Liver shrinking diet
It is necessary for you to follow a low calorie (1000kcal), low carbohydrate diet before surgery. This diet will encourage the body to use up glycogen stores (carbohydrate which is stored in the liver) and thus helping to shrink the size of your liver.
This low calorie diet needs to be followed for 2 weeks before surgery.
Daily allowance:
Your meals should follow the below format:
Breakfast:
1 carbohydrate portion
1 dairy portion
Lunch:
NO carbohydrate
2 protein portions
2 vegetable portions
Evening:
2 carbohydrate portions
1 protein portion
1 vegetable portion
1 dairy portion
Snacks:
2x pieces of fruit per day- can be taken anytime
Fruit
Apple, pear, banana, orange, peach 1 piece
Melon 1 slice
Grapes 12
Strawberries 7
Plums, apricots, satsumas, kiwi fruit 2
Tinned fruit e.g. peaches, pears 3 tablespoons
Stewed fruit e.g. apples, rhubarb 4 tablespoons
Fruit juice (max I per day) Small glass (100ml)
Raisins, sultanas 1 tablespoon
Protein foods
One portion is
Raw lean meat e.g. beef, pork, lamb, chicken Size of a pack of playing cards (100g)
Ham, turkey 3 thin slices
Fish e.g. salmon, trout, cod, haddock, mackerel Size of a cheque book (100g)
Eggs (not fried) 2
Baked beans 4 tablespoons
Lentils, kidney beans, chick peas, butter beans, Tofu, Quorn 4 tablespoons
Nuts 2 tablespoons
Carbohydrates
One portion is
Breakfast cereals e.g. flakes/crispies 3 tablespoons
Muesli 2 tablespoons
Shredded Wheat/ Weetabix 1
Bread/ toast 1 slice (medium)
Crackers 3
Crispbreads 4
Chapatti 1 small
Rice (cooked) 2 tablespoons
Pasta (cooked) 3 tablespoons
Noodles (cooked) 100g
Potatoes 2 egg size
Muesli bar 1
Couscous 2 tablespoons
Plantain Half (100g)
Sweet potato 1
Yam Half (70g)
Fats
Maximum 2 portions a day
One portion is:
Butter/margarine 1 teaspoon
Reduced or low fat spread 2 teaspoons
Low fat/light salad dressing 2 teaspoons
Oil (any type) 1 teaspoon
Sample meal plan
Breakfast: 3 tablespoons cereal
1/3 pint semi skimmed milk
Mid morning: 1 banana
Lunch: Grilled chicken breast (200g) with large mixed salad and 2 teaspoon low calorie dressing
Mid afternoon: handful of grapes (12)
Evening: Pasta shapes (6 tablespoons) and bolognaises sauce (4 tablespoons) with grated cheese (1 matchbox size piece) and a side salad (small cereal bowl size)
Fluids:
You should aim to drink at least 2 litres of fluid per day to prevent dehydration. This can include:
- Water
- Tea, coffee (milk taken from daily allowance)
- Diet/sugar free drinks
Alcohol should be avoided whilst following the pre-op diet
Foods to avoid:
It is important you avoid any foods high in sugar and fat, this includes:
- Sweets
- Chocolate
- Jelly
- Ice cream
- Full sugar fizzy drinks
- Sugar added to hot drinks/ food
- Crisps
- Fried foods/ takeaways
Vitamins and minerals
Due to the pre-op diet being limited in food choices, you may not be getting all the essential vitamins and minerals you need. We therefore recommend you take a multivitamin and mineral tablet for instance Centrum Advance or Sanatogen A to Z Complete (other preparations are also suitable).
Additional Information
You may experience headaches or feel “light-headed” after starting the diet; this is quite usual and will pass in the first few days.
Constipation can become a problem when following this diet because it contains very little fibre. You may need to take a laxative (Fyboge/ Laxido/ Lactulose) each day in order to prevent this.
Accessible formats
If you require this information in a community language or alternative format such as Braille, audio, large print, BSL, or Easy Read, please contact the Equality and Human Rights Team at: email: fife.EqualityandHumanRights@nhs.scot or phone 01592 729130. For people with a hearing or verbal impairment you can also contact the team through the NHS Fife SMS text service number on 07805800005.