Diet for Gilbert's syndrome: nutritional features

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Gilbert's syndrome is a condition characterized by an increase in the level of bilirubin in the blood. The disorder is genetic in nature and usually manifests itself in childhood or adolescence (from three to thirteen years). Pathology accompanies the patient throughout life, but does not reduce its duration. Diet in Gilbert's syndrome helps to improve the patient's condition. It also prevents flare-ups.

Causes and symptoms

The disease is hereditary, so not everyone knows what Gilbert's Syndrome is. Pathology develops due to a mutation of the gene that is responsible for the production of bilirubin. This substance belongs to toxic compounds. Its excess negatively affects the functioning of the body. The development of the disease is facilitated by factors such as dietary errors (overeating, eating a large amount of fatty foods, prolonged fasting), drinking alcohol, taking hormonal medications, and psychological stress.

Gilbert's syndrome is characterized by the presence of the following symptoms:

1. Yellow tint to the skin, mucous membranes, whites of the eyes.
2. Feeling broken, constantly tired.
3. Sleep disorders.
4. Bad appetite.
5. Bitter burp.
6. Feeling sick, vomiting.
7. Increased susceptibility to various infections (acute respiratory diseases, diseases of the genital organs and urinary system).

Diet for Gilbert's syndrome avoids possible complications (benign liver tumors, fatty liver, cholecystitis).

The importance of a proper diet

Therapeutic nutrition is an integral part of the treatment of patients with this disorder. It plays no less a role than taking medications. The main purpose of the diet is to prevent well-being.

Telling how Gilbert's syndrome manifests itself and what it is, it should be added that proper nutrition should help normalize the outflow of bile. As an optimal diet, doctors recommend table number 5. This diet is followed by patients suffering from hepatitis, malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract and cholecystitis.

When prescribing therapeutic nutrition, the doctor must regularly monitor the level of bilirubin in the patient's blood. In the case of strict adherence to the rules, a person with this ailment can avoid the occurrence of jaundice and other complications.

The main principles of the diet

The main nuances of the diet for Gilbert's syndrome arenext:

1. Eating at the same time. A clear regime is necessary for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Starvation is unacceptable. It is worth abandoning strict diets, even with the aim of reducing body weight.
3. Vegetarianism is not the best choice for patients with Gilbert's syndrome. Patients should eat lean meats (turkey, beef, veal, chicken) in moderation.
4. Diet involves the use of a sufficient amount of fruits, berries, vegetables. To normalize the outflow of bile, juices from beets and cabbage are recommended.
5. Fried and spicy foods should be avoided.
6. The energy value of a daily diet varies from 2300 to 2600 kcal.
7. It is necessary to eat at least 5 times a day, in small volumes. Fasting increases the concentration of bilirubin.
8. You don't have to give up sugary foods completely. However, desserts containing coffee or cocoa should be avoided.

Advantages and disadvantages of the diet

Diet helps to reduce the load on the liver, improve pigment metabolism and lipid metabolism. The digestion process stabilizes, the concentration of bilirubin in the blood decreases. Vegetables and fruits enrich the body with minerals and vitamins, normalize the immune system. The patient's headache, fatigue and drowsiness disappear, and overall well-being improves.

In addition, the diet menu for Gilbert's syndrome is quite diverse, such a diet does not imply starvation and strict restrictions. However, the disadvantage of this systemnutrition is that a person has to give up some habitual, but harmful foods. It is designed for a fairly long period (at least 1 month). A specialist should prescribe a diet.

This takes into account the individual characteristics and general condition of the patient.

Other important principles

Products containing chemical additives are strictly prohibited for such patients. Patients should also avoid fast food.

This food negatively affects the liver, contributes to the development of gastrointestinal pathologies and even cancer.

Diet for Gilbert's syndrome involves the exclusion of foods containing large amounts of essential oils, oxalic acid. In addition, patients are undesirable to eat soups cooked with strong meat or fish broth, as well as dishes that include mushrooms and legumes. Meals are better to bake, boil.

What are sick people allowed to do?

The diet of people suffering from this disease is far from meager. Meals include many types of food. Speaking about the diet for Gilbert's syndrome, eating habits, a list of allowed foods should be listed. It includes:

1. Vegetables (carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, eggplant).
2. Greens (cilantro, dill, celery, lettuce, parsley).
3. Fruits and berries with a sweet taste (apples, figs, bananas, raspberries, pears, persimmons).
4. Lean meat (veal, rabbit meat, beef, turkey and chicken). It is better to eat it in a baked form or cook meatballs, meatballs or steamed cutlets.
5. Skinny fish (cod, pollock, flounder, hake, pike, zander).
6. Dishes from cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, millet or rice) with water or low-fat milk.
7. Bread without yeast and s alt, preferably with bran, biscuits.
8. Steam omelets, soft-boiled eggs (no more than two per day).
9. Low-fat dairy products (yogurt, curdled milk, cottage cheese, homemade cheese).
10. Sour cream, butter (allowed to be used as an additive to food).
11. Soups with vegetable or lean chicken broth, without frying.
12. Pasta made from buckwheat or wheat flour.
13. Marmalade, jam, confiture, jelly, marshmallows and marshmallows, honey, milk candy and fudge (in moderation).
14. Dried fruits (dried apricots, raisins, figs, prunes).
15. Vegetable oils (sunflower, corn and olive).
16. Green tea, herbal decoctions, mineral water without gas, fruit drinks, juices freshly squeezed from vegetables and sweet fruits, jelly, compotes.

Diet for Gilbert's syndrome: what is forbidden?

Foods that are not recommended for patients include the following:

1. Pickles, marinades and preserves.
2. Onion, sorrel, horseradish, radish, swede, radish, garlic, turnip.
3. Fruits with a sour taste, some berries (lingonberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries).
4. Grapes, kiwi, citrus fruits.
5. Fatty meats and poultry (pork, goose, lamb,duck).
6. Sausages, smoked meats, lard, sausages, sausage.
7. Offal.
8. Lipid-rich dairy products.
9. Smoked, spicy, fatty and processed cheeses.
10. Seafood (mussels, shrimps).
11. Red and black caviar.
12. Fatty fish (salmon, salmon, sturgeon, catfish and so on).
13. Mushrooms fried, boiled, s alted, pickled.
14. Products from yeast dough (pies, buns, cakes).
15. Dumplings and dumplings (store-bought and homemade), pancakes and pancakes.
16. Rye bread.
17. Cakes, pastries, ice cream, waffles, chocolate.
18. Any variety of nuts, seeds, s alty snacks.
19. Sauces.
20. Margarine, palm oil.
21. Any alcoholic drinks.
22. Coffee, hot chocolate, cocoa and black tea.
23. Soda, packaged juices.
24. Drinks from sour fruits and berries.

Every patient needs to know what not to eat with Gilbert's syndrome.

After all, the use of prohibited foods affects the patient's condition. However, forbidden foods can be replaced with permitted foods that are not only he althy, but also delicious.

Diet example

A person with this ailment needs to adhere to certain restrictions for a long time. Therefore, his diet should be as diverse as possible and provide the body with the necessary substances. The diet menu for Gilbert's syndrome may be as follows:

• In the morning, an omelette is offered fora couple of egg whites, semolina porridge with low-fat milk (half serving), green tea.
• The second breakfast consists of unleavened cottage cheese, a decoction of rose hips.
• For lunch, the patient is allowed vegetarian vegetable soup, meat soufflé, mashed potatoes, fruit jelly.
• A baked apple is recommended for afternoon tea.

For dinner - boiled lean fish, steamed vegetables, green tea. At night, the patient is offered a glass of juice

Another sample

An example of proper nutrition in Gilbert's syndrome is described in detail in the next menu. It looks like this:

• In the morning, the patient is offered mashed rice cereal porridge with milk, curd soufflé, green tea.
• The second breakfast consists of a baked apple with granulated sugar.
• For lunch, we recommend mashed vegetable soup with barley, steamed lean meat cutlets, carrot puree, jelly.
• For an afternoon snack, you can eat a decoction of rose hips and sweet croutons.
• For dinner - fish meatballs, mashed potatoes, semolina casserole with jam, green tea.

A glass of low-fat yogurt is offered at night.

Conclusion

In Gilbert's syndrome, diet and treatment are equally important in keeping the patient well. Proper diet and medication allow patients to lead a full life, not experience digestive problems and other unpleasant symptoms. Experts recommend the following groups of drugs for people suffering from such a pathology:

1. Cholagogues.
2. Drugs to normalize liver function - hepatoprotectors.
3. Medicines to prevent vomiting.
4. Anti-epileptic drugs (phenobarbital).

In addition, phototherapy sessions are scheduled for patients.

To prevent exacerbations, the patient must follow a clear daily regimen, avoid physical and emotional overload, drink enough liquid (up to two liters a day).