Illness knows no boundaries. While doctors are the ones who treat patients, they too can fall ill. What happens when a doctor gets sick? Today, we explore how a cardiology department director managed his own fatty liver disease. The approach was straightforward: dietary adjustments.
Renowned Hunan physician Xiao Changjiang was diagnosed with severe hypertension, accompanied by fatty liver and hypercholesterolemia. His weight had surged to 146 jin (approximately 75 kg). Recognizing the gravity of his condition, Xiao embarked on a self-treatment journey—adopting a vegetarian lifestyle.
Can a plant-based diet truly "eat away" fatty liver?
Through a plant-based diet, Xiao Changjiang's cholesterol levels gradually decreased, and his weight stabilized. By eliminating animal products and cholesterol intake, his medical checkups showed no signs of fatty liver for six consecutive years.
It is understood that while maintaining medication-based treatment, Xiao Changjiang also made significant dietary changes. The most notable shift was reducing meat consumption while increasing the proportion of vegetables.
He particularly favored a simple boiled cabbage dish for breakfast: using organic napa cabbage, blanched in plain water for 1-2 minutes without oil or salt, and eaten when 80% tender. This daily breakfast not only eliminated his fatty liver but also helped manage his "five highs"—high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar, high uric acid, and high weight.
How to Properly Adopt a Plant-Based Diet to Prevent the "Five Highs"?
Research indicates that Chinese people have significantly lower tolerance for meat compared to Westerners. Even under identical conditions of daily meat consumption, Westerners typically develop coronary heart disease after age 60, while Chinese individuals may experience it as early as their twenties. Thus, indulging in rich, meat-heavy meals daily is far from beneficial; incorporating plant-based foods appropriately is the healthier approach to wellness.
Many mistakenly believe vegetarianism means eliminating all meat. This is a significant misconception. A vegetarian diet primarily focuses on plant-based foods while incorporating nuts, seeds, and legumes like walnuts, sesame seeds, peanuts, and beans daily. It also recommends consuming pork, beef, or lamb once a month and including chicken, duck, or fish in the diet weekly to ensure balanced and comprehensive nutrition.
Regarding staple foods, you can moderately reduce your usual intake while increasing vegetable consumption, but it's not advisable to eliminate staples entirely. While white meat is generally considered healthier than red meat, many people opt for fish, believing it to be exceptionally healthy and thus consuming it in large quantities. Though fish is nutritious, it still contains significant amounts of cholesterol.
When adopting a vegetarian-based diet, incorporate regular exercise to enhance physical fitness. Exercise itself is an effective remedy for preventing and treating illnesses.