Picky Eating, a Deviation from the Modern Healthy Food Trend Some people will not touch a certain food at all if they hear it is not good to eat in excess, while they will devour it relentlessly if they hear it has some magical effect, eating it daily and at every meal. There is another type of person who eats heartily what they love and is picky about what they don't. Naturally, these habits are not good. For example, eggs contain a lot of protein, but also more cholesterol than most foods. Eating too many eggs increases both protein and cholesterol. Fresh fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin C, a nutrient not found in meat. Eating only meat and not vegetables can easily lead to vitamin deficiencies. Therefore, only by eating a variety of foods can we get comprehensive nutrition. Different foods have different nutrient components. For instance, rice, noodles, and other grains mainly provide carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, and B vitamins; animal foods like milk, soybeans, eggs, and lean meat mainly provide protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins A and B vitamins; fruits and vegetables mainly provide dietary fiber, minerals, vitamin C, and carotene. The different nutrient components in food require us to be diverse in our diet to achieve balance and comprehensive nutrition. The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents," revised many times, has always placed "food variety" as the first point, which fully demonstrates its necessity and importance.

Food Variety, with Grains as the Foundation Human food is incredibly diverse and can be divided into five main categories based on the nutrients they provide. The first category is grains, coarse grains, and tubers: grains include rice, noodles, and coarse grains, and tubers include potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cassava. The second category is animal foods: including meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy. The third category is legumes, their products, and nuts: including soybeans and soy products. The fourth category is fruits and vegetables: including fresh beans, roots and tubers, leafy greens, and eggplant and other fruit vegetables. The fifth category is pure energy foods: including animal fats, starch, edible sugar, and alcoholic beverages. The requirement for food variety has two parts. First, all categories of food should be present in the diet to achieve a wide variety of food items. Second, attention must be paid to appropriate proportions. Taking energy sources as an example, it is recommended that carbohydrates account for 60%-70%, fats for 20%-30%, and protein for 12%-15% of the daily diet. Gluttony, Causing Excess or Deficiency of Nutrients Everyone is probably familiar with the classic game "Gluttonous Snake"—a small snake that eats beans one by one, and its body swells accordingly. The more beans it eats, the longer its body becomes. If it's not careful, its head and tail will collide, and it will die. The reason Gluttonous Snake becomes a tragic story lies in its constant swallowing. The gluttonous snake cannot resist the desire to eat beans, but don't think humans are much more sophisticated; in reality, we are not much better. Many people proudly call themselves "foodies." They devour all kinds of food, meat and vegetables, raw and cold, delicacies from mountains and seas, birds and beasts—anything that flies besides airplanes, anything that runs besides cars, anything that swims besides boats, if it's edible, they will put it in their mouths without a second thought. Gluttony first leads to nutritional imbalance. Data shows that due to a diet high in energy and fat, combined with little physical activity, the number of people in China suffering from and dying from chronic diseases has risen sharply in recent years. This is the dire consequence of gluttony. If gluttony is accompanied by binge eating, the harm is even greater. In the "Danxi Xinfa," there is a story about Zhu Danxi's uncle who was usually in good health. Once, he fell ill and was advised to eat less to nourish his stomach's energy. He said, "Everyone knows no one has ever died from eating too much. My appetite is great, what is there to worry about?" So he ate and drank heartily. A month later, his condition worsened, and he passed away another month after that. In another example, there was a long-lived person in Shropshire, England, named Thomas Parr, who was still very healthy when he reached the age of 152. At that time, King Charles I of England wanted to meet this centenarian and had him brought from his hometown to the palace to eat, drink, and enjoy himself to his heart's content. Although this lifestyle was very enjoyable, the old man died in less than a month.

Northeastern Stew Ingredients: 200g pork, 100g each of tofu skin, vermicelli, and nameko mushrooms; appropriate amount of Shanghai green and cabbage; a small amount of salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Method: 1. Wash and cut the pork into pieces; wash the tofu skin and cut it into strips; soak the vermicelli; wash the nameko mushrooms, Shanghai green, and cabbage and set aside. 2. Peel and dice the eggplant and potatoes; wash and cut the tomato; soak and cut the sweet potato noodles; wash and cut the green beans; slice the tofu. 3. Add water to a pot, add the pork, and season with salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. When the pork is half-cooked, add the tofu skin, vermicelli, nameko mushrooms, Shanghai green, and cabbage and simmer until cooked. Nutritional Analysis: Northeastern Stew uses a rich variety of ingredients in a reasonable combination, allowing you to eat many different foods in one dish.

Bean and Coarse Grain Porridge Ingredients: 30g each of soybeans, mung beans, red beans, glutinous rice, millet, wheat, and sorghum; 1000ml of water; an appropriate amount of rock sugar. Method: 1. Soak all ingredients in water for 8 hours. 2. Take a pot, add water and bring to a boil. Add all ingredients and cook until tender. Finally, add rock sugar to taste. Nutritional Analysis: The porridge is made from a variety of coarse grains and is rich in B vitamins and minerals, providing the body with a wide range of essential nutrients.

Mixed Salad Ingredients: 1 bunch of chicory, 3 leaves of purple cabbage, half a cucumber, 1 piece of ginger root; an appropriate amount of yellow and red cherry tomatoes, 1 small spoon of boiled peanuts. An appropriate amount of garlic cloves, aromatic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and olive oil. Method: 1. Wash all vegetables and separate the chicory into single stalks. 2. Cut the purple cabbage leaves into strips. 3. Cut the red and yellow cherry tomatoes in half. 4. Also cut the ginger root into strips. 5. Cut the cucumber into strips as well. Crush and mince the garlic cloves. 6. Place all vegetables in a basin, add aromatic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and olive oil, and mix well. Serve on a plate. Nutritional Analysis: Compared to eating only one or two types of vegetables per meal, a "Mixed Salad" containing a variety of vegetables can provide the body with a richer source of vitamins and minerals.

This article is excerpted from "Dr. Ma Talks About Nutrition" by Ma Guansheng, authorized by Phoenix Hanzhang Books. Reproduction is strictly prohibited.