Ten principles of healthy eating

Eat a variety of foods, give priority to whole grains, eat a balanced diet, eat more fruits and vegetables, an appropriate amount of fish and poultry, less salt and less oil, control sugar and alcohol, eat regularly, drink enough water, and cook hygienically. Next, based on my 6 years of practical experience in public nutrition guidance and helping hundreds of families adjust their diet, I will explain to you the pitfalls of each principle, the controversial points of different schools, and the practices that ordinary people can copy directly.

Don’t think that having a variety of food means buying delicacies every day. Last week I met a young programmer from an Internet company who ordered braised chicken and rice with iced Coke every day. He ate no more than 5 kinds of ingredients a week. The degree of hair loss at the age of 27 was more exaggerated than that of a 40-year-old programmer. Here is another controversial point in the industry: Ketogenic diet enthusiasts have always claimed that "as long as you eat enough fat and protein, a single ingredient can meet nutritional needs." However, it should be noted that this model is only suitable for short-term weight management. Multiple clinical tracking data at home and abroad show that the risk of trace element deficiency in people who adhere to ketosis for a long time is 37% higher than that of people who eat ordinary diets. Ordinary people really do not need to take this risk. I usually cook white rice and sprinkle a handful of mixed beans on it, stir-fry green vegetables, throw in a few mushrooms, and cut half a carrot. It’s easy to get enough ingredients. It’s not as complicated as you think.

When it comes to gathering ingredients, the first thing many people can replace is staple food, which is what we call giving priority to whole grains. Don’t listen to those extreme claims that “whole grains have lower glycemic content, so you should eat 100% whole grains every meal.” I once had a client with chronic gastritis who ate brown rice every meal after hearing this. After half a month of eating, he suffered from stomachache and ended up in the hospital. For the elderly and children with weak spleen and stomach, and people with diseases such as peptic ulcer, whole grains should be enough to account for 1/3 to half of the staple food, so there is no need to carry them hard and hurt the stomach. Different schools of thought differ on this point: The low-carb diet party advocates the complete elimination of grain intake, while the Mediterranean diet requires whole grains to account for at least half of the staple food. In fact, the core depends on your own body's reaction - if you feel sleepy after eating white rice and your blood sugar fluctuates greatly, add more whole grains; if you eat whole grains, you will suffer from bloating and acid reflux; there is no shame in eating polished rice. What suits you is the best.

In fact, after all is said and done, what you eat must ultimately match your consumption. This is the core of a balanced diet. Don't use a calculator to calculate your basal metabolism every day, and keep your calories in the right place. I have seen a girl who just went to college strictly eat 1,200 calories a day and run 5 kilometers. In the end, her aunt ran away to raise her for more than half a year before she came back. Here is a point that many people overlook: people who work hard and work out to gain muscle really do not need to deliberately control their staple food. You will not gain weight if you carry cement on the construction site for 8 hours every day and eat white steamed buns every meal. Instead, you need to eat more to replenish energy. If you sit in the office for 8 hours a day and fish, then you really need to eat less milk tea and cakes. Seeking truth from facts is more effective than any health theory.

After talking about staple foods and calories, let’s talk about the fruits and vegetables that everyone is most likely to lack. Don't believe the nonsense that "eat less fruit because it contains high sugar content". Unless you are a diabetic and need to strictly control sugar, ordinary adults will not gain weight at all if they eat half a catty to one catty of fresh fruit every day. Oh, yes, there are different opinions here: Vegans advocate that fruits and vegetables should account for more than 70% of the diet, while high-protein diet enthusiasts believe that too high a proportion of fruits and vegetables will affect protein absorption. In fact, ordinary people eat enough to eat 1 catty of vegetables and half a catty of fruits every day, no matter who you are There is no wrong diet pattern. Just be careful not to mistake dried fruits and candied fruits as fruits. They have more than ten times more sugar than fresh fruits. Last time, a mother said that her child should eat dried strawberries every day to supplement vitamins. As a result, the 3-year-old child developed 4 cavities. It was really unfair.

After eating enough fruits and vegetables, protein must also keep up. This is what we mean by appropriate amounts of fish and poultry. Don’t listen to those extreme remarks that “red meat causes cancer, so you should avoid eating it completely”, and don’t eat braised pork belly all the time. Eat deep-sea fish 2 to 3 times a week, about 100 grams each time. Eat 300 to 500 grams of red meat such as pork, beef, and sheep every week, which fully meets the nutritional standards. Oh, yes, bodybuilders don’t have to eat boiled chicken breasts all the time. I have a client who is trying to gain muscle after eating boiled chicken breasts for three months in a row, but finally felt sick when he saw the chicken. In fact, steamed sea bass, stewed ribs, braised lean beef, as long as they are not deep-fried with heavy oil and salt, are all sources of high-quality protein, and are much easier to persevere than chewing on tasteless chicken breasts.

When it comes to cooking, many people’s secret to delicious cooking is to add more oil and more salt. This is also the pitfall we should avoid when talking about less salt and less oil. The WHO recommends no more than 5 grams of salt and no more than 25 grams of oil per day. Many people think that cooking according to this standard is tasteless. In fact, you can use seasonings such as onions, ginger, garlic, lemon, herbs, and black pepper to enhance the flavor. You don’t have to rely on salt and oil to add flavor. Oh, yes, some people here take the Sichuan and Chongqing region as an example: "My grandfather ate spicy hot pot with high salt and oil all his life, and he lived to be over 90." You have to pay attention to the fact that the high salt and high oil in people's homes are consistent with the local humid climate and the previous lifestyle of heavy physical labor and sweating. If you sit still in an air-conditioned room every day and eat hot pot and vegetables every day, you will definitely have high blood pressure and high blood lipids earlier than others. Don't take individual cases as a general rule.

The pitfalls more invisible than high salt and high oil are added sugar and alcohol, which is the core of sugar control and alcohol restriction. Don’t believe the marketing rhetoric that “drinking red wine in moderation softens blood vessels.” The authoritative medical journal “The Lancet” has long made it clear that the safe intake of alcohol is 0. Whether it is red wine, white wine, or beer, don’t drink it if you can. For added sugar, it is best not to exceed 25 grams per day, which is about the amount of half a bottle of Coke. When buying milk tea, choose 30% sugar or no sugar. Cake and snacks can only be eaten once in a while, but not as afternoon tea every day. Oh, yes, some people here also say, "Live to be happy and eat what you want." Of course there is no problem, but you have to know that if you feel good now, when you get diabetes and gout in the future, you will suffer the pain yourself. Just balance immediate happiness and long-term health, and you don't have to go to extremes.

Choosing the right things to eat and when to eat are also important, which is what we call regular meals. Don’t believe in the metaphysical saying that “not eating after noon will help you live longer.” I have a client who works as an administrator and did not eat after noon for half a year. His physical examination revealed gallstones. It’s really not worth the loss. Ordinary people eat three meals a day regularly. If you are hungry, you can add some fruits and plain nuts as snacks. Don’t starve yourself to the last meal, and don’t stay up until two or three o’clock every day and eat heavy midnight snacks. Gastrointestinal comfort is better than any health gimmick. If you are a nurse or an online ride-hailing driver who works night shifts all year round, just adjust your meal time according to your schedule. There is no need to stick to the rigid rule of "breakfast must be eaten at 7 o'clock". The core of the rule is to conform to your own biological clock, not to align with other people's schedules.

Once you have a regular meal routine, don’t neglect drinking water. Drinking enough water is easy to say, but many people can’t do it. Adult men drink 1,700 ml and women 1,500 ml per day, which is about the amount of 8 ordinary paper cups. Don't use milk tea or carbonated drinks instead of water, and don't wait until you are extremely thirsty before drinking. I usually put a 1.5-liter cup on the table at work and drink two sips every hour of work. I just finish it after get off work, so I don't have to remember it at all. Oh, yes, there is also controversy here: some people say that you must drink 8 glasses of water every day, and some say that drinking too much will cause water poisoning. In fact, the key point is to look at the color of your urine. If it is transparent or light yellow, it means you have drunk enough. If it is dark yellow like strong tea, drink two more sips quickly. Don’t embarrass yourself with hard numbers.

Finally, let’s talk about a point that many people don’t care about but is very important: hygienic cooking. Don't think that "you won't get sick if you eat it uncleanly". Separate the raw and cooked cutting boards, cook the meat thoroughly, do not keep leftovers in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours, and reheat them thoroughly before eating. Don't eat cold dishes that have been left overnight in the summer. It is easy to breed bacteria and cause diarrhea. I had a friend who ate leftover cucumbers from the previous day in the summer. He suffered from vomiting and diarrhea and was hospitalized for two days. He spent several thousand in medical expenses. He really couldn't afford it. Oh, yes, some people say, "It's okay for the older generation to eat leftovers all their lives." That's because in the past, supplies were scarce and they couldn't help it, but now they have the conditions to eat fresh food, which is better for their health.

In fact, having said so much, you don’t have to be stuck on every item. After all, when we ordinary people eat, we must first eat happily, and then try our best to rely on these principles. You don’t need to make yourself eat as if you are completing KPIs for the sake of health, which will be more gain than loss. If you can't remember so much, just remember a common saying I often tell my clients: Eat a little of everything, don't eat too much of anything, and move about as much as you eat, you will be healthier than 90% of people.