Entering the 21st century, to avoid unscientific diets and reduce "diseases of affluence" such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer, nutritionists have proposed adopting scientific dietary methods.
1. Balanced Nutrition: The proportion of various nutrients should be appropriate, and the intake should be balanced with the body's needs. This includes a balance between required energy and its sources, amino acids, fatty acids, acid-base levels, vitamins, and minerals (both major and trace elements).
2. Eat Dark-Colored Foods: Generally, natural foods that are dark and rich in color are high in nutritional value, containing more vitamins, trace elements, and minerals, and have health-promoting effects for the human body. Excessive consumption of light-colored natural foods is detrimental to health, such as light-colored vegetables, sugar (refined white sugar), salt (refined salt), and refined grains.
3. Diverse Variety: No single natural food can provide all the nutrients the human body needs, so one should not be a picky eater. A regular daily diet must include grains and tubers, animal-based foods, soy and its products, vegetables, and fruits. Within the same category of food, different varieties should also be frequently rotated, combined, and mixed with a wide variety of side dishes and snacks.
4. Avoid Rich Flavors: Greasy foods such as roasted, grilled, pan-fried, and deep-fried foods are difficult for the body to digest and absorb, increasing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract and destroying their natural flavor. Overly salty and greasy foods are contributing factors to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Overly sweet foods are closely related to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
5. Scientific Food Pairing: The combination of staple foods, side dishes, and snacks should be reasonable, with a mix of coarse and fine grains. The general ratio of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins should be 58%, 30%, and 12%, respectively. At the same time, great importance should be placed on the intake of trace elements and dietary fiber.
6. Natural and Harmless: It is recommended to eat natural foods. Food ingredients and auxiliary materials used in food production, including colorings, flavorings, seasonings, and additives, should all be natural substances, not artificial chemical compounds.
The scientific dietary method can be summarized in 16 characters: Pay attention to nutrition, emphasize health, strive for science, and ensure hygiene.