Nutritional diet folding brochure

Many people gathered together to talk about nutritious diets, and they kept saying things like "we must give up sugar," "we must eat organic," and "how many grams of protein we must eat every day." Some people even got a headache from counting calories, and instead became more and more anxious about eating. In fact, you don’t have to do this at all—— The core of a nutritious diet is never a harsh standard, but a way of eating that adapts to your physical condition, can be sustained for a long time, and meets your daily energy needs without spending extra money or competing with your own appetite.

This is not said out of thin air. Whether it is the general recommendations given by the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" issued by the National Health Commission, or the dietary supplement experience that has been circulated among the people for thousands of years, or even the currently popular Mediterranean diet, light fasting and other dietary methods, they are essentially extended around this core. There is no perfect recipe that is "one size fits all".

Take our most common office workers as an example. They have to work overtime from 9 to 5 every day. When they go out to catch the subway in the morning, they can only grab a steamed bun with coffee. It’s already 7 or 8 o’clock when they get home from get off work in the evening. How can they have the energy to make a fitness meal? There is really no need to force yourself to follow the trend of eating boiled vegetables. When buying soy milk in the morning, add an extra tea egg. When ordering takeout at noon, pick up an extra chopstick of green leafy vegetables. In the afternoon, don’t dig out the potato chips when you are hungry. Instead, use a small apple or a small handful of plain peanuts. With just these few small changes, you can already eat more nutritiously than 80% of people.

In fact, there is no absolute right or wrong in the several dietary controversies that are currently raging on the Internet. For example, should we give up refined sugar completely? Supporters of the sugar control camp say that refined sugar can cause acne, make you fat, and accelerate aging. If you can avoid it, don’t touch it. ； But doctors from the clinical nutrition department will also tell you that if you have just stayed up all night to catch up on a plan, or have just finished running 5 kilometers, a cup of electrolyte water with a small amount of sugar can replenish your energy more quickly than drinking sugar-free water. There is no need to make yourself dizzy because of the obsession with "zero sugar". For example, are whole grains better than polished rice and white flour? Health bloggers shout every day to replace white rice with brown rice and oatmeal, saying that slow blood sugar raising is healthier, but veteran experts in gastroenterology also specifically advise that the elderly with weak spleens and stomachs, and patients who have just undergone surgery, eat soft white porridge and white noodles for better absorption. Blindly eating whole grains will easily increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, which is not worth the gain.

I have been through a similar pitfall before. Last year I followed the trend and ate cold light food for half a month. I only squeezed in a little salad dressing. As a result, my face became sallow and I struggled to squat in the toilet. Later, I asked a nutritionist friend and found out that I have a cold constitution. I eat cold salads every day and my iron and protein intake are not keeping up at all. Is there something wrong? Later, I adjusted to eating a fistful of hot rice, a palmful of fish or chicken, and two plates of green vegetables at noon every day. On weekends, I can also go out with friends to have a hot pot meal and a cup of milk tea. After more than half a year of persistence, my weight has stabilized, and I am not so sleepy that I can't open my eyes until 3 p.m. at work.

It was interesting to accompany my mother for a physical examination a while ago. She heard from a neighbor that drinking multigrain porridge can lower blood sugar. After drinking it for half a month, her blood sugar did not drop, and she suffered from acid reflux every day. Later, the nutritionist adjusted the diet plan: half a bowl of multigrain porridge with a small piece of soy beef and half a white steamed bun every morning, a normal punch of rice at noon, more vegetables and less porridge in the evening, and allowed her to eat her favorite sweet and sour pork ribs once a week. After adjusting like this for a month, I went for a review. My blood sugar was very stable and my stomach no longer hurt.

You see, there are no iron rules that must be followed. Nutritious eating is a very personal matter. You don’t need to compare with others whether what you eat is “high-end” enough, and you don’t need to feel guilty just because you eat junk food once in a while. Just pay more attention to three feelings when eating: first, will you feel comfortable after eating, will you not be bloated, not have acid reflux, and will you not feel hungry in half an hour? ； The second is whether you are energetic enough at ordinary times and will not be inexplicably irritable or drowsy in the afternoon. ； Third, the basic indicators such as weight and defecation are stable and will not rise and fall suddenly. If these three points are met, even if you drink two cups of milk tea and have barbecue once a week, there will be no problem at all.

Oh, by the way, don’t believe those “superfood” merchants who are fooling you. Acai berry powder, chia seeds, and quinoa are extremely expensive, but their nutritional value is actually not much different from the blueberries, sesame seeds, and sweet potatoes sold in the market downstairs. If you have wasted money, it is better to buy two more pounds of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, which are better than any supplements.

Just keep this folded page in your bag. Take it out and take a quick look at it next time you are confused about what to eat. Don’t compete with yourself. Eat well, drink well, and be comfortable are more important than anything else.