Introduction: Staple foods, mainly referring to grains, include rice, flour, coarse grains, potatoes, etc. The energy the human body needs daily is provided by the three major nutrients: carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Among these, carbohydrates account for 55% to 60% of the energy. Staple foods are rich in carbohydrates and are an indispensable part of the daily diet.
"Weight Watchers": Staple Foods Cannot Be Cut Out
Case: Xiao Zhang heard from a friend that not eating staple foods can help with weight loss, so she stopped eating them. She also ate very little meat or eggs, consuming only vegetables and fruits each day. After more than a month, Xiao Zhang did lose some weight, but she also became much haggard. She often felt dizzy, nauseous, and listless. After a diagnosis by a nutritionist, Xiao Zhang was found to have mild malnutrition.
Expert Reminder: Excessive restriction of staple foods and other foods can lead to malnutrition.
Some people believe that simply not eating staple foods can help with weight loss, without restricting other foods, which is a very absurd notion. In fact, the intake of staple foods can produce a feeling of satiety, which can, to a certain extent, help control food intake. For weight loss, one should reduce the intake of high-calorie foods, not staple foods.
"Business Entertainers": Staple Foods Cannot Be Skipped
Case: Mr. Li has been in business for over a decade, and banquets and social gatherings are a common occurrence. He often uses alcohol instead of water and dishes instead of rice. Amidst toasts and conversations, his business flourished, but his health gradually declined, and he often felt weak and listless.
Expert Reminder: Frequently eating only dishes and drinking alcohol without staple foods can cause significant harm to the liver and cardiovascular system. Carbohydrates can enhance the liver's detoxification function, and an appropriate intake of staple foods can play a protective role for the liver. Skipping or eating too few staple foods during social gatherings leads to insufficient carbohydrate intake, which in turn necessitates increased intake of high-protein or high-fat foods, easily causing gout and increasing the burden on the kidneys. When consuming a high-fat diet, the body's required energy is mainly supplied by fat oxidation. Incomplete fat oxidation produces ketones, and a large amount of ketones can lead to ketoacidosis. Mild poisoning can cause coma and vomiting, while severe cases can be life-threatening.
"Health Supplement Users": Staple Foods Cannot Be Replaced
Case: Ms. Chen often uses health supplements like vitamins as substitutes for staple foods. She believed that by taking health supplements, she could get "balanced nutrition," maintain a good figure, and save time and effort.
Expert Reminder: Health supplements are only for supplementary purposes, to fill in for certain nutrients that the body lacks. One should not be overly dependent on or迷信 (superstitious about) their functions. As the saying goes, "Man is iron, and food is steel." The key is to eat well, have a diverse diet, and make reasonable combinations. Excessive intake of health supplements can actually be detrimental to the body.
"Office Workers": Breakfast Cannot Be Missed
Case: Xiao Wang combined breakfast and lunch into one meal. Over time, he often felt drowsy, listless, dizzy, and weak all over. He occasionally experienced stomach and abdominal pain, and his memory also declined.
Expert Reminder: "The day's plan begins in the morning," and breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Long-term skipping of breakfast not only leads to insufficient energy and nutrient intake for the whole day but also often results in intense hunger by 9 or 10 in the morning. This can cause excessive friction on the intestinal walls, damage the intestinal mucosa, lead to digestive system diseases, and cause malnutrition. Moreover, without breakfast, the body has to rely on its stored glycogen and proteins. Over time, this can also lead to dry and wrinkled skin, anemia, accelerated aging, and increase the risk of gallstones and myocardial infarction.
As the saying goes, "Eat a good breakfast, a full lunch, and a light dinner." The types of breakfast should be as diverse as possible, with staple foods as the main component and a balanced mix of various nutrients. The amount of staple food for breakfast should be between 150-200 grams.
"Expecting Mothers": Staple Foods Cannot Be Lacking
Case: Starting from her fourth month of pregnancy, Ms. Liu wanted her baby to get more nutrition and grow better. So, every two or three days, she would eat lobster, protein powder, etc., and drank maternal milk powder daily. However, she often ate little or no staple food, just to "save room" for supplements. Later, a medical check-up revealed that Ms. Liu's protein levels were excessive.
Expert Reminder: Excessive protein intake for expecting mothers not only increases the risk of gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension but also poses a danger of giving birth to a "macrosomic baby" and may lead to difficulties during delivery. Staple foods not only effectively supplement carbohydrates but also provide B vitamins and create a feeling of fullness, which suppresses excessive intake of other foods. This can effectively prevent excessive weight gain and nutritional surplus in pregnant women and, to a certain extent, avoid the development of gestational diabetes, hypertension, and other conditions.