Recently, the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Chinese Nutrition Society released the new edition of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents," which has sparked heated discussion. Many people are curious about the changes in the new dietary guidelines. Food experts point out that the content of the new edition has been updated based on new research evidence from the past 10 years, mainly reflected in seven aspects.
1. No longer restricting cholesterol
Compared to the old edition, the first change in the new dietary guidelines is that it no longer proposes to restrict cholesterol. Instead, it suggests that there is no need to throw away egg yolks when eating eggs. Because besides the not-so-scary 200 milligrams of cholesterol, egg yolks also contain a variety of beneficial nutrients and health-promoting components, including 12 vitamins, multiple trace elements, and health-promoting components such as lecithin, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
2. Promoting the consumption of whole grains
The new dietary guidelines adhere to the "grain-based" dietary model and recommend consuming a portion of whole grains. The recommended amount is from 50 to 150 grams (of dry grain), plus 50-100 grams of tubers, which roughly accounts for 1/3 to 1/2 of the staple food. Food experts point out that although this recommended amount has not yet reached the "at least half whole grains" recommended by European and American countries, it is at least a great progress. Previously, many elderly people had a strong aversion to whole grains, and many doctors also claimed that eating coarse grains could lead to stomach cancer, poor digestion, and malnutrition.
In fact, under current dietary conditions and with proper cooking, these claims lack evidence. A large number of scientific studies have shown that whole grains are beneficial for preventing diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and various cancers such as colorectal cancer.
3. Juice cannot replace fresh fruit
The new dietary guidelines clearly state that the effect of eating fruit by juicing is different from eating fresh, whole fruit directly. Food experts point out that juicing fruit loses most of the dietary fiber, resulting in a poor sense of satiety and a rapid rise in blood sugar. Whereas, blending fruit into a puree loses most of the vitamin C and most of the polyphenolic antioxidants, which also affects its health-promoting effects.
4. Differentiating between soybeans and other legumes
Legumes are common guests on people's dining tables. The new edition clearly distinguishes between "other legumes" (starch-rich legumes) and "soybeans" (beans that can be used to make soybean oil and tofu). Other legumes are classified as coarse grain staples, while soybeans are listed as a separate category.
In addition, regarding soybeans and nuts, the new guidelines have reduced the recommended intake from the general 30-50 grams to 25 grams for soybeans and 10 grams for nuts. Food experts point out that this change is because, while obtaining the health benefits of these foods, it also considers that Chinese residents already consume a lot of vegetable oil in their daily cooking, especially oils rich in linoleic acid. If soybeans and nuts are consumed excessively, it may lead to an excessive intake of fat.
5. Increased recommended water intake
Water is an essential substance for the human body, but how many glasses of water should one drink a day? Food experts point out that the new guidelines have increased the recommended daily water intake from 6 glasses to 7-8 glasses, a decision based on domestic surveys. The guidelines also explicitly encourage drinking plain water and tea, and advise reducing the consumption of sugary drinks.
6. Formally proposing "sugar control" for the first time
The main items in the old guidelines only mentioned reducing oil and salt, while the new guidelines explicitly propose controlling sugar and limiting alcohol. The restrictions on added sugar are completely consistent with the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. In 2015, the WHO published its sugar intake guidelines on its official website, strongly recommending that the sugar intake for both children and adults be controlled to less than 10% of total energy intake to prevent obesity, dental caries, and other issues. The new dietary guidelines also reference this recommendation, proposing that the daily intake of added sugar should not exceed 50 grams, and preferably be limited to 25 grams or less. Food experts point out that added sugars refer to monosaccharides, disaccharides, or sugar alcohols added during the cooking and processing of food. The main sources are sugary drinks, pastries, and some sweetened dishes.
7. The elevated status of exercise
Food experts also stated that in the old guidelines, exercise was listed as the fifth point, while in the new guidelines, it is the second point, emphasizing the WHO's recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, highlighting the concept of coordinating diet and exercise. Regarding "daily exercise," although the recommendation remains 6,000 steps, it is now clearly explained that these 6,000 steps are conscious physical activity on top of daily step count, with a special reminder to avoid prolonged sitting.