It is difficult to hoard vegetables during the isolation period, is it okay to replace vegetables and fruits with vitamin tablets?

Since the epidemic in Shanghai has been urgent, the overwhelming frenzy of grabbing vegetables and hoarding vegetables has swept the whole network in an instant. Even some residents received a sudden notice of home isolation and began to hoard grain and hoard vegetables at the same time, many friends began to "vitamin anxiety" at the same time. The dietary guidelines recommend that each person eat "one pound of vegetables and half a pound of fruit" per day, and recommends that an adult eat 300 to 500 grams of vegetables and 200 to 350 grams of fruits per day. For a family of three, eat 3 to 4 kilograms of fresh vegetables and fruits a day to better meet health needs, which is equivalent to the whole family eating nearly 100 kilograms of vegetables and fruits a month. Therefore, some people began to wonder: since it is so difficult to hoard vegetables, it is better to directly stock up on vitamin tablets. So vegetables and fruits cannot be eaten during the quarantine period, is it feasible to replace them with vitamin tablets? How to prepare goods in home isolation so that there is no shortage of important nutrients?

1

Isolated at home, the body is prone to deficiency of these nutrients

If an adult in a healthy, physically free state can eat a balanced diet according to the recommendations of the dietary guidelines, then three meals a day can basically meet the daily nutrients. And when recipes are limited and can't meet daily nutritional needs through diets, it's the turn of nutritional supplements to come on. If you are temporarily short of vegetables, vitamin supplements can effectively help you survive this period.

In the quarantine of the epidemic, these nutrients are more likely to be lacking and need to be paid attention to:

Water-soluble vitamins and sources:

Vitamin B-1: Ham, soy milk, watermelon, acorn pumpkin

Vitamin B-2: Milk, yogurt, cheese, whole grains and fortified grains and grains

Vitamin B-3: Meat, poultry, fish, fortified grains and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes

Vitamin B-5: Chicken, whole grains, broccoli, avocado, mushrooms

Vitamin B-6: meat, fish, poultry, beans, tofu and other soy products, bananas

Vitamin B-7: Whole grains, eggs, soy, fish

Vitamin B-9: Fortified cereals and cereals, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, legumes (black-eyed peas and chickpeas), orange juice

Vitamin B-12: Meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, fortified soy milk and cereals

Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, brussels sprouts

Fat-soluble vitamins and sources:

Vitamin A: Beef, liver, eggs, shrimp, fish, fortified milk, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, mango

Vitamin D: Fortified with milk and cereals, fatty fish

Vitamin E: Vegetable oil, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts

Vitamin K: Cabbage, eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, kale

In addition to the above nutrients, pregnant and lactating women should also pay attention to hoarding enough folic acid and iron supplements. For ordinary people, minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium are not likely to be lacking in the case of sufficient meat, eggs, and milk. Before home isolation, on the basis of buying as much food, meat, eggs, vegetables and fruits as possible, it is a practical suggestion to stock up on vitamin tablets according to personal needs.

2

Vitamin supplements are not a complete substitute for vegetables and fruits

The purpose of eating vitamin tablets is not to replace foods. Because natural fruits and vegetables have nutrients and benefits that vitamins can't replicate. These natural foods offer three irreplaceable advantages over dietary supplements (Figure 1):

Figure 1 Q&A on the possibility of taking vitamin tablets instead of eating vegetables (Source: Quora)

1. More nutritious. The whole diet is rich in fiber and covers a variety of micronutrients needed by the human body.

2. Essential dietary fiber. Whole foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes provide dietary fiber. As part of a healthy diet, fiber can help prevent certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and can also help control constipation.

3. Antioxidant protection effect. Many natural foods are also good sources of antioxidants— antioxidants that slow down the process of cell and tissue damage.

While most dietary supplements are safe, consuming certain vitamin tablet supplements in large doses can also have side effects on the body, as many supplements are highly concentrated and place a burden on the liver.

Vitamins and dietary fiber are not only derived from fresh vegetables and fruits, as long as the combination is reasonable, eating meat and eating grain can also be replenished. Among the foods that are easy to store, there are also excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. In addition to rice noodles, meat, eggs and milk, you can also stock up on mixed grains, beans, canned vegetables and fruits, bagged vegetables, dried vegetables, nuts, and frozen vegetables. In this way, the hoarding structure of home isolation is optimized, and each meal is as far as possible to ensure that there are staple foods (coarse and thin collocations), meat and eggs, vegetables, and nutritional supplements, even if the refrigerator is small and it is not easy to buy vegetables, it can also meet the daily nutritional needs to the greatest extent.

During the period of home isolation, under the premise of eating enough, we must also ensure that we eat correctly. It is recommended that you collect this article, or transfer it to family and friends in need of the epidemic, so that they can stay away from various health problems and even diseases caused by nutrient deficiency through reasonable collocation.

Written by | Qiao Weijun

Typography | essay competition

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Resources:

[1]https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-best-foods-for-vitamins-and-minerals

[2]https://www.quora.com/Since-I-don-t-eat-fruits-vegetables-or-dairy-what-vitamins-should-I-be-taking

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