If you only eat steamed bread and rice as your staple food, you will lose a lot! These 5 kinds are the "nutrition champions" among staple foods

This article was reviewed by Pa Li Ze, chief physician of nutrition, member of the Science Popularization Committee of the Chinese Nutrition Society

In the past, staple foods were the main focus on our dining table.

In recent years, the status of this protagonist has been gradually shaken. For example, people should eat less staple food for dinner, eat less staple food for weight loss, and eat less staple food for diabetes...

But there is a rumor that gradually increasing carbohydrate intake after the age of 50 can reduce mortality. Is this true?

Not eating staple food is very harmful to health

The human body has two organs, and its main source of energy is staple food.

One is the brain. The activity of brain cells requires blood sugar, which is actually carbohydrates, which come from staple foods. Staple foods usually refer to cereals and tubers rich in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the human body and can be digested and absorbed most quickly, converted into glucose that enters the blood for use by the brain and muscles.

If you don't eat staple food or eat too little, your blood sugar will be too low, your brain will react slowly, you will feel less focused, and you will feel sleepy. This is the main reaction of the body's lack of glycogen. In addition, muscle contraction also generates energy through muscle glycogen, which allows the muscles to contract.

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If the body lacks staple foods for a long time, it will inevitably lead to disharmony in overall functions and even damage to some organs.

Staple food is indispensable, middle-aged and elderly people should eat more staple food

In fact, the gastrointestinal tract of middle-aged and elderly people is relatively weak, and carbohydrates are relatively easy to absorb. If they eat meat and oil, fat metabolism is relatively slow for the elderly. The increase in blood lipids and blood pressure is also related to eating too much oil and meat, so the elderly should eat more staple foods of carbohydrates that are easy to digest and absorb.

In fact, both domestic and foreign studies have found that it is very difficult to make people overweight and obese if they only eat staple foods. The "culprit" is that we now eat a lot of meat and oil, and consume too much fat. The Chinese Nutrition Society has always advocated that we must control the intake of meat, animal oil, and vegetable oil, and that a balanced diet is essential for the intake of staple foods.

What is the appropriate amount of staple food for middle-aged and elderly people?

The intake of staple foods varies from person to person.

Young people: It is recommended to eat at least 150 to 250 grams of staple food every day, and at least 50 grams of staple food in one meal.

Elderly people: The gastrointestinal function of the elderly is declining, so they prefer to eat porridge. It is recommended that a bowl of porridge of about 200 ml is best paired with some staple food, such as steamed buns or cakes, a combination of dry and liquid foods, which will make it very comfortable to eat.

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Tips

There is actually a lot of skill in choosing the staple food.

The disadvantage of white rice and white flour is that they mainly contain starch, and the content of vitamins and dietary fiber is very low. At the same time, white rice and white flour taste good and are easy to digest, but they are not good for keeping hungry. Therefore, it is recommended that you eat coarse and fine grains together, replace some staple foods such as refined rice and white flour, and eat as much coarse grains and beans as possible.

Protein champion among staple foods: oats

The protein content in oats is the highest among all cereals, and its amino acid composition and digestion and absorption rate are also high. In addition to this advantage, oats are also rich in beta-glucan, which has the function of regulating blood sugar and blood lipids.

Oats can be used to make porridge or oatmeal.

Note: Many products on the market claiming to be nutritious cereals contain very low proportions of oats and have limited health benefits.

When purchasing, you can look at the ingredient list. If it contains substances such as non-dairy creamer, flavors, etc., don’t choose it.

Carotene champion among staple foods: sweet potatoes

Carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the human body, which can protect eyesight, prevent night blindness, prevent dry skin and enhance human immunity. Among starchy foods, sweet potatoes have the highest carotene content, reaching 750 micrograms per 100 grams.

Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber, which cannot be digested and absorbed by us. It can hinder the absorption of sugar and fat in the intestines, which is good for controlling blood sugar. It is also rich in minerals, which is also good for controlling blood pressure.

Compared with rice and flour, the starch content in sweet potatoes is relatively low. Diabetics can eat potatoes instead of staple foods.

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Note: When eating sweet potatoes, you should also pair them with protein, meat, eggs, beans, and vegetables, so that the diet is more balanced and more nutritious.

The recommended daily intake of potatoes is 50 to 150 grams. Excessive intake will cause bloating and acid reflux. People with weak digestive function should control the amount. The starch in raw sweet potatoes is difficult to digest, so they must be steamed or baked.

The dietary fiber champion among staple foods: buckwheat

Dietary fiber has the functions of preventing constipation and protecting the intestines.

The Chinese Food Composition Table shows that every 100 grams of buckwheat with skin contains 13.3 grams of dietary fiber, while rice contains only 0.7 grams. The unique ingredients in buckwheat, such as rutin and quercetin, can help regulate blood sugar after a meal.

The calcium champion among staple foods: kidney beans

Data shows that every 100 grams of skinned kidney beans contains 349 mg of calcium, nearly twice that of soybeans.

Vitamin C champion among staple foods: potatoes

Vitamin C has multiple physiological functions, such as anti-oxidation, increasing human immunity, improving the utilization of iron, calcium and folic acid, etc.

The vitamin C content of potatoes is 27 mg per 100 grams, which is higher than most root vegetables, fresh beans and nightshade vegetables. In addition, potato foods are rich in starch, which can protect the vitamin C in them.

Source: Health Times

Author: Wang Lei, deputy chief physician, Department of Nutrition, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine

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