Light diet = drinking porridge? The "light diet" mentioned by the doctor turned out to be... wrong all along

Experts in this article:

Hu Houxiang, Chief Physician, Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Professor, Doctor of Medicine, Master Supervisor

Tan Xin, Master's student at North Sichuan Medical College

If there is anything that can be compared with "drink more hot water" as a universal phrase, it must be this one - "eat light food"!

Have a cold? Eat light food~

Stomach discomfort? Eat light food~

Just recovered from a serious illness? Eat light food!

Whether you have a cold, or other diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, obesity, fatty liver, gastric ulcer, etc., a question is often asked when consulting a doctor - what should you pay attention to in your diet?

The doctor’s answer is almost always: eat light food.

Therefore, drinking plain porridge, boiled vegetables, and less oil and salt became the standard of "sick meals", and many people even believed that light taste means light diet.

In fact, it is not as simple as you think. If you want to be light, healthy and reasonable, you need to meet many requirements. Do you have paper and pen ready? Let's talk!

How to reasonably match nutrients?

A healthy diet requires a reasonable combination of various nutrients.

Refer to the 2016 edition of the Chinese Dietary Pagoda or the 2017 Chinese Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake:

carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are the staple food for most people and the main source of energy.

The recommended reference intake of dietary carbohydrates is 50-65% of total energy intake.

Depending on the amount of activity, the daily intake of cereals, potatoes and beans should reach 250 to 400 grams.

Fatty foods

Fatty foods are generally not consumed alone. The amount of fat needed to meet the human body is very low. Even to supply fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids and ensure the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, the amount of fat required is not much.

Fatty foods mainly refer to the oil used in the cooking process, which should be controlled within 25 to 30 grams.

Protein foods

Protein foods are divided into plant protein and animal protein.

The intake of animal protein from poultry, livestock and aquatic products is 40 to 75 grams.

Eggs are 40~50 grams (approximately the weight of an egg).

300 grams of milk and dairy products per day.

Nuts, soybeans, etc. are high-quality plant protein providers and should be consumed at 25 to 35 grams per day.

Vegetables and Fruits

Vegetables and fruits contain dietary fiber and carbohydrates. Some fruits are high in carbohydrates, and eating too much will lead to carbohydrate excess.

Vegetables are 300~500 grams, and fruits are 200~350 grams.

Note: The guideline standard is the recommended daily diet for an adult weighing 60 kg who exercises at a moderate intensity. Each person can make adjustments based on their own circumstances.

In addition, there is the intake of macro-elements and trace elements of minerals, vitamins, etc.

How to use "oil"?

The taste of ingredients depends to a large extent on the use of oil. Foods that use more oil have a better taste and a stronger aroma, but they are high in calories.

When you consume too much in a short period of time, exceeding the body's energy needs at that time, this excess energy will be deposited and accumulate as fat. Gradually, obesity and its related metabolic diseases will come knocking one after another.

It is recommended that the daily intake of cooking oil per person should be controlled within 25-30 grams (about 2-3 porcelain spoons).

How to eat “salt”?

As we all know, excessive salt intake will not only cause high blood pressure, but also increase the burden on the kidneys and affect the body's electrolyte balance.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults should not consume more than 6 grams of salt per day. A simple calculation shows that a family of three can use a 500-gram bag of salt for about 28 days.

In the specific cooking process, in addition to the refined salt used, you also need to pay attention to the salt contained in the food itself.

For example, some canned foods, bacon, salted eggs, and sausages have a lot of salt added during the production process. In the subsequent cooking process, you should take this part of the salt into consideration and reduce the extra addition.

In addition, soy sauce and bean paste in seasonings also contain a lot of salt, so when using them, try to use them as a substitute for salt instead of using them as a separate seasoning.

How to add sugar?

This mainly refers to the addition of white sugar, granulated sugar, rock sugar in cooking, as well as the added sugar in beverages.

The World Health Organization recommends that the intake of added sugars for adults and children should be kept below 50 grams per person, and preferably not more than 25 grams (about two spoons).

A large amount of sugar intake will stimulate a rapid rise in insulin levels and promote the synthesis of glycogen in the body into fat. It can be simply understood that if the amount of sugar ingested into the body exceeds the amount required by the human body and the amount of short-term reserves, the excess sugar can be converted into fat with almost no hindrance, which will be directly reflected in the change of weight.

How much spicy food should you eat?

Human taste buds cannot sense spicy taste. The so-called "spicy taste" is actually a sense of pain, a stimulation to the surface of the human body from the mouth to the digestive tract.

Too spicy food can stimulate the digestive system, causing a series of problems such as ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, and affecting normal metabolism.

Of course, the so-called "spicy" includes not only chili peppers, but also peppercorns, pepper, and ginger, which are all spicy condiments.

How to cook rice?

Traditional cooking methods, such as steaming, boiling, stewing, mixing, and blanching, all use water as a medium for heating, which helps control the use and intake of oil. Try to avoid deep-frying, pan-frying, and smoking, as the former is high in oil and the latter is high in salt.

Do I have to eat according to the standards?

The nutrient requirements are not absolute, and the nutrient combinations vary for different patients.

Patients with diabetes and obesity should limit their total calorie intake, especially effectively control their intake of carbohydrates and sugar.

A low-salt diet is suitable for patients with salt-sensitive hypertension and congestive heart failure.

A low-fat diet is suitable for patients with hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver and coronary heart disease.

People with gastric ulcers and anorectal diseases need to avoid irritating foods and drinks.

A high-calorie diet should be provided to patients with high energy consumption, such as hyperthyroidism, tuberculosis, large-area burns, hepatitis, and postpartum women.

A high-protein diet is needed for patients with high metabolic diseases such as burns, tuberculosis, malignant tumors, anemia, hyperthyroidism, and after major surgery.

Patients with acute nephritis, uremia, hepatic coma, etc. who need to restrict protein intake should be given a low-protein diet.

In short, a light diet does not mean becoming a vegetarian, but reducing the intake of salt, oil, and sugar while first meeting current nutritional needs, so as to maintain a balanced and harmonious state of the body.