National Nutrition Week | Common food nutrition rankings

"Food is the most important thing for people." Eating is not only the most basic behavior to maintain life, but eating scientifically and reasonably can maintain good nutrition, prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases, and make the health state more lasting.

Essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals are vital to human health. Based on the Chinese Food Composition Table, this article arranges the main nutrients of common foods in life and obtains the top 20 foods in terms of various nutrient contents.

1. Protein

Protein is an important substance necessary for human life activities and helps in the formation and repair of tissues. It mainly comes from meat, eggs, seafood and nuts.

Table 1 Ranking of common foods rich in protein (in terms of edible portion per 100g)

2. Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps maintain dark vision, skin and mucous membrane health, and the normal physiological function of the immune system. It is mainly derived from animal and plant foods.

Table 2 Ranking of common foods rich in vitamin A (in edible portion per 100g)

3. Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is an indispensable component in energy metabolism and helps maintain the normal physiological function of the nervous system. It is rich in the outer skin of grains and is also found in animal and plant foods.

Table 3 Ranking of common foods rich in vitamin B1 (in edible portion per 100g)

4. Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 helps maintain the health of the skin and mucous membranes and is an indispensable component in energy metabolism.

Table 4 Ranking of common foods rich in vitamin B2 (in edible portion per 100g)

5. Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps maintain healthy skin and mucous membranes, bones and gums, and promotes iron absorption. At the same time, vitamin C helps maintain the normal physiological function of the immune system. It is mainly derived from vegetables and fruits.

Table 5 Ranking of common foods rich in vitamin C (in edible portion per 100g)

6. Vitamin E

Vitamin E has an antioxidant effect. It is mainly based on plant foods, such as almost all dark green leafy vegetables. In addition, nuts are also very important sources of vitamin E.

Table 6 Ranking of common foods rich in vitamin E (in terms of edible content per 100g)

7. Calcium

Calcium is the main component of human bones and teeth, which can maintain bone density and normal neuromuscular function. It is mainly derived from dairy products, soybeans and their products, green leafy vegetables and aquatic products.

Table 7 Ranking of common foods rich in calcium (calculated in edible portion per 100g)

8. Iron

Iron is an important component for the formation of red blood cells. It is mainly derived from animal liver, animal blood and red meat.

Table 8 Ranking of common foods rich in iron (in edible portion per 100g)

9. Zinc

Zinc is an essential element for children's growth and development, and helps maintain the normal physiological function of the immune system. It helps improve appetite and maintain skin health.

Table 9 List of common foods rich in zinc (in edible portion per 100g)

Author: Lu Ying, Wang Zhu, Yang Yuexin | Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention