The liver produces bile to break down fats. However, during jaundice, the functioning of the liver is affected and hence, excessive fat consumption in the form of processed meat, red meat, oily food, and dairy will only slow down the healing process of your liver.
Alcohol can aggravate the condition of your liver during jaundice. It can be extremely damaging to your liver and hence, any type of alcoholic beverages should be strictly avoided.
Citrus fruits are considered to be great for your body thanks to the presence of Vitamin C. However, in some cases, citrus fruits such as grapefruit, orange, and lemon may reduce the effectiveness of certain medications. Talk to your doctor or dietitian before consuming the same if you have jaundice, and if they so advise, you can consume these fruits in limited quantities.
While spicy food may be tasty, consuming it during jaundice can cause digestive discomfort and aggravate your symptoms. Hence, it's best to avoid spicy foods until you've completely recovered.
Many of us cannot begin our day without coffee, right? However, excessive amounts of tea, coffee, and energy drinks can put a load on your liver and even dehydrate you further! Thus, if you have jaundice, it's best to avoid these drinks completely, but if you still want to consume them, limit your consumption.
While convenience has become key concerning food and its choices, consuming ultra-processed or packaged foods containing refined flour (maida), excessive sugar, salt, and oil and is loaded with trans fats/saturated fats/hydrogenated fats, additives, preservatives and a lot of other nasties.
Canned foods, especially canned meat and vegetables, are loaded with salt and can dehydrate your body further. This makes digestion difficult, adding more stress to your liver.
Undercooked meat or shellfish can harbour bacteria and lead to an infection, further affecting the health of your liver.Remember that it can infect your liver and impede the healing process, and is best avoided during jaundice.
White bread, pasta, and baked goods can put a strain on your liver and affect its health in the long run. So, it is best to avoid it until your liver has healed completelv.
Pork is high in fats and the liver is unable to break it down as its functioning is affected during jaundice. So, bacon strips, chorizo, and pork ribs can wait until you heal completely!
Huda Shaikh Khan, a Mumbai-based clinical dietitian, nutritionist and certified diabetes coach on Coto, a women-only social community platform