The most persistent, the most disliked, the newest... Everyone might have their own eating habits, and nutrition experts are no exception. Although they are very personal, there are reasons for liking or disliking them. Let's explore them.
Eat a variety of foods, eat slowly
We eat a wide variety of foods, but not in large quantities. My mom is very particular about her diet. For breakfast, for example, she has six or seven small dishes. Eggplant is the most frequently eaten one; it's steamed, cut into strips, and then sprinkled with minced garlic. Then there's chives, which are pickled whole, preserving the fiber. There are also pickled cucumbers with a little sesame oil added. In addition, there's a quarter of a salted duck egg and a few slices of garlic sausage. Homemade applesauce and tomato sauce are served with every meal. For the main course, because my mom's stomach is not good, we all eat roasted mantou (steamed buns) slices, and porridge is also indispensable. We often eat congee with two kinds of rice (like rice and millet) or cornmeal porridge. The whole meal is a mix of meat and vegetables, coarse and fine grains, and both solid and soft foods.
Another habit is eating slowly. Eating is a kind of enjoyment. When you slow down, the burden on your stomach and intestines is reduced. Especially when eating out, drinking soup before the meal, eating fruit after the meal, eating vegetables one by one slowly, and then eating some meat before the rice is very helpful for controlling your food intake.
Yogurt, as a snack
Every morning between 9 and 10 o'clock, a cup of honey yogurt is served. This yogurt is homemade. I make it at home and take it to work. The pure milk is first boiled for sterilization. Then it's cooled to about 40°C, probiotics are added, and it's fermented in a yogurt maker for about five to six hours. After being refrigerated for four hours, it's ready to drink.
Because the yogurt is homemade and unflavored, the taste is quite sour. It's recommended to add a little honey, which also has the effect of moistening the intestines and replenishing energy. Drinking a cup every day has a great effect on regulating the gastrointestinal tract. If you want to vary it, you can buy some sweetened beans from the supermarket, or fresh blueberries are also available now. You can make blueberry sauce and mix it with yogurt, or make a fruit yogurt, which is also good to add fresh peaches to yogurt.
Blanch leafy vegetables, drink corn porridge
Some people might say that eating raw is healthier, but some vegetables, like spinach, have a high oxalic acid content. The taste is really not good when eaten raw; it's very astringent. Another point is that after blanching, the volume of the vegetables shrinks, and a pound of vegetables can be eaten without realizing it.
For the main course, I recommend cooking rice with corn grits. Many people, especially young people, might think that the texture of coarse grains is not very good, but mixing it with rice solves the problem. In our family, we usually don't just steam white rice; we add some corn.
Eating more corn is very good for lowering blood lipids. It also contains zeaxanthin, which is also good for the eyes, and it can be eaten for breakfast too.