There are many kinds of human foods, and the nutrients contained in various foods are not the same. Except breast milk, no food can provide all the nutrients the human body needs. Therefore, a reasonable diet must consist of a variety of foods in order to meet the normal physiological needs of the human body and achieve the purpose of reasonable nutrition and health promotion. Therefore, people should be encouraged to eat a wide range of foods.
Cereals are the main part of China's traditional diet. With the development of economy and the improvement of living standards, people tend to eat more animal food. According to the results of 1992 national nutrition survey, the consumption of animal food has exceeded that of cereal in some wealthy families. This "westernized" or "affluent" diet provides too much energy and fat, but too little dietary fiber, which is extremely unfavorable for the prevention of some chronic diseases. The concept of focusing on cereals is to remind people to keep the good diet tradition in China and prevent all kinds of disadvantages brought by the bad diet structure.
In addition, we should also pay attention to the thickness of grains and often eat some coarse grains and miscellaneous grains. Don't grind rice and wheat too fine, or most of the nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber contained in the surface layer of the grain will be lost to the bran.
2. Eat more vegetables, fruits and potatoes.
Vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. There are many kinds of vegetables, such as leaf stems, flower moss, eggplant fruit, fresh beans, edible fungi and so on. The nutritional components of different varieties of food are not the same, even very different. The vitamin content in dark vegetables such as red, yellow and green is higher than that in light vegetables and common fruits. These nutrients are the main or important sources of carotene, vitamin B2, vitamin C and folic acid, minerals (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and iron), dietary fiber and natural antioxidants. Wild fruits developed in China in recent years, such as kiwi fruit, Rosa roxburghii, Hippophae rhamnoides and blackcurrant, are also rich sources of vitamin C and carotene.
The contents of vitamins and minerals in many fruits are not as good as those in fresh vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables. But fruits contain more substances such as glucose, fructose, citric acid, malic acid and pectin than vegetables. Red and yellow fruits and kiwifruit, fresh dates, oranges, persimmons and apricots are rich sources of vitamin C and carotene. Eating different kinds of fruits often can stimulate appetite and help digestion, which is very beneficial to human health.
Potatoes are rich in starch, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. China residents have eaten less potatoes in recent years 10, so they should be encouraged to eat more potatoes.
A diet rich in vegetables, fruits and potatoes plays a very important role in maintaining cardiovascular health, enhancing disease resistance, reducing the risk of dry eye in children and preventing some cancers.
3. Eat milk, beans or their products.
Milk is rich in high-quality protein and vitamins, with high calcium content and high utilization rate. It is an excellent source of natural calcium. The dietary calcium provided by China residents is generally low, reaching only about half of the recommended amount on average. There are also many babies suffering from rickets in China, which may be related to dietary calcium deficiency. A large number of studies show that calcium supplementation in children and adolescents can improve their bone density, thus delaying their age of osteoporosis; Supplementing calcium to the elderly may also slow down the rate of bone loss. Therefore, we should vigorously develop the production and consumption of milk.
Beans are traditional foods in China, which are rich in high-quality protein, unsaturated fatty acids, calcium, vitamin B 1, vitamin B2, nicotinic acid and so on. In order to increase the protein intake of rural population and prevent the adverse effects caused by excessive meat consumption in cities, we should vigorously promote the production and consumption of beans, especially soybeans and their products.
4. Eat fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat frequently, and eat less fat and meat oil.
Animal foods such as fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat are good sources of high-quality protein and fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. The amino acid composition of animal protein is more suitable for human needs, and the lysine content is higher, which is beneficial to supplement the deficiency of lysine in plant protein. Iron in meat is well utilized, and unsaturated fatty acids contained in fish, especially marine fish, can reduce blood lipid and prevent thrombosis. Animal liver is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B 12, folic acid and so on. However, some organs, such as brain and kidney, have high cholesterol content, which is not conducive to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. A considerable part of our country is short of grain and vegetables, which is not good for health.
Fat and meat oil are high-energy foods. Excessive intake often leads to obesity, which is a risk factor for some chronic diseases, so eat less. At present, pork is still the main meat of our people, and its fat content is high, so we should develop lean pigs. Chicken, fish, rabbit meat, beef and other animal foods have high protein content and low fat content, and the energy produced is much lower than that of pork. We should strongly advocate eating these foods and appropriately reduce the proportion of pork.
5. Food intake and physical activity should be balanced to maintain a proper weight.
Food intake and physical activity are two main factors to control weight. Food provides human energy, while physical activity consumes energy. If you eat too much and don't exercise enough, excess energy will accumulate in the body in the form of fat, that is, gain weight for a long time; On the contrary, if the appetite is insufficient and the labor or exercise is too large, it can cause emaciation due to lack of energy, leading to a decline in labor ability. So people need to keep a balance between food intake and energy consumption.
Mental workers and people with less activity should strengthen exercise and carry out appropriate activities, such as brisk walking, jogging and swimming. However, thin children should increase their intake of food and oil to maintain normal growth and development and appropriate weight. Overweight or underweight are unhealthy manifestations, which will lead to decreased resistance and susceptibility to certain diseases, such as chronic diseases of the elderly or infectious diseases of children. Regular exercise can enhance the functions of cardiovascular system and respiratory system, maintain a good physiological state, improve work efficiency, regulate appetite, strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis.
Step 6 eat light and low-salt food
A light diet is most beneficial to health. The so-called "light" means not too greasy, not too salty, not too much animal food and fried and smoked food.
Nowadays, the oil intake of urban residents is getting higher and higher, which is not good for their health. The salt intake of Chinese residents is too high, and the average value has exceeded twice the recommended value of the World Health Organization. Epidemiological investigation shows that the intake of sodium is positively correlated with the incidence of hypertension, so it is not appropriate to consume too much sodium-containing salt. The World Health Organization recommends that the salt intake per person per day should not exceed 6 grams. The sources of dietary sodium include high-sodium foods such as soy sauce, pickles and monosodium glutamate, as well as processed foods containing sodium. We should form the habit of eating less salty rice from an early age.
7. If you drink alcohol, you should limit it.
On holidays, festive days and social occasions, people like to drink to congratulate. Liquor contains high energy and no other nutrients. Long-term uncontrolled drinking will reduce appetite and food intake, which may lead to multiple nutritional deficiencies and even alcoholic cirrhosis. Excessive drinking will increase the risk of hypertension and stroke. Teenagers are in the period of physical and mental growth and development, so it is not appropriate to drink alcohol.
If you drink alcohol, you can drink a small amount of low-alcohol wine.
8. Eat clean, hygienic and non-perishable food.
When purchasing food, we should choose food with good appearance, no dirt and impurities, no discoloration and taste, and meet the hygiene standards, and strictly control the entrance into the mouth and the exit from the disease. Pay attention to the sanitary conditions when eating, including the dining environment, tableware and the health and hygiene of the food supplier. Group dining should advocate separate meals to reduce the chance of disease transmission.