Chapter 18: Balanced Diet: The Wisdom of Nourishing with Grains and Limiting Fatty and Sweet Foods

(a) The variety of food is complete and appropriate.

The Inner Canon states that "grains nourish, fruits assist, livestock benefit, and vegetables replenish," meaning that grains, fruits, animal foods, and vegetables are the main components of food, thus providing a complete range of food types.

Grains are the staple food, vegetables and animal products are the side dishes, and fruits are a supplement, thus the proportion of different types of food is appropriate.

The traditional Chinese medicine principle of "a complete and appropriate variety of foods" is consistent with the spirit of the "four cornerstones of health" and "balanced diet" advocated by the World Health Organization, and people should pay attention to following this principle.

1. Nutritional understanding of "grains, fruits, meat, and vegetables"

(1) Understanding of cereal grains: Nutritionists believe that cereal grains are the food with the highest carbohydrate content (sugars), which is the main source of heat for the body. They are also an important source of plant protein and B vitamins, as well as a certain amount of dietary fiber and vitamin E.

Traditionally, food in my country is divided into two categories: staple food and non-staple food, forming a food structure with grains as the staple food.

The concept of "grains as the staple food" in traditional Chinese food structure is specifically reflected in the following: staple foods are the mainstay, while attention is paid to the reasonable combination of whole grains and refined grains.

(2) Understanding of dried and fresh fruits: Nutritionists believe that dried and fresh fruits contain nutrients such as sugars, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber needed by the human body. Some of these nutrients are unique to dried fruits and are not found in other foods, making them irreplaceable.

The concept of "five fruits as an aid" in the traditional Chinese diet means that, on the basis of staple grains and supplementary vegetables and animal foods, some fruits are consumed in moderation to absorb trace elements and vitamins.

However, fruits should not be consumed in excess. Each serving should be small, and different fruits should be eaten frequently to ensure a variety of fruits in small quantities.

(3) Understanding of animal foods: Nutritionists believe that animal foods such as livestock, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk not only contain rich protein, fat, inorganic salts and vitamins, but also have high-quality protein.

In my country's traditional diet, animal-based foods are classified as side dishes.

The concept of "five kinds of animals are beneficial" in the traditional Chinese food structure means that, on the basis of grains as the staple food and vegetables as the side dish, eating some animal foods appropriately can make a person's essence and blood abundant, their body strong, and their physical strength plentiful.

However, it is essential to avoid overconsumption of animal products and to ensure that the intake does not exceed human needs.

The human body's energy requirements are closely related to its energy consumption, and the nutritional benefits of animal foods should be balanced between energy supply and energy consumption.

(4) Understanding of vegetables: Nutritionists believe that vegetables mainly provide the human body with rich vitamins, dietary fiber and various minerals.

In times of grain shortage, vegetables could serve as a substitute for food to stave off hunger.

However, in today's society, young and middle-aged women eat too much vegetables in order to lose weight, and the elderly eat too much vegetables in order to live a long and healthy life. They even make vegetables their staple food and eat less grains and no animal food. This often leads to insufficient energy and malnutrition.

In my country's traditional food structure, vegetables are classified as a side dish.

The concept of "five vegetables as a staple" in traditional Chinese diet means that grains are the main component of the diet, while vegetables are the supplement. This can fill the stomach and intestines, create a feeling of fullness, and eliminate hunger.

From a nutritional perspective, this structure can basically meet people's survival needs, but it still has an impact on people's physique and physical strength. When the body consumes a large amount of energy, this impact is more obvious.

2. Dietary Guidelines and the advice to "eat less fatty and sweet foods"

(1) Dietary Guidelines and Food Pyramid: In May 2016, the former National Health and Family Planning Commission released the Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2016) and the Chinese Balanced Diet Pyramid (2016).

The new edition, the fourth edition of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" and the "Chinese Balanced Diet Pagoda," not only introduces new concepts such as "balanced diet and physical activity for a healthy weight" and "eliminating waste and promoting new dietary trends," but also focuses on providing many core recommendations for generally healthy people based on the second edition in 1997 and the third edition in 2007: a diverse diet with grains as the staple; more vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and soybeans; moderate consumption of fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat; less salt and oil, and control sugar and limit alcohol. The content is comprehensive and detailed, and is basically consistent with the requirements of the "Huangdi Neijing" and traditional Chinese dietary habits.

Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents and the Chinese Balanced Diet Pyramid

The first edition of "my country's Dietary Guidelines" was formulated and published by the Chinese Nutrition Society in 1989. It consists of eight articles, namely, a variety of foods, appropriate hunger and satiety, moderate oil intake, a combination of whole grains and refined grains, limited salt intake, less sweets, moderation in alcohol consumption, and a reasonable three meals a day.

The second edition of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" was developed and published in 1997 by the Chinese Nutrition Society and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, commissioned by the Ministry of Health. At the same time, the "Chinese Balanced Diet Pagoda" was published for the first time.

Compared with the first edition of the dietary guidelines, the new guidelines emphasize "frequent consumption of dairy products, beans or their products" to make up for the serious deficiency of calcium intake in the diet of Chinese residents.

The third edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents: In 2007, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, the Chinese Nutrition Society revised and the Ministry of Health released the third edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents and the Balanced Diet Pagoda for Chinese Residents.

Compared to the second edition, the new guidelines add the importance of drinking enough water every day, making wise choices about beverages, and emphasizing the need to increase physical activity, reduce cooking oil, and choose snacks wisely. The new food pyramid also includes images of water intake and physical activity, and adds limits on salt intake on the fifth level of the food pyramid.

(2) Eat less fatty and sweet foods and mainly vegetarian food: People should eat less fatty and sweet foods and mainly vegetarian food in their daily diet.

1) Eat less fatty and sweet foods and mainly vegetarian food, which is consistent with the traditional and healthy dietary structure.

The Suwen (Plain Questions) states in its chapters on "The Vital Energy Connecting Heaven," "Strange Diseases," and "Comprehensive Assessment of Deficiency and Excess" that "the effects of sorghum (rich and fatty foods) can cause large boils (i.e., sores and carbuncles) on the feet," "fat causes internal heat, and sweet foods cause fullness in the middle of the body, so the qi overflows upwards and turns into thirst (similar to type 2 diabetes)," "itching (like type 2 diabetes), falls (like stroke), hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body)...the diseases of fat and rich people are caused by sorghum."

It is advised to eat less fatty, sweet, and rich foods in daily diet to avoid damaging the spleen and stomach, causing excessive phlegm and dampness, excessive internal heat, and thus making one prone to sores, boils, obesity, and other diseases.

2) Eat less fatty and sweet foods and mainly vegetarian food, which is in line with the current social and clinical realities.

Over the past two or three decades, along with China's economic boom and the growth of personal income, the dietary structure of Chinese people has also undergone tremendous changes. In particular, scientific and traditional eating habits have been gradually abandoned, which is an important reason for the rapid obesity, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and gastrointestinal and other digestive system diseases among Chinese people.

Numerous surveys have confirmed that most people in China are now consuming more meat and dairy products, and are eating more and more high-oil, high-sugar, and high-fat foods.

Correspondingly, there have been significant changes in the disease spectrum. Not only are gastrointestinal diseases highly prevalent, but the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic diseases, which were previously very low, has been increasing year by year in recent years. These diseases are not only among the top-ranked diseases in the new disease spectrum, but they also affect our quality of life and lifespan.

3) Eating less fatty and sweet foods and mainly vegetarian food is beneficial for health preservation, recovery, and longevity.

Eat less fatty and sweet foods, that is, eat less fatty and oily animal foods and less sweet foods.

A vegetarian diet is not the same as being a "vegetarian," and certainly not a "strict vegetarian." The specific requirements are to reduce meat consumption, ensure adequate intake of fruits and vegetables, increase consumption of soy and dairy products, and maintain a stable diet of grains.

A balanced diet with a variety of foods, avoiding fatty and sweet foods and focusing on vegetarian options, ensures a reasonable food combination that provides the body with a variety of nutrients to meet the needs of life activities. It also helps prevent and treat gastrointestinal diseases, promotes their recovery, and helps prevent the "three highs" ("four highs"), sub-health conditions, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, while promoting the recovery of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Therefore, it is very beneficial for ensuring physical health, promoting disease recovery, and prolonging life.