Twenty Standards for Healthy Eating

The 20 healthy eating standards you see now are based on the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" that I have been doing clinical nutrition consultation for 10 years, integrating the consensus of multiple mainstream dietary schools such as low-carb diet, Mediterranean diet, flexitarian diet, etc. There are no extreme requirements, and there is no need to count calories. More than 90% of adults without underlying diseases can just follow the instructions. Those with underlying illnesses such as high blood pressure and kidney disease can just follow the doctor's advice and make adjustments on this basis. There is no need to spend money on high-priced personalized customization.

1. Whole grains, beans, and potatoes should account for 1/3 of the grains and potatoes you eat every day. There is no need to pursue 100% whole grains. There was a saying in the fitness circle that "a meal of brown rice can reduce fat without raising blood sugar." In my outpatient clinic, I have seen several people who ate brown rice every meal for three months in order to gain body fat, and ended up with chronic gastritis and acid reflux. It is really unnecessary. People with weak stomachs, the elderly and children can completely replace some coarse grains with millet, pumpkin, yams and other easy-to-digest foods. As long as they don't eat all white rice and white noodles, they will meet the standard.

2. Limit the daily intake of refined sugar to less than 25g, which is about the amount of added sugar in a 500ml bottle of iced black tea. Use as little as possible. Don’t even dare to touch fruits when you hear “quit sugar”. The fructose in fruits is bound to dietary fiber and vitamins, and is completely different from the added sugar in milk tea and cakes. Unless you show off three pounds of lychees and durians a day, you will not exceed the sugar limit by eating fruits normally.

After talking about what to eat, let’s talk about what to drink first. Many people’s diet and health depend on drinking water.

3. Drink 1500-1700ml of water every day, which is about the amount of 3 cups of ordinary thermos cups. There has been a saying before that "eight glasses of water a day will keep good skin." There are also studies that say that drinking too much water will increase the burden on the kidneys. In fact, there is no need to limit the number of milliliters. When you go to the toilet, take a look at the color of your urine. If it is light yellow, it is just right. If you sweat a lot, drink two more sips. If you don't sweat, drink two sips less. It will be fine. If you have renal insufficiency, just follow the doctor's advice.

4. Drink less or no alcoholic drinks, whether it is white wine, red wine or fruit wine. The rumor in the past few years that "a glass of red wine a day softens blood vessels" has long been overturned by clinical research. As long as it contains alcohol, it will bring metabolic burden to the liver. Even if it is fruit wine with a very low alcohol content, drinking too much will be harmful to the body.

Okay, after talking about the drinks, let’s talk about how to choose the meat, eggs, and milk that everyone is most concerned about.

5. Eat an average of 120-200g of animal food every day, which is about the amount of a palm-sized piece of lean meat plus an egg. Don’t think that vegetarian food is unhealthy. Vegetarians can substitute the same amount of soy products, nuts, and mushrooms, as long as they pay attention to additional vitamin B12 supplements. This is the only consensus reached between omnivores and vegetarians. No one is more noble than the other.

6. Eat aquatic products at least 2 times a week, about 100g each time. Don’t think you have to buy expensive salmon and cod to be healthy. Small yellow croakers and hairtails that cost more than ten yuan a pound, or even wakame and kelp that cost a few yuan a pound. The Omega 3 content of ordinary freshwater fish is completely sufficient for ordinary people’s needs. There is no need to pay IQ tax.

7. Eat enough 300g of dairy products every day, which is about the amount of a box of pure milk plus a small box of sugar-free yogurt. If you are lactose intolerant, you can switch to zero-lactose milk or Shuhua milk. If you really don't like milk, you can eat cheese or sugar-free soy milk. As long as you make sure you get enough calcium every day, you don't have to force yourself to drink things you don't like.

Having said these essential things, let’s talk about a few details that are easily overlooked.

8. Eat no more than 5g of salt per day, which is about the amount of a beer bottle cap. Of course, you don’t need to get too stuck on it. People who don’t have high blood pressure and sweat a lot during regular exercise can eat more appropriately. Some studies have shown that long-term low-sodium diet will increase the cardiovascular risk of people with low blood pressure. What suits you is the best.

9. Control the daily cooking oil consumption at 25-30g, which is about the amount of 2-3 spoons of white porcelain spoons. If you are cooking at home, you can buy an oil spray bottle. It is easier to control the amount than pouring oil directly. If you often eat takeout, try to choose stir-fried or steamed dishes. Don’t eat Maocai, fried chicken, or fried snacks all the time. It’s okay to eat it once in a while, but it’s definitely not okay to eat it every day.

10. Eat enough 300-500g of vegetables every day, with dark vegetables accounting for more than half. What I’m talking about here is the raw weight. After frying and shrinking, it’s about the size of one plate. Don’t count the vegetables in Malatang that are filled with sesame sauce and red oil. The calories of the oil are much higher than the vegetables themselves. If you eat them, you will eat them in vain.

11. Eat 200-350g of fresh fruit every day, which is about the amount of a medium-sized apple plus an orange. Heed my advice, don't squeeze it into juice. It takes three oranges to squeeze out a cup of orange juice. The sugar is directly over the limit, and the dietary fiber has been filtered out. It's just pure sugar water. It's better to eat the orange directly.

The above are the criteria for selecting ingredients. Next, let’s talk about eating habits. Many people choose the right ingredients, but it’s useless if they have wrong habits.

12. Stop eating when you are seven to eighty percent full. There is no need to hold on or deliberately go hungry. My own judgment standard is quite simple. After I put down my chopsticks, I can still eat half an apple, but I don’t feel hungry even if I don’t eat it. This state is just right. Eating too much for a long time will not only make you gain weight, but will also increase the burden on your gastrointestinal and metabolic processes. The gain outweighs the gain.

13. Last summer, I treated a young man who drank a bottle of iced Coke after playing basketball. He suffered stomach cramps and was so painful that he couldn't stand up and was taken to the emergency room. So try not to eat iced food just taken out of the refrigerator, especially in the summer when you have just finished sweating and your whole body is hot. It’s not that you can’t eat ice at all. At least wait until your body temperature drops slightly, eat slowly, and don’t gobble it up.

14. Try to eat as little processed meat products as possible, such as ham, bacon, sausages, and cured meats. Oh, by the way, there is no need to panic too much. The WHO classifies processed meat products as a Category 1 carcinogen, which refers to the risk of cancer caused by long-term intake of large amounts. It is perfectly fine to eat it twice occasionally during the New Year and holidays to satisfy your cravings. Just don’t eat it for breakfast every day.

15. Chew your meals slowly and try to chew each mouthful of rice at least 15 times. Office workers who are in a hurry don't need to count the times. Don't just finish a meal in 5 minutes. Of the gastroesophageal reflux patients I have treated over the years, eight out of ten eat too fast. It saves a few minutes and ends up taking several months of medicine. It is such a loss.

16. Don’t only eat a certain type of cooking oil for a long time. It’s better to change it. For example, if you eat peanut oil this month, olive oil next month, and sunflower oil the next month, the fatty acid composition of different oils is different. It will be more nutritionally balanced if you switch to it. Don't be superstitious about the "super olive oil" and "confinement oil" marketed by the merchants. They are several times more expensive, but the nutritional value is not much different. It's purely IQ tax.

Finally, let me talk about a few pitfalls that are easy for everyone to step into. These are the questions I am asked the most.

17. Eat less or no dessert after meals, even if it is a "sugar-free cake" advertised by the merchant. Sugar-free cakes only do not add sucrose, but use sugar substitutes. The flour and butter themselves are not low in calories. If you eat too much, you will get fat. Moreover, there are studies showing that long-term consumption of large amounts of sugar substitutes will disrupt the intestinal flora and is not a good health thing.

18. Don’t rely on extreme dieting to lose weight. The kind that makes you feel dizzy and unable to sleep when you lose weight is basically muscle and water loss. It will rebound immediately after returning to normal eating, and it will also damage your metabolism. Regardless of whether it is ketogenic, light fasting or any Internet celebrity weight loss method, you must do it within the range that you can bear. If you feel dizzy all day long, lose hair, or have irregular menstruation during the implementation, stop immediately. What is suitable for others may not be suitable for you.

19. Don’t be superstitious about various Internet celebrity “health foods”, such as quinoa, chia seeds, kale, etc. If you like to eat it, of course there is no problem. If you find it unpalatable and cost-effective, you can completely replace it with ordinary rice, spinach, and sweet potato. The nutrition is not much different, and the price is much cheaper. There is really no need to spend money on "healthy personality".

20. There is no need to feel guilty about meeting the so-called "health standards". It is perfectly fine to eat fried chicken and drink a cup of milk tea once in a while. I myself eat hot pot one day a week, and occasionally drink iced milk tea. Healthy eating is a long-term living habit, not a few days of asceticism. Don’t make healthy eating a psychological burden on yourself, as it goes against the original intention of being healthy.

In fact, after all, healthy eating is never a strict rule. You can do it as you feel comfortable. As long as you stick to the standard most of the time, it is much more effective than sudden diets and supplements.