The National Day holiday is approaching, and it's common for friends and family to gather for meals. However, experts have found that during holidays, dietary imbalances are severe, and food often exhibits the "three excesses phenomenon": "too much greasy food, too much spicy food, and too many sweets." To prevent the phenomenon of "one heavy meal, ten days of recovery soup," what principles should healthy dining follow? Researcher Shanfen Bao from the Nutrition Department of the PLA General Hospital offers us reasonable advice.
What to pay attention to during the National Day holiday meals
The principles of healthy dining can be summarized in one sentence: "eat with civility, eat hygienically, eat scientifically." The key to eating scientifically is to master the balance of a nutritious diet.
Firstly, the balance between staple and non-staple foods is crucial. Among the foods consumed, animal-based foods should not exceed plant-based foods. A proper ratio of staple to non-staple foods is an important prerequisite for nutritional balance. Secondly, one must pay attention to the combination of meat and vegetables, and maintain the acid-base balance of the diet. Many units have light meals on ordinary days, but during holiday banquets, tables are piled high with chicken, duck, fish, and meat. After a heavy feast, many people feel sick, but they don't realize this is a reaction of "mild acidosis." The blood of a healthy human body is slightly alkaline. Therefore, the most suitable ratio of acidic to alkaline foods is 1:4, which will make you feel comfortable afterward. Foods rich in protein, such as fish, meat, seafood, shellfish, and eggs, are all acidic foods. Consuming too much can change the blood from slightly alkaline to acidic, leading to fatigue and listlessness, and in severe cases, memory loss and decreased thinking ability. To avoid this condition, it is necessary to increase alkaline foods such as vegetables, fruits, potatoes, mushrooms, and tea. Thirdly, one must avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Eating alkaline foods like vegetables while drinking can reduce the burden on the liver. Cold dishes dressed with vinegar and fruit are indispensable. This can have a neutralizing effect, and the sugar in the fruit can accelerate the metabolism of alcohol in the body, reducing the toxicity of alcohol to the liver.
From a nutritional perspective, eating fish and seafood is better than eating pork, beef, lamb, and poultry. This is the so-called "it's better to eat two-legged animals than four-legged ones, and better to eat one-legged ones than two-legged ones!" Besides fish, "one-legged" foods also include mushrooms and other fungi.
Overeating and excessive gluttony can lead to various digestive system diseases such as acute gastroenteritis, acute pancreatitis, and cholecystitis. The sharp increase in such patients in hospitals during every holiday season is clear proof. To prevent the phenomenon of "one heavy meal, ten days of recovery soup," meals on ordinary days and during banquets should be reasonably balanced with acid-alkaline equilibrium, reducing the "delicacies and rarities" on the banquet table and increasing alkaline foods such as vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Even during banquets and feasts, the combination should be reasonable, and dishes should be served with a proper mix of meat and vegetables. Nutritional balance is about moderation, because consuming excessive amounts of a certain nutrient over a period of time is more harmful than beneficial to health.
The ancients long opposed the extravagance of banquets. Zhou Liqing of the Ming Dynasty wrote a preface for the cookbook *Yiya Yiyi*, saying: "Today's world is extravagant. Even frugal families prepare forty or fifty dishes for daily visits, and the table is filled with square and round tableware of all sizes." He also pointed out that dishes should be "rich but not cloying, light but not bland." The famous Southern Song Dynasty historian Zheng Qiao proposed the "Six Essentials of Diet," which are: "food should not be complicated, the key is to be simple and focused; flavors should not be overly strong, the key is to be pure and mild; ingredients should not be excessive, the key is to be frugal; food should not be exotic, the key is to be conventional; preparation should not focus on raw or undercooked delicacies, the key is to be properly steamed or cooked; and eating should not be about gluttony, the key is to be satisfied and moderate." These criticisms of the ills of banquets are still precious today!