People often only realize the importance of maintaining good health habits when they are sick. Good habits not only keep us free from disease but also help maintain high energy levels and a healthy body. "Top 10 Deadly Eating Habits," published in the Chinese edition of the American magazine "Shape," has been widely reposted by many major portals like "Sohu" and "Phoenix," sparking public concern. Are these habits really that scary? This edition invites several authoritative experts to interpret them one by one, helping you identify and avoid these potentially "fatal" eating habits.
1. Not drinking water until thirsty. Water is not only a vital substance for sustaining life but also a tool for detoxifying the human body. A domestic survey shows that 70% of people only drink water when they feel thirsty, but when you feel thirsty, your body has already lost at least 1% of its water. Xu Wei, a member of the Heilongjiang Provincial Health Management Association, stated that drinking water is not just to quench thirst but to let it participate in metabolism. Long-term dehydration increases blood viscosity, triggers cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and also causes great damage to the kidneys. Moreover, the longer you delay replenishing fluids, the lower your desire to drink water, and the more "drought-stricken" your body will become.
Therefore, you should hydrate sufficiently regardless of whether you feel thirsty. Adults should generally drink at least 1200 milliliters of water per day. Drinking a glass of warm water on an empty stomach after waking up can dilute the blood; do not drink water within half an hour after a meal, as it will dilute saliva and gastric juice, affecting digestion; do not drink too much water before bed, as frequent trips to the bathroom will affect sleep.
2. Not paying attention to staple foods. Once, rice, noodles, and steamed buns were indispensable staples on people's dining tables, but as life has improved, these foods have become increasingly distant from us. Many people even replace staple foods with fruit for weight loss. American nutrition research shows that eating less staple food raises bad cholesterol and increases the risk of heart disease. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emphasizes even more that "the five grains are the foundation of nourishment." Insufficient intake of staple foods can easily lead to deficiencies in qi and blood, as well as insufficient kidney qi. Ma Liping, Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Nutrition Society, points out that replacing staple foods with fruit can easily lead to malnutrition and nutritional imbalance.
Ma Liping recommends that staple foods like grains should provide 50% to 60% of the daily energy requirement in the diet. An adult needs about 2000 kilocalories per day, of which at least 1000 should come from staple foods. The best ratio for distributing these meals is 4:3:3 or 4:4:2. For example, eating two steamed buns and a bowl of congee for breakfast, a bowl of noodles for lunch, and a small bowl of rice with a piece of sweet potato for dinner is quite reasonable.
3. Smoking after a meal. As the common saying goes, "A cigarette after a meal is better than living like a god." However, medical research actually shows that smoking immediately after eating is extremely detrimental to health. Professor Yang Li from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences believes that the harm of smoking after a meal is 10 times greater than usual. This is because after eating, the digestive system goes into full operation, gastrointestinal motility is very frequent, blood circulation accelerates, and all pores open up. At this time, the lungs and body tissues absorb smoke more intensely, and the harmful substances in the smoke strongly irritate the respiratory and digestive tracts. Therefore, smoking should be completely banned in public places and at home. For heavy smokers who find it unbearable, they should at least schedule their smoking for half an hour after a meal.
4. Being unable to enjoy a meal without alcohol. As the saying goes, "No banquet is complete without wine." Whether it's a gathering of friends and family or a work dinner, alcohol is always there to liven things up. According to the World Health Organization, 60 diseases are related to alcohol consumption. The incidence and mortality rates of diseases caused by alcohol are higher than those of tobacco. American research has found that long-term drinking takes a toll on the entire body: from the liver, stomach, and pancreas, to the brain, heart, bones, ears, and eyes—no organ is spared, all suffer varying degrees of damage. Most frighteningly, excessive drinking can also cause cancer. Hong Zhaoguang, Chairman of the Cardiovascular Disease Committee of the China Health Care Association for the Elderly, stated that people who love to drink are most susceptible to esophageal and stomach cancer.
In this regard, the World Health Organization advises that "less alcohol is better." Under normal circumstances, a man's daily intake of pure alcohol should not exceed 20 grams, and for women, it should be even less. You can calculate your alcohol intake using the formula: "amount of alcohol consumed × alcohol concentration × 0.8." If drinking is unavoidable, it is best not to drink on an empty stomach. You can eat starchy and high-protein foods like bread before drinking.
5. Drinking strong tea after a meal. Many Chinese people have the habit of drinking tea after a meal, but in reality, this poses a hidden health risk. Jiang Yongwen, Deputy Director of the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told reporters that drinking tea immediately after a meal can easily lead to a complex reaction between the polyphenols in tea and the iron and protein in food, thus affecting the body's absorption of iron and protein. Related experiments have shown that drinking tea brewed from 15 grams of tea after a meal can reduce the absorption of iron from food by 50%.
Jiang Yongwen also stated that drinking tea on an empty stomach before a meal or during the meal is not conducive to digestion. If you are thirsty after a meal, you can drink some plain water instead. If you want to drink tea, it is best to have a cup of weak tea one hour after the meal.
6. Having a heavy dinner. After a busy day, modern people often treat dinner as the main meal to reward themselves. Little do they know that this is more harmful than beneficial. Yu Kang, Deputy Director of the Clinical Nutrition Department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, stated that eating too much for dinner causes excess calories to be converted into fat and stored in the body, leading to weight gain. Sometimes, combined with excessive drinking, it can easily trigger acute pancreatitis, and a person might go into shock in their sleep. Moreover, a bloated stomach will press on surrounding organs, causing cells in corresponding areas of the brain to become active, which can induce various nightmares during sleep. In addition, consistently eating a very large dinner and then resting directly without exercise for a long time may induce colon cancer and is also a significant risk factor for diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
Therefore, dinner should be eaten as early as possible; secondly, reduce meat consumption; thirdly, control the amount of food, with dinner calories not exceeding 30% of the daily total; finally, a walk half an hour after dinner can help with digestion.
7. Skipping breakfast. Many people "sacrifice" breakfast due to waking up late, not wanting to be bothered, or being in a hurry. A study by the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the US found that people who skip breakfast have higher insulin levels, which can lead to diabetes over time. The "Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in the US shows that frequently skipping breakfast increases the risk of heart disease. Yu Kang also stated that skipping breakfast can reduce work efficiency. Additionally, it can easily cause dry and wrinkled skin, anemia, and trigger digestive tract diseases. Long-term breakfast skipping can even raise cholesterol and increase the risk of gallstones. Therefore, no matter how busy you are, breakfast cannot be skipped. It is recommended to eat breakfast between 7 and 8 AM. Eating too early can interfere with the stomach's rest. Also, breakfast should be simple and of high quality.
8. Wolfing down food. As the pace of life quickens, Chinese people's eating speed has unknowingly increased. A survey conducted by our newspaper in cooperation with "Sina" showed that among over 4000 people, nearly 90% spend only ten minutes or so on a meal, chewing each bite only two or three times. A study by Osaka University in Japan found that eating quickly doubles the chance of obesity; researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in the US pointed out that if food is not chewed thoroughly, coarse food increases the burden on the stomach. Fan Zhihong, an associate professor at the College of Food Science at China Agricultural University, said that eating too fast not only damages the esophagus but can also cause digestive and metabolic disorders, leading to constipation and weight gain. For people with high blood sugar, eating too fast can worsen their condition. Therefore, each meal should last at least 15 minutes. Eating more vegetables, fruits, and coarse grains can increase chewing time. In addition, the chewing speed for each bite should be slowed down, with 20 or more chews per bite being ideal.