Jaundice Prevention and Junk Food Health

Can junk food be taken in Jaundice or it has to be totally liquid diet? What kind of junk food can we eat in juandice?

As far as possible avoid consuming junk foods for a few days till your bilirubin levels go down. For the first few days when your bilirubin levels are high, prefer a clear liquid diet. You can include all the clear liquids like boiled water, barley water, coconut water, sugarcane juice, apple juice, orange juice, sweet lime juice, lemon juice, carrot juice, beetroot juice, and other fresh fruit and vegetable juices of your choice. If you like clear vegetable soup you can include that too in your diet.

Excess fluids will help to flush off excess bilirubin from your body and thus help decrease your bilirubin levels.

As your condition improves and as the other symptoms like vomiting and nausea clear, you can include a soft bland diet foods. Most of the junk foods are high in spices, oils and fats. Both spicy and fatty food will add extra pressure on the liver for digestion. Jaundice is a symptom which generally indicates a compromised liver function. In such cases it would not be wise to eat foods that will make the liver work hard. Liver needs time to rest and regenerate new cells to perform its normal functions like before. To avoid boredom from one food, include a variety of foods in your diet. Variety of foods will not only fulfill your nutritional needs but also give some excitement to your taste buds. You can modify some junk foods if you have craving for them. For example you need to avoid buttered popcorn when your bilirubin levels are high as fat in any form is restricted. But if you feel like eating popcorn, you can make them at home by adding minimum amount of fat or no fat to it while preparing. Avoid eating any food (not only junk food) available outside as it can be contaminated and worsen your condition. You can prepare all the food you like at home (that is low in fat and spices). Gradually as your bilirubin levels come back to normal you can include simple fats like cream and butter, flaxseeds, canola oil and olive oil (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) to your diet. Monounsaturated fats can be easily digested by the body. Before making any major dietary or lifestyle changes or change in your medications it is important to consult a health care specialist. This is because he/she knows your case the best and will be able to help you personally.

Submitted on January 16, 2014