Expert Food Tips for Chronic Hepatitis C:

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2009/02/expert_food_tip.html?eml=hepcen71
>
> February 02, 2009
> Expert Food Tips for Chronic Hepatitis C: Part 1
>
> Discover the importance of consuming whey protein
> and artichokes, and how these and four other key
> foods can help your liver resist damage from
> Hepatitis C infection. This is the first
> installment of this invaluable 2-part article.
>
> By Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.
>
> Although many are convinced of the importance of
> food in both causing and relieving health
> problems, a substantial percentage of physicians
> fail to utilize nutrition for guiding their
> patients back to wellness. This is unfortunate,
> especially when their patients have chronic
> ailments like Hepatitis C. Regardless of the
> involvement of their doctor or their stage of
> liver disease, the food eaten by people with
> Hepatitis C can either make their bodies feel
> better or worse.
>
> Our fixit fast culture has developed a higher
> level of comfort with drugs rather than foods;
> thus food as medicine has been largely neglected.
> Circa 400 B.C., the father of modern medicine,
> Hippocrates, said: "Let your food be your
> medicine and your medicine, your food." In the
> eighteenth century, one of the greatest
> gastronomes of the world, Jean Anthelme
> Brillat-Savarin proclaimed: "Tell me what you
> eat, and I will tell you what you are." Still
> popular today, Brillat-Savarin's The Physiology
> of Taste is a treatise on the relation between
> man's joy and survival with his ability to know
> and experience the pleasures of taste.
>
> In lieu of continually being advised to avoid
> foods that assault the liver, many with chronic
> Hepatitis C are left wondering what they should
> eat. For a clear understanding of six ideal foods
> for the liver, the following tips are given:
>
> 1. Drink Whey Protein - Add whey protein when
> making a smoothie because it contains lactoferrin
> and builds glutathione levels. While glutathione
> is the main antioxidant found inside liver cells,
> lactoferrin stimulates the immune system and has
> a direct antiviral property that hampers the
> Hepatitis C virus from attacking liver cells.
>
> 2. Cook Mung Beans - Used by practitioners of
> Traditional Chinese Medicine to detoxify poisons
> in the body, mung beans contain a natural
> protease inhibitor. High in Vitamin B and C,
> potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, copper,
> fiber and protein, mung beans' ability to help a
> Hepatitis C-laden liver flush out toxins are
> worth the effort to find and prepare.
>
> 3. Eat Shitake - Shitake Mushrooms contain
> lentinan, a beta-glucan with powerful effects on
> hepatitis and many other diseases, including
> cancer. According to the Sloan Kettering Cancer
> Center, lentinan is used for cancer, high
> cholesterol, strengthening the immune system and
> treating infections. These specialty mushrooms
> also raise white blood cell counts and increase
> helper t-cells.
>
> 4. Love Artichokes - A member of the milk thistle
> family that helps control blood sugar levels,
> artichokes are known to support liver health.
> This fibrous, green veggie contains cynarin,
> which promotes the flow of bile from the liver to
> the gallbladder. This is very important because
> if the bile is not transported adequately to the
> gallbladder, the liver has an increased risk of
> being damaged.
>
> 5. Munch on Dandelion Greens - By stimulating the
> flow of bile, dandelion helps both the liver and
> gallbladder break down fat, prevent gallstones
> and aid in detoxification. In addition, dandelion
> greens have mild diuretic properties, which may
> help relieve ascites, a common consequence of
> liver cirrhosis.
>
> 6. Pick Foods Rich in Selenium - Because
> Hepatitis C encodes selenoproteins, the virus
> depletes cells of selenium. Thus, those with
> Hepatitis C need more selenium than the average
> person. Researchers hypothesize that when cells
> are drained of selenium, the Hepatitis C virus
> will spread from cell to cell looking for more.
> Thus, supply as much selenium to your cells as
> possible with the following selenium-rich foods:
> brazil nuts, broccoli, onions, leeks and garlic.
>
> Using food to guide our health is not a new
> concept. While awareness of how unhealthy food
> can damage our bodies has recently grown, much of
> our medication-oriented society has forgotten
> about food's therapeutic potential. Luckily, you
> needn't be a certified nutritionist to know what
> choices to make in the grocery store. By
> including whey protein, mung beans, shitake
> mushrooms, artichokes, dandelion greens and
> selenium-rich foods into your diet, you can help
> your body feel well despite being infected with
> Hepatitis C.
>
>
> References:
> http://ayurwhat.blogspot.com/2007/11/mung-beans.html,
> Mung Beans, Julia Australia, Retrieved January
> 17, 2009, Ayurwhat?, 2009.
>
> http://www.alchemistlab.com/newsletter11.htm, Top
> Ten Foods For Treating Chronic Hepatitis, Steven
> Finkbine, L.Ac., Retrieved January 16, 2009,
> Alchemist Lab Newsletter # 11, Alchemist Lab,
> LLC, September 2008.
>
> http://www.allabouthepatitisc.com/readytolearn/living/slowing/eating_
> healthy.jsp, Eating Healthy, Schering Corporation, 2009.
>
> http://www.atihealthnet.com/pages/diethiv.html,
> Diet and Hepatitis C, Retrieved January 16, 2009,
> AIE Pharmaceuticals, 2009.
>
> http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7433/0-g,
> "Let Food Be Thy MedicineS", Richard Smith,
> Retrieved January 16, 2009, British Medical
> Journal, January 2004.
>
> http://www.dietblog.com/archives/2007/05/02/10_reasons_to_choose_
> food_as_medicine.php, 10 Reasons to Choose Food
> as Medicine, J. Foster, Retrieved January 16,
> 2009, Diet-Blog, 2009.
>
> http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/Brillat_Savarin.htm,
> The Gastronomic Servings of Brillat-Savarin,
> Amanda Watson Schnetzer, Retrieved January 16,
> 2009, The Washington Times, July 1999.
>
> http://wwwhealthfreedomcoachcom.blogspot.com/2008/03/dandelion-herbal
> -liver-cleanse-better.html, Dandelion: Herbal
> Liver Cleanse, Better Digestion, and More!, Ellen
> Landauer, Retrieved January 17, 2009, Health
> Freedom Coaching, 2009.
>
>
http://www.hepccouncilsa.asn.au/factsheets/lifestyle/herbs/theraputicherbs.html,
> Herbs - Therapeutic and Toxic, Retrieved January
> 17, 2009, Hepatitis C Council of SA, 2009.
>
> Posted by Editors at February 2, 2009 10:38 AM
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