Wrong "light diet" may lead to dementia! What doctors mean by "light diet" is actually...

I believe everyone is familiar with this scene in the hospital.

Feeling unwell? You need to eat light food

Sick? You need to eat light food

Recovering from a serious illness? You need to eat a light diet

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Many people firmly believe in the benefits of a light diet, because they usually eat a lot of meat and fish, which leads to illness. Therefore, many people mistakenly go to the other extreme. They think that the so-called "light diet" means not eating a drop of oil and only eating vegetarian food. After persisting for several years, not only did their health not improve, but they became sick.

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Seeing this, I can't help but ask. What exactly does the doctor mean by "light diet"? Should everyone stick to "light diet"? I must make it clear today...

Does “light diet” mean being a vegetarian?

What we hear most often is that doctors always advise "pay attention to a light diet."

In fact, protein, fat, sugar, inorganic salts, water, vitamins and dietary fiber are the seven basic nutrients for the human body, and none of them can be missing . The lack of any one of them will lead to nutritional imbalance in the body.

What doctors mean by "light diet" is controlling the intake of oil, salt and sugar while ensuring adequate and balanced nutrition, not just eating vegetarian food.

Because meat can provide nutrients such as protein and fat, which are also indispensable.

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Wrong "light diet"

What are the hazards?

We know that protein is the basic substance of life. Among the 20 amino acids that synthesize protein, 8 are not synthesized by the human body and can only be supplied by food.

However, plant cells not only have low protein content, but the cells are also tightly wrapped by cell walls, so plant cell protein is not easily absorbed by the human body.

However, animal protein foods contain various amino acids essential to the human body and are rich in nutrients and easily absorbed, which is far inferior to plant protein foods.

Therefore, if you eat vegetarian food for a long time, it will lead to symptoms such as weakness, powerlessness, pale complexion, fatigue, lack of concentration, and memory loss .

Severe nutritional deficiencies may cause problems such as stones, osteoporosis, and may even lead to dementia .

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In addition, long-term vegetarianism can easily lead to abnormal fat transport, causing fat to accumulate in the liver and causing fatty liver .

Most vegetarians get their food from beans and grains, and the protein in them will hinder the absorption of iron. Iron deficiency can lead to hemoglobin deficiency, which may cause anemia .

Because the amount of oxygen absorbed by the blood is greatly reduced, the myocardium's oxygen demand is obviously insufficient. The heart increases its workload, causing the myocardial oxygen consumption to rise sharply. Eventually the heart is overwhelmed and induces angina pectoris .

A real light diet

What is it like?

The basic meaning of a light diet is low in salt, fat, spiciness, cholesterol and refined sugar.

1. Meat and vegetable combination

One problem with being a complete vegetarian is that it is easy to lack protein. Vegetarian foods, except for beans, have relatively low protein content and low nutritional value. Meat foods, on the other hand, are rich in protein and fat.

2. Control the intake of oil, salt and sugar

Oil : Fried foods do taste better, but it is easy to cause excessive fat content, and frying will lead to the loss of nutrients. The daily oil intake of adults should be controlled at 25-30 grams.

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Salt : In addition to the salt in the dishes, some snacks, pickled mustard, ketchup, etc. contain salt, so you will unknowingly consume a lot of salt. The daily salt intake of adults should not exceed 6 grams.

Sugar : Excessive intake of sugar will affect sugar metabolism. Children and the elderly have weak metabolic functions and should stick to low sugar. Adults should control their daily intake of added sugar to less than 25 grams.

3. Diversification

No single food can provide all nutrients. It is recommended to consume a variety of foods such as cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, milk, and aquatic products every day.

Everyone should eat a light diet

?

No. A bland diet is not static, but needs to be adjusted according to different subjects, especially special groups of people.

The National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030) points out that the proportion of malnourished people in my country is still large, especially children and the elderly; the obesity problem is serious, with an overweight rate of 34.1%, which exceeds the world average.

1. Children

Children's intake of sugar and animal food is high, and the lack of trace elements is an important cause of many diseases in children.

Therefore, children should limit carbohydrates and eat appropriate amounts of foods rich in trace elements while ensuring protein, milk, fruits and vegetables.

Zinc is beneficial to brain development, so you can choose foods rich in zinc such as fish and beans; iodine deficiency leads to slow growth and intellectual disability, so you can choose foods rich in iodine such as kelp and seaweed.

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2. Elderly

The elderly should pay attention to dietary diversification, control salt and sugar intake, eat high-quality proteins such as fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat regularly, and ensure the intake of vegetables and fruits, especially berries, which are rich in anthocyanins, which are good antioxidants.

3. People who often sit in the office

For those who sit for long periods of time indoors, they should ensure that they have three meals a day and take appropriate supplements of nuts, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc.

In summary

A light diet does not mean only being a vegetarian

But on the premise of adequate and balanced nutrition

Control the intake of oil, salt and sugar

so

Meat should be eaten

Balanced nutrition for good health

Author: Zhang Chi, lecturer in food science and engineering at Beijing Technology and Business University

Source: Science Popularization China

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