{"id":126373,"date":"2021-10-14T10:11:58","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T16:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/?p=126373"},"modified":"2021-10-14T11:56:07","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T17:56:07","slug":"diagnosed-with-nafld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/diagnosed-with-nafld\/","title":{"rendered":"My Doctor Diagnosed Me with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. What Can I Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>By Ginger Bailey, RDN CD<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is NAFLD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease<\/strong>\u00a0(NAFLD) occurs when excess fat cells build up in the liver. The liver normally contains some fat, but if the liver becomes more than 5-10% fat, then it is termed \u201cfatty liver\u201d, or in medical jargon, \u201c<em>steatosis<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Who is at risk for developing NAFLD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Anyone can develop it, including children, but the populations most at risk for developing this condition include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Those who are overweight or obese<\/li>\n<li>People with diabetes<\/li>\n<li>People with high cholesterol or triglycerides<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why is NAFLD so dangerous?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The excess fat can cause the liver to swell or become \u201cinflamed\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/condition\/liver-diseases-liver-disorders\/\"><em>hepatitis<\/em><\/a>) which in turn can cause scarring (or\u00a0<em>cirrhosis<\/em>). This leads to a condition known as\u00a0<strong>NASH<\/strong>, which stands for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis. This is the medical term for when the liver is damaged from too much fat and chronic swelling that has occurred over time, unrelated to alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What can I do for NAFLD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Currently, there are no specific therapies for NAFLD or NASH. However, there are some basic recommendations you can follow that can help manage\u00a0an existing fatty liver.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reduce weight if overweight or obese<\/li>\n<li>Follow a balanced and healthy diet<\/li>\n<li>Increase physical activity<\/li>\n<li>Avoid alcohol<\/li>\n<li>Avoid unnecessary medications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Weight loss has been shown to improve liver enzymes in patients with NASH, and, to an extent, has helped improve their liver condition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Focus on what you <em>can<\/em> control!<\/strong> Based on the latest medical literature, dietary changes have proven beneficial and may prevent your liver condition from progressing to hepatitis.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Reduce saturated fats and trans fats<\/strong>. Saturated fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as:\n<ul>\n<li>Butter<\/li>\n<li>Lard<\/li>\n<li>Shortening<\/li>\n<li>Coconut Oil<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\">These are unsaturated fats that have been chemically saturated to give them a longer shelf life and they are especially bad for your health. If they don\u2019t occur naturally, the body isn\u2019t able to process them. <strong>I recommend eliminating products that contain <em>hydrogenated oil<\/em> or <em>partially hydrogenated oil <\/em>and choosing an alternative product.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\"><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\">Many processed foods use oils such as palm or safflower oil, which aren\u2019t ideal choices. <strong>Better choices<\/strong> would be:\n<ul>\n<li>Vegetable<\/li>\n<li>Olive,<\/li>\n<li>Avocado<\/li>\n<li>Nut oils<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\"><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\">Watch for the saturated fat compared to the total fat content in products. It should be no more than 10-20% of the total fat in the product. If it\u2019s more, either make another choice or enjoy it infrequently.<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\"><\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduce intake of animal products<\/strong>. This doesn\u2019t mean you have to become a vegan, but animal products, especially those with a higher fat content, contain higher amounts of saturated fats than other foods.<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\"><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\">Choose fish when you can. The fats found in fish tend to be healthier than those found in red meats.<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\"><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\">Organically raised animals are fed in a healthier, more natural way. There are still essential nutrients found in animal products, so it isn\u2019t necessary to cut them out altogether. Eat them in moderation and seek healthier alternatives when possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Increase intake of plant-based foods<\/strong>. It\u2019s not all about avoiding less-healthy options. (Let\u2019s be honest, who doesn\u2019t love bacon?) Plan to increase your intake of foods with lots of <em>good<\/em> nutrition, like delicious fruits and veggies. It\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t like ALL of them. <u>I\u2019m a dietitian, and even I don\u2019t like every single one!<\/u> The key here is about learning to eat them in a way that will help you enjoy them. Every vegetable I have eaten, that was prepared with skill, was divine!<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-top: 10px;\">If you never learned to cook vegetables well, I highly recommend taking some local or online classes. One of the best things I ever did for my own health was dramatically increasing my intake of fruits and veggies. I had more energy, and just felt better overall. And I still enjoy my food!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>NAFLD can be a scary diagnosis, but there are some simple changes you can make to your diet that will be very helpful. The key is making healthy substitutions that let you enjoy eating well!<\/p>\n<p>Work closely with your gastroenterologist to be sure you\u2019re managing your condition well. If you need assistance with dietary choices, meet with a registered dietitian one-on-one for a roadmap to gaining control of your diet.<\/p>\n<p>By making smart choices, you can help your NAFLD <em>and<\/em> enjoy delicious food!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By<a href=\"http:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/condition\/heartburn-acid-reflux\/symptoms\/\"> <\/a>Ginger Bailey, RDN CD &nbsp; What is NAFLD? Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease\u00a0(NAFLD) occurs when excess fat cells build up in the liver. The liver normally contains some fat, but if the liver becomes more than 5-10% fat, then it is termed \u201cfatty liver\u201d, or in medical jargon, \u201csteatosis\u201d. &nbsp; Who is at risk for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":126390,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[419,199,508,509,503],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126373"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126373"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126376,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126373\/revisions\/126376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}