The four types of food that Chinese people lack the most

Nowadays, everyone pays attention to dietary diversity, but are you eating healthily enough? In January this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Outline for China's Food and Nutrition Development (2014-2020)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Outline"), which attracted widespread attention and discussion in the industry. On February 27, the Chinese Nutrition Society and the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention invited authoritative experts to conduct an in-depth interpretation and discussion of the "Outline". Experts compared the "food consumption targets" in the Outline with the current food consumption status of Chinese residents, and concluded that the four types of food are most lacking for Chinese consumers at this stage.

Milk. The survey shows that the average daily intake of dairy products by urban and rural residents in China is 26.5 grams, far below the 100 grams recommended by the Chinese Balanced Diet Pyramid. Milk is a nutritionally comprehensive food that is high in calcium and is easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Without adequate calcium intake, bone health cannot be guaranteed. Studies have shown that the occurrence of osteoporosis and fractures in old age is related to the low frequency and total amount of milk consumption during childhood and adolescence. Other studies have found that supplementing milk with growing and developing children and adolescents can help increase their height and bone mass. It is recommended that everyone drink a cup of milk of about 200 ml every day in daily life. People who are lactose intolerant can choose yogurt, and people who are overweight are best to choose skim milk or low-fat milk.

Soy products. Relevant data show that the average daily intake of dry beans per person in China is 4.2 grams, and the intake of soy products is 11.8 grams, which are far lower than the recommended intake of 30 to 50 grams of dry beans and a considerable amount of soy products according to the Balanced Diet Pyramid for Chinese residents. We emphasize that everyone should eat more soy products based on the changes in the Chinese people’s dietary patterns in the past 20 years. Surveys show that Chinese people are eating more and more animal food, which leads to excessive fat intake, which is one of the risk factors for the high incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. The characteristics of soy products are high content of high-quality protein and a certain proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. Increasing the intake of beans can, to a certain extent, avoid the risk of obesity caused by excessive consumption of animal food and effectively prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases. In addition to advising the public to eat more easily digestible soy products, we also call on food processing companies to produce more soy products with diverse flavors to meet consumer demand.

Whole grains. In the past 20 to 30 years, urban and rural residents in my country have been eating less and less food, especially coarse grains, which has caused the Chinese people's vitamin B1 intake to drop from 2.5 mg per day to 1.0 mg. Whole grains are rich in B vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. Studies have shown that there is a "negative correlation" between the consumption of coarse grains and chronic diseases. Eating more coarse grains will reduce the risk of chronic diseases. It is worth mentioning that the dietary fiber rich in coarse grains can increase gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation, and effectively prevent colon cancer. It is recommended to eat 50 to 100 grams (1 to 2 taels, dry weight) of coarse grains every day, and learn how to cook the coarse grains and match coarse and fine grains. Finely processing whole grains can help people better adapt to the taste of whole grains. Among them, the method of making porridge is worth recommending. Mix red beans, mung beans and other beans with sorghum rice, coix seed, oats, millet, black rice, rhubarb rice, pearl barley, buckwheat rice and other grains together and cook them. It is simple and delicious. You can also make some mixed noodle foods by grinding millet, corn, buckwheat and other grains into flour, mixing them with white flour, and making them into steamed buns, noodles or pancakes, which are more acceptable to people.

Aquatic products. The consumption of aquatic products by Chinese residents has always been low. Surveys show that the average daily intake of fish and shrimp per person in my country is 29.6 grams, far below the 75 to 150 grams recommended by the Chinese Dietary Guidelines. Aquatic products contain a lot of high-quality protein and have a lower fat content than red meat such as pork. They also contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help promote brain development and maintain cardiovascular health. Therefore, it is recommended that you eat seafood regularly, two or three times a week is appropriate, or at least once a week. Salmon, yellow croaker, flathead fish and other seafood are all good. The best way to eat fish is to steam or stew it, and try to avoid frying.