“Eat light” to avoid misunderstandings and “eat healthily”: How to eat a light diet?

Author: Shen Jianhua, deputy chief nurse, Mianyang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Sichuan Province

Reviewer: Chen Jianhua, Chief Physician, Jinniu District Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province

In daily life, we often hear that we should maintain a light diet, and doctors often tell patients to follow a light diet. However, everyone has a different understanding of what a light diet means. Most patients and their families think that a light diet means only eating porridge. Especially for some patients who have undergone surgery, doctors have told them that they can eat foods containing high-quality protein, such as eggs, chicken, fish, etc., but in the eyes of them and their families, these are "irritants" that are not conducive to wound recovery, so they cannot be eaten.

Today, we will introduce to you how to eat a light diet. A light diet refers to reducing or avoiding the intake of foods high in sugar, fat and salt. From a nutritional point of view, the types of food in a light diet should be diversified, and scientific cooking methods should be used to achieve color, fragrance, taste and shape, and to retain the original taste and nutrients of the food to the greatest extent. "Light" mainly refers to the control of oil, salt and sugar. Condiments such as vinegar, lemon juice and spices are often used in daily cooking, which can not only improve the taste of food, but also partially replace the use of salt and soy sauce, thereby achieving the requirement of salt control.

So, how should we eat a light diet? There are several requirements.

1. Scientific Matching

No single food can provide all the nutrients (i.e., protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, etc.) and energy required by the body. Only by consuming a variety of foods can we meet the requirements of reasonable nutrition. Food is divided into five categories: cereals and tubers, animal foods (such as meat, eggs, milk, etc.), beans and their products, fruits and vegetables, and pure energy foods (such as animal and vegetable oils, starch, edible sugar, and wine, etc.). It is recommended to choose 2 to 4 kinds of food from each category in the daily diet and maintain a balanced intake of various nutrients.

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2. Reasonable eating plan

A reasonable eating plan needs to distribute the daily food to each meal at a fixed time, quantity and quality, so that the nutrients in the food can be fully digested, absorbed and utilized, and ensure that the eating plan is adapted to daily living habits and physical conditions. In general, most people have three meals a day, and the energy distribution of each meal is as follows: breakfast accounts for 25% to 30% of the total energy of the day, lunch accounts for 40% to 45%, and dinner accounts for 30% to 35%. Breakfast replenishes the energy consumed at night and provides the needs of morning activities. You can choose milk, eggs, vegetables, fruits and an appropriate amount of staple food. Before and after lunch are energy consumption periods. In addition to grains, you can also eat foods with more protein and fat. The volume of food consumed at dinner can be similar to that of lunch, but the intake of protein and fat should be reduced. For children and the elderly, due to their weak digestive ability, they can eat less for three meals and add another meal between meals.

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3. Correct cooking method

Through cooking and processing, food can not only have good color, aroma, taste and shape, but also improve the digestibility of food and achieve the purpose of disinfection. From a nutritional point of view, attention should also be paid to minimizing the loss of nutrients during the cooking process. For example, try to use steaming and boiling as much as possible, and use less frying and deep-frying; use less alkali when steaming buns and cooking porridge; vegetables should be washed first, cut, and stir-fried quickly, and thickening, starching, adding vinegar and other methods can be used.

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4. Good eating habits and eating environment

Eat at regular times and in fixed quantities, and do not eat partial or picky food or overeat. The eating environment should be clean, comfortable, and beautiful, and as far away from the working environment and noise as possible, so as to ensure that you can eat easily and happily, and concentrate on eating, which is conducive to the digestion and absorption of food.

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5. Ensure food cleanliness and hygiene

The longer food is stored, the more nutrients it loses. If food is spoiled or contaminated by harmful substances, it may cause acute or chronic poisoning. Therefore, choose fresh, non-toxic and harmless food.

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In short, a light diet does not mean eating only one type of food, but a reasonable nutritional combination. It means eating enough and eating well. It should not only satisfy your appetite, but also ensure good nutritional support.