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Liver disease reduces conversion of food into energy, delays its supply when our body need it.
In human body, liver is the largest and complex organ linked with the digestive system and nutrients metabolism.
Every single food you eat requires liver to be broken down properly. This includes carbohydrate food proteineous food micronutrients, fatty foods, alcohol even drugs.
However, there are different factors that can predispose you to liver disease such as bacteria, virus, aflatoxin, fatty liver, gall stone, cancer and congenital storage disease.
Common symptoms of liver diseases are weakness, weight loss, nausea, jaundice, fever, anorexia, abdominal pains and among others (1).
This article will explore 10 Ghanaian diet: To avoid with liver disease.
1. Alcohol
Frequent consumption of alcohol lead to accumulation of fat droplets in the liver, which may form fatty liver. This contributes profoundly in liver’s inability to metabolise food sufficiently. Occasional intake of alcohol may lower chances of getting liver disease, even though more studies are required to fully ascertain low consumption of alcohol to the development of liver disease.
2. Kelewele
Excessive intake of fatty food(Fried Plantain), very low protein, as well as carbohydrates is responsible for abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver. A liver disease patient cannot metabolise fat since bile is insufficient. Bile serves as emulsifier, meaning it helps in breaking down fat to a usable form.
3. Bofrot or fried doughnuts
A fried doughnut has substantial amount of saturated fat which is easily oxidized in the liver, thus leading fatty liver. You start seeing the symptoms the moment cells of the liver are dieing duo to accumulation of fat in the liver. Taking it as breakfast or lunch does not really matter, what’s you should bear in mind is that high fat consumption can inhibit adequate function of the liver.
4. High protein diet
Overconsumption of proteineous food is linked with poor performance of liver.
This is because liver become progressively unable to detoxify ammonia, a metabolic product of protein which is toxic. To prevent further complications of liver disease, avoid eating high protein diet.
Liver disease makes it hard for protein to metabolise and store efficiently in the body. This triggers infiltration of protein to the brain causing mental disorder.
5. Salt
High salt intake in liver disease patient is thought to cause retention of fluid in the extracellular fluid.
To avoid edema or fluid retention, stop incorporation of much salt in your body.
Common salt are predominantly found in processed foods, chi-chi, biscuits, corn flakes, soft drinks.
6. Nitrosamines packed food
Avoid eating some food that contain cured meat products, processed fish, cocoa, beer and other alcoholic beverages. Nitrosamines can as well be present in foo like fried meat (2).
7. Food to take deliberately
Coconut oil: Egg yolk because they already emulsified
8. Give high carbohydrates:
Yam, rice, Garri, wheat
9. Folic acid:
Chicken, beef, egg, mushroom, Avocado, Cabbage, Kale, Spinach.
10. Vitamin B12 rich-food: such as milk, fish, meat
Conclusion
Liver is an important and complex organ, our body uses to break down food food into smallest form which can tolerated by body.
An infected liver cannot metabolise food sufficiently, though avoidance of certain foods helps improve performance of liver.
10 Ghanaian diet: to avoid with liver disease include alcohol, salt, nitrosamines, kelewele, bofrot, and high protein diet.
