In Germany, more and more people suffer from fatty liver, mostly unnoticed. This is mainly due to the fat on the stomach. It secretes inflammatory messenger substances and makes you sick. However, if you change your diet a little, you can nurse a fatty liver back to health.
Fatty liver is a disease of civilization. Experts estimate that up to 30 percent of the population in the western industrialized nations now suffer from the pathological changes in the liver. Today it is mostly caused by the so-called metabolic syndrome. This is a combination of being overweight, high blood sugar levels, poor blood lipids and high blood pressure. Above all, the so-called visceral fat, i.e. belly fat, is an important trigger for the development of fatty liver. The main causes of all of these problems are unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
Especially when the body is supplied with more energy than it can utilize over a long period of time, it eventually begins to store it. Unfortunately not only in adipose tissue – but also in the liver. The development of fatty liver often goes unnoticed at first. There are hardly any symptoms. Often those affected only feel an unspecific exhaustion and tiredness. Sometimes they also notice a slight feeling of pressure or fullness in the right upper abdomen. A diagnosis is therefore often made very late – usually triggered by abnormal values in the blood count and an ultrasound examination.
If left untreated, fatty liver usually causes inflammation and scarring of the organ. Diseases such as diabetes are the result, and the likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease also increases. Fatty liver can also encourage the formation of tumors. Overall, experts now assume that around 70 percent of all chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or vascular calcification are caused by an unbalanced or one-sided diet.
These foods fight the fat on your stomach
Hence the important question: what do you have to eat to fight the dangerous belly fat and gradually heal the liver? We have put together the most important tips.
1. The diet should consist primarily of vegetables, fruit and filling proteins such as nuts, legumes, eggs, dairy products, fish or poultry. In addition, one should mainly consume high-quality vegetable oils. Olive oil in particular is considered to be particularly healthy. However, only with very generous enjoyment. Because in order to achieve a positive effect, one should consume about 50 grams of olive oil per day.
2. Pay attention to the types of carbohydrates you eat. They are the main suppliers of energy for our body. A study by Tuffs University in the United States showed that people who completely cut off carbohydrates did worse on memory tests. The intestines and skin also use carbohydrates as an energy source. But consumption has risen sharply in recent years. Often well beyond the healthy level. This causes problems, also because we often eat mostly simple carbohydrates. They consist of simple sugar compounds, which mostly only taste sweet and are mere sources of energy. They contain little or no vitamins or minerals. Above all, they quickly drive blood sugar up, which in turn triggers food cravings.
It is therefore better to eat foods made from complex, i.e. high-fiber, carbohydrates. These include whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, whole grain rice or cereals.
Sugar is tempting, but it’s also unhealthy
3. Avoid sugar wherever possible. Sugar is the main driver behind the development of belly fat. Yes, our brain is very fond of sugar. The substance activates the reward center in the brain particularly quickly. But he just doesn’t get us. The healthy composition of the microbiome also suffers from sugar consumption. Incidentally, this also applies to sweeteners. For example, the body’s energy needs may long have been met, but a group of bacteria demands more. They make us keep eating, especially sugary foods. And the more they are fed sugary foods, the more these bad bacteria displace the healthy ones.
4. Give your body regular meal breaks. More and more people are grabbing small snacks between main meals. The days when you only ate three times a day are long gone. Today, food is basically always and everywhere available. But our body is still the one from primeval times – and it needs breaks. Because he has to process the supplied energy first. If it is fed over and over again, it runs at full speed like an engine. The liver in particular benefits from periods without eating. That is why fasting or intermittent fasting, for example, are considered good methods to help the filter organ in its regeneration.
5. The choice of drinks is also important. Most people drink too little and too often resort to soda with high sugar content. Water and unsweetened teas are better. You should avoid alcohol as completely as possible.
