PCB and diet

[Kimdoc47]

I have recently been diagnosed with PCB and trying to change my diet in include lots of fatty fish and no red meat. I drink quite a bit of tea so was wondering if oat milk would be a better alternative to cows milk?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated

Thanks

Kim

[QuietButBold]

Hello Kim,

With PBC, assuming that your liver function is satisfactory, the general guidance is: lots of fresh fruit, veg and fibre (less fat, sugar and salt).

When you are making a lot of healthy dietary changes; you do still want to keep at least some things dear to you which you really enjoy.

Maybe stick to the cows milk, as you are accustomed to that in your tea - but consider trying a lower fat cows milk if you usually have full-fat milk?

The thing to watch out for - if you did decide to try an oat "milk" drink - is that they are not all equal. It might not (at first thought) be obvious that, for example, some of them are actually sweetened!

It can be quite some education to compare the nutritional grid on the label of both cows milk versus oat drink - e.g. cows milk usually provides higher protein.

It would also be worth double-checking if a particular brand of oat milk is vitamin D fortified (to match what is standard in cows milk).

Then there is the cost difference to consider - semi-skimmed or skimmed cows milk is around 64 p per litre chilled (99 p per litre long life), whereas oat drink (no sugars) is more likely around £2.20 per litre chilled (£1.90 per litre long-life).

[Cascade35]

Hi Kim

That’s great you are making the changes and you should see the results in time with blood tests. I made the same changes like you. I drink about ten cups of tea a day in the autumn-winter months. I did switch to skimmed milk and have a tiny bit in my tea. Another change is I bought a Ninja smoothie maker and every day I have a smoothie made of juice, 0% Greek yoghurt and 2-3 pieces of fruit and a tablespoon of chia seeds. It’s delicious, refreshing and lots of fibre. And lots of fish, chicken once a fortnight and no red meat. Good luck and keep those great changes

[ColinH324]

I use skimmed milk to reduce fat intake and have started drinking more coffee as it has good antioxidant effects that can be beneficial to liver health. A Mediterranean diet is what my dietitian recommended, trying to avoid too much fat or salt.