Chinese lacks four kinds of nutrients, and the body lacks eight signals of nutrients.
How to read the hints your body gives you? What to eat to supplement the most lacking nutrition in the body? Life Times interviewed a number of authoritative nutrition experts to help you get the right medicine.
Interviewed experts
Ge Keyou, honorary chairman of China Nutrition Society, famous nutritionist and "father of dietary pagoda"
Zhai Fengying, Deputy Director of Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Secretary General of China Nutrition Society.
Chen Xiafei, chief nutritionist of East China Hospital affiliated to Fudan University in Shanghai.
Wang Xingguo, Director of Nutrition Department of Dalian Central Hospital.
What nutrients are most lacking in Chinese?
According to the Report on Nutrition and Chronic Diseases of Residents in China (2015), the intake of cereals and cereals of urban and rural residents in China has remained stable in the past 10 years. The total intake of protein is basically the same, the intake of high-quality protein has increased, and the consumption of beans and milk is still low.
Excessive fat intake, the average dietary fat energy supply ratio exceeds 30%. The intake of vegetables and fruits decreased slightly, and some nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamins A and D were still lacking.
1 calcium deficiency
According to the third national nutrition survey, what Chinese lacks most at present is calcium. The national average daily intake is less than 400 mg, only reaching RDA (if the human body has insufficient intake of a nutrient for a long time, it will be in danger of deficiency. When the intake reaches a certain value, people are not in danger of developing deficiency. This value is called the RDA value. ) 49.2% of the required 800 mg.
All kinds of bone diseases caused by calcium deficiency are common, such as osteoporosis, hand and foot convulsion, bone hypoplasia, rickets and so on. Milk, cheese, eggs, bean products, kelp, seaweed, shrimp skin, sesame, hawthorn, marine fish, vegetables and so on are among the daily foods in the family.
2 Iron deficiency
At present, the daily iron intake of Chinese residents has reached RDA value, but because the iron intake mainly comes from non-heme iron in rice, nuts, black-leaf vegetables and other plants, its utilization rate and absorption rate are low, far lower than the absorption rate of iron in animal foods. In addition, Chinese residents are used to eating cereals, and cereals contain high concentrations of plant acids, which will obviously inhibit the absorption of iron by human body.
Therefore, although the iron intake of Chinese residents is not low, the iron really absorbed by the human body is less, which can not meet the needs of the human body, which makes the residents in China have extensive anemia, especially women, children and the elderly. When the human body is short of iron, it can lead to iron deficiency anemia, with symptoms such as loss of appetite, irritability, fatigue, pale face, palpitation and dizziness.
3 vitamin a deficiency
The national average daily intake is 476 micrograms (of which 157 micrograms are vitamin A and 319 micrograms are from the transformation of β-carotene), which is only 61.7% of the 800 micrograms required by RDA. The main function of vitamin A is to maintain the visual function in dark light and maintain the health of epithelial cells. People with vitamin A deficiency may have some dry and rough skin, dry eyes and fear of light.
4 vitamin d deficiency
Xu Hao, director of the Department of Nuclear Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, analyzed the investigation of vitamin D status in big cities of China, and said that calcium and vitamin D are the components that directly affect the bone status, while among people (over 20 years old) in big cities of China, only 0.67% have normal vitamin D, and 21% have severe vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is one of the three hormones that regulate calcium metabolism. It can prevent and treat osteoporosis and rickets in children, which is very important for bone health. Moreover, more and more studies now confirm that its function is far more than that. Recent studies have confirmed that vitamin D deficiency is also related to diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, fatty liver, rheumatoid arthritis, oral diseases, multiple sclerosis and other common chronic diseases.
The body is uncomfortable and may be short of nutrients.
Here are some small body signals that you can check against. If you find yourself with the same problem, you must adjust your diet in time or take some supplements according to the national recommended standards. It’s still not relieved after three weeks, so it’s better to go to the hospital for examination.
Dry eyes, congestion, easy to be nervous.
Chen Xiafei, who is short of B vitamins, said that B vitamins are one of the most vulnerable vitamins in Chinese, especially vitamin B2. Dr. Tannin, a member of the Royal Society of General Practitioners, said:
"B vitamins can regulate the total amount of fluid in the eye socket. When vitamin B2 is lacking, the blood vessels on the surface of the eyes are easy to be infected, leading to dry eyes, conjunctivitis and red blood." Wang Xingguo told reporters that in fact, vitamin B2 is related to all skin and mucosal diseases, such as oral mucosal ulcers, swollen gums and so on. Once these symptoms appear, it is best to take vitamin B2 first. If it is not good, consider other reasons. In addition, B vitamins can reduce stress, enhance people’s attention and improve cognitive ability. People who lack vitamin B are often nervous.
Foods containing vitamin B: dairy products, meat and liver.
Daily recommended amount: vitamin B2-1.6 mg for British men and 1.2 mg for British women; China male 1.4 mg, female 1.2 mg. Wang Xingguo pointed out that many foods contain vitamin B2, but none of them are particularly rich, so it is best to take supplements when they may be deficient.
Muscle spasm, insomnia and magnesium deficiency
Ursula arens said that British people are generally short of magnesium, because their diet is mainly low-magnesium foods such as fast food, soda, potato chips, biscuits and flour and rice. Eating a lot of foods rich in calcium such as dairy products will also reduce the magnesium content in the body.
Zhai Fengying told reporters that magnesium deficiency in Chinese is not very serious, which may be related to our eating more omnivores. However, young people who often eat fast food and potato chips should be more careful. Magnesium is very important for neurons that transmit signals to muscles, and it can also help the body to produce more melatonin and adjust people’s sleep patterns. Therefore, slight magnesium deficiency can lead to muscle spasm and insomnia. However, Wang Xingguo pointed out that there may be more muscle spasms caused by magnesium deficiency in Britain, but for Chinese, it is more related to calcium deficiency. Chen Xiafei said that severe magnesium deficiency can cause heart disease and gastrointestinal diseases.
Magnesium-containing foods: corn, whole grain foods, preserved fruits, mushrooms and nuts. If you choose supplements, you should pay attention to avoiding dairy products and foods rich in calcium.
Recommended daily dose: 300 mg in Britain and 350 mg in China. 300 mg is equivalent to 9 scoops and a half of corn flour, 240 grams of coarse grain noodles, 11 slices of whole wheat bread, 20 figs and 22 small walnuts (the best nut source of magnesium).
Urethral infection and long wound healing time.
Lack of vitamin C Wang Xingguo said that Westerners eat more meat and less vegetables, so it is easier to lack vitamin C; In China, most people who lack vitamin C are young people with irregular diets. Studies have shown that vitamin C can reduce the number of harmful bacteria in the urethra, and if it is lacking, it is easy to cause urethral infection.
It is also very important for the composition of collagen, the strength of skin tissue and wound healing. As long as trace amounts are lacking, there will soon be increased abrasions, frequent bruises and long wound healing time. Chen Xiafei also pointed out that severe vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy.
Foods containing vitamin C: citrus fruits, broccoli, red vegetables (tomatoes, red cabbage, etc.).
Daily recommended amount: Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which cannot be stored by the body, so it needs to be supplemented every day. The recommended dosage in Britain is 60 mg, and that in China is 100 mg. 60 mg is equivalent to 2 kiwis and 8.5 spoonfuls of tomato juice. Duobuwei C will not cause harm to the body, because the excess will be excreted through urine.
Cold hands and feet and selenium deficiency
Selenium can regulate thyroid function, while thyroid secretes hormones, which control the metabolism and blood circulation of the body. People with slight selenium deficiency have poor blood circulation and feel cold hands and feet; Severe selenium deficiency leads to low immunity, decreased vision, and susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases and tumors. Selenium has a certain detoxification effect, which can combine with heavy metals in the body and reduce their harm.
Selenium-containing foods: shellfish and seafood are the best, and their selenium content is relatively stable.
Daily recommended amount: 75 micrograms for British men and 60 micrograms for women; China 50 micrograms. The recommended amount in Britain is equivalent to 1.5 tuna sandwiches and 175 grams of cod.
Dry and rough skin, vitamin A deficiency
Chen Xiafei pointed out that most people are slightly lacking in vitamin A, and few people are really seriously lacking. Vitamin A is famous for keeping the skin soft and elastic. Dry and rough skin, poor eyesight in dark light and repeated respiratory infections of children have a lot to do with it.
Foods containing vitamin A: pork liver, eggs, dairy products, red and orange fruits and vegetables.
Recommended daily dose: 0.8 mg in UK and 800 international units in China. It is equivalent to 100 grams of butter, 2 carrots, 3/4 red peppers and 3 cantaloupes.
Pre-menstrual stress zinc deficiency
Wang Xingguo said that the iron and zinc deficiency in Chinese is more serious than that in the west, which is related to the fact that we eat less seafood and meat. American studies have found that women’s zinc content is very low in the 13 days before menstruation, which leads to insufficient secretion of progesterone and endorphins, so their mood is very tense, anxious and painful. "Severe zinc deficiency will affect prostate health, or lead to children’s partial eclipse, eating soil and other pica." Chen Xiafei said.
Zinc-containing foods: shellfish, meat, cashew nuts, coarse grains.
Daily recommended dosage: 15 mg in the UK, 15 mg for men and 11.5 mg for women in China. It is equivalent to 3 oysters, 2 crabs and 272 grams of beef.
Fatigue, drowsiness and iron deficiency
The important component of hemoglobin that transports oxygen in blood is iron. Arens said that a little iron deficiency can make people feel tired, sleepy, lifeless and listless, and in severe cases, it can cause iron deficiency anemia. Wang Xingguo thinks that the iron deficiency in Chinese is more serious, which is related to the fact that we absorb more iron from plants. Spinach contains more iron, but the absorption rate is only 1%, which is far less than the iron supplemented by lean meat.
Iron-containing food: red meat is the best source, followed by egg yolk and preserved fruit. Vitamin C helps iron absorption, but tannic acid in tea hinders iron absorption.
Daily recommended dosage: 14 mg in the UK, 15 mg for men and 20 mg for women in China. 14 mg is equivalent to 360 grams of coarse grain noodles, 51 preserved apricots and 2 boiled eggs.
Paralysis of hands and feet and potassium deficiency
Chen Xiafei told reporters that people who love salty food, love sweating and drink and smoke often lose potassium in their bodies. Potassium will affect nerve conduction. A slight deficiency will make people feel paralyzed and weak, and in severe cases, it will affect heart health. Potassium-containing foods: almonds, peanuts, lentils and asparagus.
Recommended daily dose: 3500mg in Britain and 2000mg in China. 3500 mg is equivalent to 8.75 bananas, 31 preserved apricots and 7 baked tomatoes (baking reduces the moisture of tomatoes and increases the density of potassium). ▲ (Life Times reporter Zhang Jing)