional history, spanning twenty-three years, of providing care to people in moments that matter most. It is our utmost priority to address every need in a timely manner; and, it is our goal, above all else, to give the level of support that enables our residents to have as much independence as possible with care and respect.