Although people living with hep C don’t require special diets, doctors generally suggest they eat well-balanced, regular meals consisting of healthy, nourishing foods. This also includes drinking at least six to eight glasses of fluids each day.

But you don’t have to limit yourself to water, say health experts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Milk, juice, herbal teas, soup, pudding and frozen fruit bars all count as fluids, too.”

In addition, doctors stress that for people with hep C, the best diet is one that isn’t heavy on calories that can lead to weight gain. This is because being overweight can lead to a buildup of fat in the liver that can cause fatty liver disease, which makes it “more likely to develop cirrhosis,” say VA doctors.

Cirrhosis of the liver is a chronic disease that results in healthy liver tissue being replaced by scar tissue that stops the organ from functioning properly.

But a good diet can help improve liver function in people living with hepatitis C and lower their risk of cirrhosis. What’s more, eating healthy can boost hep C sufferers’ immune systems, reduce body fat and control blood sugar, which also lowers this group’s higher risk of developing diabetes.