Healthy ‘liver friendly’ diet for Hepatitis C sufferers, join Boy George’s C party

I have been cooking for 10 years and am an extreme food lover. My years in the industry have been extremely varied and have seen me work as a food writer, chef and television presenter. Before establishing myself as chef I worked as a body piercer for seven years. This led to my interest in hepatitis C and saw me become a patron for The Hepatitis C Trust in 2009, and I have been involved in the organisation ever since.

Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus that attacks the liver so a ‘liver friendly’ diet is extremely important. A healthy diet that is rich in foods such as lean meats, fish, artichokes and colourful vegetables can mean fewer symptoms, less visits to the doctor and a more active, enjoyable lifestyle for hepatitis C sufferers. I find it incredible that the liver is one of the only organs that can repair itself but it tends to get a hammering around the festive season when we let loose a little and enjoy those foods we would normally say no to. Unfortunately the rich and fatty foods that normally go hand in hand with Christmas are like poison to this vital organ and our bodies get overloaded with them this time of the year. There are ways to ease the damages and diet changes can help restore liver health.

Boy George and I recently hosted a Great British C Party which saw me cooking liver friendly dishes, for a star studded guest list.  We are both patrons for The Hepatitis C Trust and the C Party campaign, which is a great way to raise awareness for the Trust and the amazing work they have been doing for hepatitis C awareness. Eating well for your liver was the key theme for the dinner and it was my aim to highlight food that is both healthy and delicious.

The Health Protection Agency estimates that there are 216,000 people with hepatitis C in the UK, but less than half have been diagnosed. If you feel you might be at risk of hepatitis C, you need to get tested by your local GP or health service.  If undiagnosed, hepatitis C can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Yet diagnosed, it can be treated and cured. There is no vaccination but early treatment can successfully clear the virus in around half of patients and on-going infection can be managed.

Symptoms of hepatitis C really do vary, so it is always a good idea to get checked. However, common symptoms include: fatigue with non-refreshing sleep, depression, headaches, short-term memory problems, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, digestive problems, joint and muscle aches and pains, flu-like symptoms, discomfort or pain in the liver area, abdominal pain, itching.

A healthy liver friendly diet is just one way to relieve hepatitis C symptoms and create a healthy liver

For more advice or information contact The Hepatitis C Trust helpline on 0845 223 4424 or visit their website at hepctrust.org.uk.

See more information on how to host a Great British C Party event, or menu ideas HERE.

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• SandySure

  “Eating healthy keeps your body healthy”

  Only a complete f’ing tool would post a tautology and then sound smug. You utter f*ing w*nk*r.

• http://www.facebook.com/people/Adam-Smith/100002511530843 Adam Smith

  How about a Hep/C friendly lifestyle that does not include over 700 sexual contacts which is about average for the life of a gay man? Lets talk about not sharing dirty needles or even cutting out drug use? Gay men are their own worst enemies and not the people who simply disagree with their sexual impulses. It is impossible to make a case for same sex attraction based on science: Liberals believe that natural selection has predetermined a particular chromosome to cause men to desire other men, men to cross-dress, men to desire both men and women. However, I am not a Darwinist but since liberals and leftists love Darwin I am only feeding their clap trap back to them. Male and Female–created by God makes more sense.

• halfbeing

  My common sense has never included eating artichokes. That’s not to say that I would never consider a high artichoke diet, but I would base that decision on scientific evidence and not on listening to the rantings of an obnoxious fool like you.

• http://www.facebook.com/Vinesymod Kate Vines

  I can’t believe the negative comments below – please show some respect..cooking for freaks indeed…It’s great to see people having fun and not drinking love it

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