Increasing your intake of green vegetables, fresh fruits, fatty fish, garlic, tea, etc. are simple ways to help your body reduce excess fat.
According to Master, Doctor Huynh Hoai Phuong (Endoscopy and Endoscopic Surgery Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City), fatty liver is a condition in which fat in the liver exceeds 5% of the liver weight, divided into two types: alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver. Studies show that up to 90% of people who drink alcohol have fatty liver. This rate in obese people is 95%.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is often caused by an unbalanced diet, high in fat, drinking too much soft drinks, lack of exercise, long-term use of medication... which is harmful to the liver, causing a lot of fat and glycogen to accumulate. These things cause liver dysfunction, leading to diseases such as fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer.
The initial treatment for fatty liver is weight loss, through a combination of calorie reduction, exercise and healthy eating to reduce cholesterol in the blood and liver cells. Diet for people with fatty liver includes: increasing green vegetables and fruits, limiting starch, sugar, salt, saturated fat, alcohol.
Doctor Phuong suggests some foods that are good for the liver that people should not ignore.
Lotus leaves and tea leaves
Lotus leaves contain many substances such as tannin, nuciferin, citric acid, vitamin C... These nutrients help balance the blood fat ratio in the liver, thereby contributing to the recovery and enhancement of liver function, helping the liver to be healthy. Lotus leaves can be combined with hawthorn, green tea leaves and some other herbs to bring better results for people with fatty liver.
The simple way is to use dried lotus leaves mixed with boiling water and drink like tea. Lotus leaf tea has the ability to increase the elasticity of blood vessels, reduce blood cholesterol and prevent fat accumulation in the liver. Note that when drinking tea, it should be diluted and do not drink more than 200-300 ml per day.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Vegetables such as kale, chrysanthemum greens, spinach, water spinach, tomatoes, carrots, bamboo shoots, squash, winter melon, cucumber, cantaloupe... are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. They help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels, so they are very good for people with fatty liver disease.
Adults should eat 240g of fruit and 300g of green vegetables to provide enough fiber every day. Among the fruits and vegetables recommended for fatty liver, celery and corn are two foods that are often mentioned. Vegetable oils such as soybean oil, sesame oil, peanut oil...; foods made from soybeans, green beans, black beans... are also beneficial for patients because they contain unsaturated fatty acids.
Salmon is one of the good foods for people with fatty liver. Photo: Freepik
Cold water fish
Fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, herring... contain a lot of nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids that are good for the body. This nutrient is good for fatty liver because it helps fight inflammation, increases HDL, and reduces triglyceride levels in the blood - the main type of fat that causes this disease.
Turmeric
The curcumin in turmeric can reduce signs of damage in people with fatty liver. Curcumin has the ability to eliminate the effects of leptin levels, activate cells, and reduce liver damage. Patients can use turmeric to prepare food.
Garlic
Garlic not only enhances the flavor of dishes but also helps reduce body weight and fat in the liver. Garlic is rich in allicin sulfur, which inhibits the synthesis of bad cholesterol, making them harmless and excreted from the body. These two active ingredients can also inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver and inhibit the fructose enzyme so that lipids in the liver are not deposited. Thanks to that, garlic supports the treatment of fatty liver. A study by Kermanshah and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Iran) in 2020 on 110 people with fatty liver showed that about 51% of cases taking 800 mg of garlic powder for 15 weeks significantly reduced liver fat.
Dr. Phuong added that, up to now, there is still no cure for fatty liver, and the trend is increasing and getting younger. Patients need to change their lifestyle, activities, exercise scientifically, have regular health check-ups, and can supplement natural nutrients that affect the detoxification process, prevent liver cell oxidation, and help break down excess fat accumulated in the liver. From there, patients can improve the condition of fatty liver, prevent the disease from progressing to hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Quyen Phan
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