Wilson's Disease Diet That Works

I thought it was time to talk about Wilson's again. Since it seems like things are going well for our daughter I thought I would share what we are doing and save some of you the hassle of months and months of research. I am definitely willing to share what I have found. :)

The first thing you need to do is educate yourself on what foods are high in copper. Since I have a medical background I can understand some things that perhaps others can't as far as units of measurement, metabolic pathways, and other things I sometimes take for granted. However, I have found numerous sites that offer tables, charts, and other important information that can be very useful in making it all make sense. The important thing to remember is that sometimes it's not the food that contains the copper, but the way it is processed that makes it dangerous. We were fortunate to get a diagnosis so early and so my daughter has made a smooth transition. She treats anything with chocolate, mushrooms, dried fruit, etc... like poison.

I want to refer you to the mayo clinic website. That is the first site I visited and it has a lot of information concerning Wilson's Disease. This is the link:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wilsons-disease/DS00411

Another website that is fabulous:
http://www.gicare.com/Diets/Copper-Restriction.aspx

yet another:
http://www.wilsonsdisease.org/copper.html

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. There are tons of websites out there and they all have valuable information. All you have to do is google "Wilson's Disease" or "Low Copper Diet" and you will find many more.

One thing I am going to do is meet with a nutritionist soon. I will update you all on what I find out. I think that it's important to make sure that my daughter has a well-balanced diet not lacking in essential nutrients and vitamins.

This is the diet we are currently following: we avoid certain foods such as chocolate, leafy green vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, nuts except peanuts, beans, shellfish, organ meats or anything that might contain it such as cheap hotdogs, Ovaltene, instant breakfast or "meal-replacement" drinks, whole wheat products, and we refer to charts often if we are unsure.

The good and bad about this condition is that since there isn't an "allergic" reaction to these foods it is easy for the parent AND child to forget or "break the rules" once in a while. I have to admit that on special occasions I sometimes will let her have a bite of chocolate or have a chocolate chip cookie. I don't want her to rebel and go overboard in the future. The main reason I have been so strict in following the diet is because I know how addictive certain foods can be. It's easier for her if she learns now to retrain her palate. I can't even imagine if I had to avoid chocolate. It's one of my favorite things in life and it's a drug of sorts for PMS and other conditions. However, I have learned some substitutions such as carob for her. She loves carob malt balls. They are a little treat we get for her when she is craving chocolate.

Right now my daughter is not on any medicine. I know that zinc seems to work for some people who have trouble controlling the copper absorption. That is something to definitely check into. Another thing that is worth checking is the copper level in the tap water. They don't recommend consuming more than 100 mcg/L of copper. You can either look at the water report or call your water company and get your water tested. We are lucky in our area to have good water with low copper levels. However, we don't take chances and we use only filtered water for drinking. It's yet another precaution that doesn't require too much effort and it's worth the time.

I will try and remember to update you all on the nutritionist information. I am eager to find out if we are lacking in any vitamins or nutrients for our daughter. She is doing great and is growing up so tall. I am optimistic that she will continue to be healthy. Her liver enzymes are improving and I like the fact that for now we are not having to take any drugs for her condition. I am so thankful for the prayers and best wishes on her behalf. They are definitely being heard. I am also thankful for the inspiration and dedication of the doctors we have today.
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Wilson's Disease is not curable,
but it is definitely treatable.
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