Diet

[LindyRich]

Can anyone point me towards information about diet.

I don't have a clue what to eat anymore.

[Louedwards]

I eat the same as before I was diagnosed. I do eat quite healthy anyway. Also my 14 yr old daughter wanted to go vegetarian. So lots of veg is involved to. I do eat fish and chicken when I fancy it though 😉

I have found porridge (my favourite) and chocolate are no no's they make me feel sick yuk. Find it very difficult at times without the 2nd one ☺

[butterflyEi]

Hi LindyRich

I eat a varied diet rich in vegetables and meats. Breakfasts vary between porridge, cereals or sometimes bread and homemade marmalade. Lunches can be soups that I make at home using organic vegetable stock cubes, salads or sandwiches. I quite like advocado with prawns on a bed of lettuce. Dinners vary from a roast dinner through to a curry. I am fortunately retired so have time to make foods from scratch which I thoroughly enjoy. My husband is also a lover of cooking and will usually cook the dinners - but I get to do the clearing up!!!

Recently I was found to be dificient in vitamin B12 so am being given the shots for it. I was able to check my vitamin D levels which were just adequate so use a spray daily. I have wondered about magnesium which is being talked about on other sites and plan to order some magnesium rich cream for my skin once I have finished my current skin cream.

It seems that PBC does not exclude any particular food group but if you find you get reflux with dairy products then limit them or remove it from your diet. I like cheese on toast with tomatoes or onions but it no longer likes me so that is something I rarely have. I understand that oily fish such as salmon and sardines are good for the population generally but again I rarely have this due to reflux. I drink coffee (2/3 cups in the morning) as it has been reported as being beneficial to the liver. Other than that I have breakfast tea with milk, sometimes I drink Lady Grey tea or Echinacea. I try to drink water (not much good at it though) as it has been reported that keeping well hydrated helps with the itching.

Hope this will be helpful to you.

best wishes

[Hils67]

Hi LindyRich,

I don't think anything is excluded but as others have said eating whole foods is better for the liver, plenty of fresh fruit and veg and not eating overly fatty foods. I try and stick to this but it is difficult sometimes and if I fancy something then I just have it. It's bad enough having the condition but when you have to deny yourself foods you like then that can upset you mentally!! But then I was never one for going on a diet!

I try and make soups in a soup maker and then freeze them so I've got something stock in the in the freezer. We try and eat meals from scratch rather than processed meals which contain lots of crap, which can't be good for you. Like others have said cheese can make me feel bloated and lethargic...so I don't have as much as I used to. What I do notice on the days when I'm good with my meals I do feel much better and the days where I eat 'less good' food I feel bloated and lethargic!!

I also have a few cups of coffee a day and then herbal tea in the evening. I never used to like herbal teas...always thought they tasted of hay! But I find the chamomile and spearmint...or peppermint teas sweetened with a teaspoon of honey are quite nice. I usually have one before bed as the chamomile is relaxing and the mint ones are good for settling the stomach. I've also read on here that Apple is good for settling an acid tum...I tried this the other day and it did seem to work...so that's a nice healthy snack.

I find that I can't tolerate much wine anymore...I used to love a glass or two with my meal, but it tastes so acid now I tend not to anymore. Try and drink plenty of water just to keep things flowing in your body...this just makes it easier for the liver to process things. If I'm feeling anxious then I put a couple of drops of Bach rescue remedy in the water and sip it through the day.

Try not to worry too much about what you eat, just be aware of how your body reacts to certain foods and you'll naturally adjust to reducing those things that might make you feel bloated or lethargic.

Take care

Hilary xx

[LindyRich in reply to Hils67]

Thank you. Your suggestions are helpful.

I get discomfort in my stomach about half an hour after eating. Any ideas what that is about.? Didn't have that until this week. Seems funny that symptom comes the day I am diagnosed! Nerves or shock perhaps?...

[Hidden]

My philosophy re diet now I have PBC (diagnosed Dec 2010) is to continue as I was previously. That is try to not have an food additives and eat as natural as I possibly can. I tend to make my own food and if I buy a jar of something to add to chicken for eg I check labels to see what is in it first.

I have a couple cups of coffee during the day, a few green tea blend (black with green tea) at other times. If I feel like a fruit juice drink I tend to buy an organic one that has no additives whatsoever (currently have some Rocks blackcurrant in, great for washing down the final urso around 8p.m). I eat fruit for most snacks.

We have steamed vegetables as I prefer them still keeping their colour and they tend to be of a crunchy texture unlike boiling them in water.

During these winter months in the UK I have been partial to making rice pudding with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top. I am thinking here about calcium and bone health here. I eat fibre in my diet as after I started taking the urso I noticed that I started to encounter constipation that I never did prior to taking. I solved that issue myself.

[jiacheetah]

I have always been overweight and had a bad metabolism. After being diagnosed with hypothyroidism and having bits of my thyroid scraped and my parathyroids removed (2 we are supposed to have 4) I gained 30 pounds. Since this is another autoimmune disease it tool be 2 years to drop 1/2 the weight. I am on synthyroid and lithothyrine for that. Immediately after my liver numbers went south but the dr. said it was nothing. 3 years later after I forced the issue - PBC and who knows how ling I have it.

I did do the biopsy as a baseline - Stage 2 and I freaked. No symptoms at the time. Just tired at times. I work part time at home right now. Have lost the use of my pinky on my right hand due to arthritis. I did get checked for rheumatoid but it was negative so I guess it is osteoarthritis. Have no idea of that was better or not - lol

Noe suddenly bloodcounts no good and my kidneys are leaking protein into urine so more test to see if any other autoimmune diseases exist.

But today I am not thinking about any of that- My granddaughters are coming over to go swimming - first time in new house and pool. I am trying to heat it up since it is only 72 not warm enough for AZ! Next month a trip to Vegas to see Elton John.

From what I read we all have similar issues - some worse than others. I cry every time I read someone is in Stage 4. I cannot take it. I wish they would find a cure but there aren't enough of us around to warrant the research. They have finally developed a new drug which is still being tested here. I saw they were looking for volunteers but so far Urso is working for me, although it was only one good reading. The dr. said there is no point since I could be put on a placebo. That would suck.

I too have the same problem at night with my stomach. It tends to blow up more. I try to eat good and I am successful most of the time otherwise my weight would get worse than it is now. Of course, being Italian has its downfalls and pasta hits the belly like a ton of bricks so I reserve small portions for lunch every now and then.

I have eaten more fruits and I have always eaten veggies so that is good. I try to limit proteins as best I can per my dr who basically at this point told me to just eat a healthy diet.

I do have some weakness - I love ice cream! So I have switched to no sugar added when I need a fix. I haven't had a drop to drink - alcohol that is - since I was taken to the hospital last year for what was diagnosed as alcohol poisoning from 2 drinks at a local bar with friends. Scary and was treated like crap because they thought I was an alcoholic. It was 3 months later I found out I had PBC - was hoping for fatty liver since at least I felt that was under my control and being a control freak this PBS stuff really gets to me at times.

Oh well - off to have a good day. Thanks all for listening to my rant.

Best,

J

[tess303]

Hello everyone,

I just want to add that as far as I know  from what my doctor told me and from what I have been reading, we should eat chicken and fish (non greasy ones) time to time, but not fried and drink lot of water. Additionally, we should avoid sea food (because it's seems that contain a substance that can hurt us), alchool, salt and too much sugar. 

[LindyRich in reply to tess303]

Thank you.

After I wrote this post I found a useful piece on diet in the compendium on

pbcfoundation.org.uk

It basically is a sensible balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg, lean meat whole grains and plenty of water.

I was concerned in case there was anything that should be avoided.

Thanks for the tip on sea food. I didn't know that.

Best wishes

[Della_Williams]

Hi Lindy, here's a link to a webinar from this past week by my liver doctor on tips for healthy living. It's only a half hour long. Hope you find it useful.

youtube.com/watch?v=JxHheOS...(Not working as expected?)

Ivette, Chicago