Core Tip: Diet should focus on both nutrition and health. However, most people only concentrate on what they eat, ignoring how and when they eat. Unbeknownst to them, if the methods of eating are not scientific, even the best food is difficult to absorb. Experts have summarized a set of optimal numbers for eating to help you eat healthier and more scientifically.
1. Optimal Breakfast Time:
20 minutes after waking up
Experts say: Generally, it is most suitable to have breakfast 20-30 minutes after waking up. At this time, a person's appetite is at its peak, and the digestive and absorption state is also at its best. It is best to consume at least 500 ml of water before breakfast, which can help digestion, replenish the body's fluids, eliminate waste, and reduce blood viscosity. Breakfast should include four categories of food: carbohydrates such as bread and rice porridge; animal-based foods such as meat and eggs; and milk, bean products, fresh vegetables, and fruits. The nutritional adequacy of breakfast can be quickly evaluated by the number of food types included. If breakfast includes all four of the above, it is a nutritious breakfast; three is relatively sufficient; two or fewer is nutritionally inadequate. Vegetables and fruits need not be excessive, but they should not be omitted.
Recommended Breakfast Combinations:
Women:
1 cup of soy milk + 1 serving of whole wheat bread + 1 serving of shredded pork with carrots.
Students:
1 bowl of egg noodles + 1 peach + 1 cup of milk; add a banana or yogurt at 10 AM.
Elderly:
1 serving of milk oatmeal + 1 serving of tofu; supplement with a banana or apple later in the morning.
2. Optimal Chewing Count:
Chew each mouthful 30 times
Japanese researchers have found: When carcinogenic aflatoxin from moldy food is mixed with saliva and then applied to animal body cells, the toxicity of the strong carcinogen is almost completely eliminated. Experts point out that this disinfecting effect of saliva lies in its ability to eliminate superoxide free radicals produced by carcinogens. This digestion and detoxification process of saliva not only occurs in the mouth, but continues for about 30 minutes after the food bolus mixed with saliva enters the stomach.
Saliva contains multiple antibacterial elements that can kill or inhibit many external bacteria, such as hemolytic streptococcus, typhoid bacillus, E. coli, and staphylococcus.
Therefore, eating slowly and chewing thoroughly allows food to fully mix with saliva, enabling saliva to reduce the ability of carcinogens to produce superoxide free radicals. Chewing each mouthful 30 times can eliminate the superoxide free radicals in the food during chewing. Therefore, it is recommended that people chew more when eating, which not only aids in the digestion and absorption of food but also has anti-cancer and antibacterial effects.
3. Optimal Dinner Time:
Around 6 PM
Many families have a perfunctory breakfast, a flexible lunch, and put the day's nutritional intake into dinner, unknowingly that a problematic dinner is the root cause of many diseases.
Research shows that eating a light dinner leads to better sleep. Dinner should be eaten until you are 80% full, using your own feeling of not being hungry as a guide. The best time for dinner is around 6 PM, and it should not be later than 9 PM. Furthermore, do not go to bed within four hours after dinner, so that the food eaten can be fully digested.
Dinner should consist mainly of light foods. If dinner is greasy, excess fat intake can cause blood lipids to rise, leading to atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Excess protein intake can increase the metabolic burden on the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidneys, which is very harmful for patients with liver or kidney diseases.
4. Optimal Meal Ratio:
3:4:3
Today, many people have become accustomed to an inverted pyramid eating style: "a small breakfast, a good lunch, and a full dinner." Moreover, the dinner dishes in many families are abundant, with chicken, duck, fish, meat, and eggs filling the table. These are mostly high-protein, high-fat, and high-energy foods that can increase the coagulability of blood lipids, making them极易 deposit on the artery walls, promoting atherosclerosis and thrombosis. They can also cause the liver to produce more low-density and very-low-density lipoproteins, transporting excess cholesterol to accumulate on the artery walls, making a bad situation worse. As people age, their body's ability to process sugar declines. Concentrating daily caloric intake at dinner will accelerate the reduction of glucose tolerance, increase the burden on the pancreas, promote pancreatic aging, and ultimately lead to diabetes and various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Expert Advice:
The ratio of food intake for the three daily meals should be determined according to each person's lifestyle and health condition. Generally, the ratio for breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be 3:4:3. This can ensure energy supply during activities while allowing the gastrointestinal tract to rest during sleep.