Da Sanyang dietary taboos

Don’t drink alcohol, never eat moldy food, and don’t take all kinds of liver-protecting supplements/recipes on your own. The rest of the requirements posted online, such as “no spicy food, no seafood, no fatty meats,” are mostly situation-specific precautions and are not a one-size-fits-all taboo at all.

Liquor is really the number one natural enemy of people with three Yangs. Even one or two liquors or half a bottle of beer must be metabolized by the liver after entering the human body. The acetaldehyde produced in the process will cause real damage to liver cells. There is no room for "a small amount of drinking will be fine". I met a 28-year-old young man two years ago. His liver function had been stable for five or six years due to Da Sanyang. He loved to drink ice beer with his friends in the summer. After drinking for two months, he was admitted to the hospital with jaundice. There are also moldy things that must not be touched, especially bitter nuts, leftovers that have been stored for three or four days, and rice noodles that are damp and lumpy. The aflatoxin in them is a clear first-level carcinogen. The risk of liver cancer in people with three positives is slightly higher than that of ordinary people. If this minefield is stepped on, big problems may occur. As for the pitfalls of random supplementation, there are even more pitfalls, such as Internet celebrity liver-protecting tea, liver-protecting tablets with unknown ingredients, and folk "yin-turning folk remedies." Last time, an aunt heard someone said that eating live loach can cure hepatitis B. After eating it, she was directly infected with parasitic worms and entered the ICU. Her originally good liver function was completely messed up. It was a completely unfounded disaster.

Oh, by the way, many people ask "can we eat spicy food and can we eat fatty meat?" In fact, academic circles have always had different opinions on this. Some doctors think that spicy and high-fat foods will increase the metabolic burden, and it is best to avoid them completely. Others think that as long as the liver function is in a stable carrying state and there is no inflammation, it is perfectly fine to eat them normally - after all, peppers are rich in vitamins, and high-quality animal fat is also an essential nutrient for the body. When I give dietary guidance to patients, I usually look at the individual situation. For example, if you usually like spicy food, you don’t feel bloated or nauseous after eating, and your liver function has been stable during re-examinations, then you can just eat Chongqing hot pot if you want. You don’t have to force yourself to eat clear soup and watery food every day, which will make you feel bad and your immunity will be affected. But if your liver function has been abnormal recently and you have a severe nausea and irritation reaction, you must take a lighter diet for the time being, so as not to cause trouble to the already injured liver.

There is also a "fawu" saying that has been circulating for many years, saying that eating seafood and mutton can induce hepatitis attacks. This is a misunderstanding that has no evidence-based basis. As long as you are not allergic to these things and your uric acid is not high, it is perfectly fine to eat steamed shrimps and stewed mutton normally. On the contrary, these high-quality proteins can help repair liver cells, making your body much stronger than if you drink porridge and vegetables every day. I once had a patient who had not eaten seafood, beef or mutton for three years after being diagnosed with severe yang. He was as thin as a bamboo pole, and his immunity was so weak that he caught colds all the time. Later, he gradually added high-protein foods such as fish and shrimp, and his weight increased by ten pounds. The reexamination indicators were much better than before.

The issue of high-sugar diet, which has been a hot topic recently, has two views. One group says that all added sugars should be strictly avoided to avoid fatty liver disease and aggravate the burden on the liver. The other group believes that there is no need to overdo it. The carbohydrates in normal fruits and rice are completely fine. My personal suggestion is to avoid eating high-sugar foods such as milk tea, cream cakes, and carbonated drinks, especially for people who are a little fat. If you have fatty liver, a double blow with the hepatitis B virus is indeed bad for the liver, but there is no need to avoid eating rice or touching sweet fruits. After all, the body relies on sugar for energy, and problems will arise if it is lacking.

To put it bluntly, most of the three positive symptoms are long-term. As long as you stick to the three red lines in diet, you don't have to put too many shackles on yourself. You can live your life how you want. Regular review is more effective than any dietary taboo. If you are really unsure about something, don't listen to the nonsense of your relatives at home. Just ask your attending doctor, which is more reliable than any folk prescription.