Healthy Eating Guidelines for the Chinese
Eating holds a particularly important place in the daily lives of Chinese people, who have long prided themselves on being good at eating, loving to eat, and knowing how to eat. Let's take a look at the most suitable dietary guidelines for the Chinese people, helping you eat healthily and beautifully.
Three Major Dietary Problems Faced by the Nation
Not Eating a Varied Diet
According to surveys, less than 30% of people eat enough of the five major food groups daily; the proportion of vegetable intake is just over half, while fruit intake is only one-fifth; 30% of people drink less than 1200 ml of water per day.
Eating Too Much
China's pork consumption accounts for half of the global total. People eat too much and move too little, and the number of overweight and obese individuals has increased by 100 million over the past decade. Internationally, the recommended salt intake has been continuously lowered, but in China, "excessive salt" has not decreased over the past ten years.
Eating the Wrong Things
In China's meat consumption structure, pork has accounted for about 65% in recent years, while fish and seafood, which are beneficial to the cardiovascular system, are less than one liang (50 grams) per day. Many people have a beggar's breakfast and a king's dinner. Overly processed and refined foods are not conducive to the prevention and control of chronic diseases.
Rule 1: Don't Skimp on Meat, Dairy, Legumes, Vegetables, Fruits, or Staples
The "Five Food Groups" include: grains and tubers, animal foods (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk), legumes and nuts, fruits, vegetables, and fungi, and energy-dense foods (oil, sugar, alcohol, etc.). Among these, grains and tubers, as staples, should account for more than half of the daily energy source. Meals should be distributed reasonably, and snacks should be appropriate.
Rule 2: Have Fresh Vegetables with Every Meal, Eat Fresh Fruit Every Day
The World Cancer Research Foundation has analyzed research results from countries around the world and concluded that there is sufficient evidence to show that vegetables and fruits can reduce the risk of many cancers.
The results of the Chinese Resident Nutrition and Health Status Survey show that vegetable intake is 275 grams/day, which is lower than the recommended 300-500 grams; while fruit intake is 45 grams/day, far below the recommended 200-400 grams/day.
When choosing vegetables, you can be a bit more "colorful," and see whose shopping basket is more vibrant. Spinach, lettuce, carrots, purple cabbage, red amaranth... dark-colored vegetables should make up half. Of course, don't forget edible mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, wood ear) and seaweed (kelp, nori, sea lettuce). When eating fruit, choose seasonal and fresh ones, and buy them as you eat them.
Is eating either vegetables or fruit enough? Of course not. Both are treasures, but their nutritional values are different. Vegetables are rich in phytochemicals, while fruits are rich in organic acids and aromatic substances, so they cannot replace each other.
Rule 3: Use a Salt Spoon for Cooking, and Don't Ignore Hidden Salt
Internationally, the recommended salt intake has been continuously lowered, but the "heavy taste" of our residents has not improved. The harm of "excessive salt," though not as fierce as a flood or a beast, is its long-term erosion of the body. A high-salt diet is one of the internationally recognized risk factors for hypertension and can induce cerebral thrombosis and myocardial infarction. Therefore, in daily diet, use less salt, and even less.
If you really can't control your salt spoon, try using a limited salt spoon. According to the World Health Organization's recommendation of 5 grams per person, measure out the family's salt for the whole day, and limit yourself to that amount. In addition, pay attention to the "hidden salt" in soy sauce, pickles, and various sauces.
Rule 4: Drink Enough Water, and Cut Down on Beverages
Not only is the water intake insufficient, but there is also a preference for drinking beverages, which is the current situation of our residents' water consumption. The harm of drinking too many sugary beverages is well-known: they are high in energy and can lead to many health problems, but many people still drink them for the sake of taste. In fact, plain water (such as boiled water, mineral water, purified water) is the best drink in daily life, and among plain waters, boiled water is the best.
Drinking enough water daily is crucial for maintaining the body's metabolism and the functioning of various physiological functions. Insufficient water intake can lead to a decline in physical and mental energy, affecting work and study efficiency, and may even cause some diseases (such as hypertension, nephritis, kidney stones). Therefore, you should drink water in small amounts and multiple times throughout the day.
Rule 5: Eat Less Pork, and Choose Fish as the First Option
China's pork consumption accounts for half of the global total. Research has shown the evolutionary process between excessive saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet and myocardial infarction, and pork is the main cause of this process—saturated fat and cholesterol.
Currently, the public has two problems with eating "meat": one is eating too much pork, and the other is eating too little fish and seafood. The protein in fish is easy to digest and absorb, it is low in fat, and rich in unsaturated fatty acids that are beneficial to the cardiovascular system (especially deep-sea fish like tuna, cod, and sardines), so its intake should be increased, eating 1-2 liang (50-100 grams) per day.