Eight Common Misconceptions About Family Nutrition

Misconception 1: Meat bone soup is good for supplementing calcium

Analysis: Many patients with fractures like to use meat bone soup to supplement calcium, but the calcium content in meat bone soup is not actually high. An experiment showed that boiling 1 kg of meat bones for 2 hours yields only about 20 mg of calcium in the soup. However, meat bone soup has a high fat content due to the marrow. The recommended daily calcium intake for adults is 800 mg, and patients with fractures need even more. Supplementing calcium with meat bone soup is far from sufficient; one should use milk or calcium supplements instead.

Misconception 2: Patients with kidney stones cannot supplement calcium

Analysis: Most kidney stones are formed by the deposition of calcium oxalate in urine, mainly due to excessive oxalate intake. When excreted through the urinary tract, oxalate combines with calcium to form calcium oxalate deposits, creating kidney stones. The key to preventing and treating kidney stones is to reduce the intake of foods high in oxalate, such as spinach and bamboo shoots. If consumed, they should be boiled first to remove the oxalate.

[美食中国]Misconception 3: Fish without scales have high cholesterol

Analysis: This generalization is not comprehensive. Indeed, some fish without scales have high cholesterol, such as whitebait, river eel, loach, rice eel, and cod. However, not all scaleless fish are high in cholesterol; for example, hairtail and shark have cholesterol levels similar to scaled fish like grass carp, pomfret, and sea bass.

Misconception 4: For diabetic patients, the less carbohydrates, the better

Analysis: Blood sugar is related to the intake of carbohydrates. Diabetic patients should appropriately control their carbohydrate intake to prevent blood sugar levels from exceeding the standard. While maintaining a normal body weight and normal energy intake, carbohydrates should still account for 60%-65% of the energy. Diabetic patients should consume foods rich in dietary fiber, such as oatmeal and fresh vegetables, at each meal to slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, preventing a rapid rise in blood sugar and keeping levels stable. If carbohydrates are simply reduced, digestion and absorption can actually speed up, causing blood sugar to rise quickly and for a short duration, which can easily lead to hypoglycemia, symptoms of which include palpitations, dizziness, and cold sweats.

Misconception 5: Eating only vegetables and not rice at night can help with weight loss

Analysis: The main cause of simple obesity is excessive energy intake and too little energy expenditure, causing energy to be converted into fat and accumulate in the body, leading to obesity. The three major nutrients that produce energy are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Fat produces 9 kcal of energy per gram, while protein and carbohydrates produce 4 kcal per gram. Eating less rice can reduce the intake of carbohydrates and thus reduce energy intake. However, eating more dishes increases the intake of fat, which produces even more energy, failing to achieve the goal of weight loss. On the contrary, it makes the intake of nutrients unbalanced, which is not conducive to health.

Misconception 6: Drinking milk causes cataracts in the elderly

Analysis: Some say that because milk contains cysteine, which can be oxidized to easily damage the lens of the eye and cause it to become cloudy, leading to cataracts, the elderly should not drink milk. In fact, milk is rich in calcium and is a very important source of calcium in the diet. The casein in milk is also a high-quality protein that is beneficial for human absorption and utilization. The formation of cataracts is due to multiple factors. The antioxidant capacity of the elderly is low, so they can supplement antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and trace elements selenium and zinc to prevent senile cataracts.

[美食中国]Misconception 7: Winter supplementation must include protein

Analysis: The term "supplementation" refers to addressing a deficiency. You supplement what is lacking; if there is no deficiency, there is no need to supplement. Currently, the dietary protein supply for residents in our country is sufficient, so there is generally no need for the average person to supplement protein. Moreover, excessive protein supplementation can increase the burden on the liver and kidneys, increase calcium excretion, and make calcium deficiency more likely. Therefore, under normal circumstances, there is no need to supplement protein, unless it is for illness or special needs.

In China's dietary structure, the lacking nutrients are: vitamins A, B2, B1, calcium, and zinc. Therefore, supplementing these vitamins and minerals is the most targeted way to "supplement".

Misconception 8: Supplementing with vitamin C easily causes kidney stones

Analysis: Vitamin C is a cofactor for enzymes, related to collagen synthesis, wound healing, and vascular fragility. Vitamin C also has antioxidant properties, promotes iron absorption, and enhances immune function. The recommended daily intake for adults is 100 mg, and the maximum tolerable intake is 1000 mg. As long as the daily intake of vitamin C is within 1000 mg, it will not cause kidney stones.