Based on the opinions of nutrition experts both at home and abroad, China's dietary customs mainly have the following nine shortcomings, which need everyone's attention:
1. Chinese people generally consume too much salt. According to statistics, the national average daily salt intake is over 10 grams, with the highest in the Northeast region, reaching 18 grams. The World Health Organization, however, recommends that salt intake should be controlled to below 5 grams per day. Excessive salt consumption significantly increases the incidence of diseases such as hypertension and stomach cancer.
2. Chinese people consume excessive monosodium glutamate (MSG), which increases the intake of sodium, an element harmful to the human body. Therefore, for soups and other dishes, it is advisable to use substitutes like chicken essence or mushroom extract instead of MSG.
3. Chinese people often dine in groups and enjoy serving each other food from shared plates, which increases the probability of disease transmission.
4. Chinese people have a preference for animal offal. Offal contains a relatively high amount of cholesterol, which is a significant factor in inducing and aggravating atherosclerosis.
5. Chinese cooking methods often include pan-frying, stir-frying, braising, and deep-frying, with a preference for stir-fried and fried foods. This increases the risk of cancer.
6. Chinese people prefer red meat with higher fat content (pork, beef, mutton), while the proportion of white meat (fish, chicken, etc.) is relatively smaller. In recent years, the proportion of white meat consumption in China has been increasing annually, which is a positive trend.
7. In many regions of China, people are fond of preserved foods such as salted fish, cured meat, and pickled vegetables. This not only increases salt intake but also, due to the higher nitrite content in these foods, raises the risk of cancer.
8. Chinese people enjoy various types of braised meat. However, the spices used in making braised meat, such as cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns, are not only "warm" and "dry" in nature, which can easily lead to "internal heat" in the body, but also contain a certain amount of safrole, which has mutagenic and toxic properties and can easily cause cancer. Therefore, individuals suffering from colds, fevers, inflammatory diseases, and chronic liver problems should consume less braised meat.
9. Chinese people like to host lavish banquets. It is customary for people to consume large amounts of baijiu (white liquor) at banquets, to overeat, or to smoke and drink simultaneously. In some regions, there is also the undesirable custom of serving food directly from communal dishes. These habits not only lead to waste but are also extremely detrimental to health, easily triggering various diseases.