For many people, when they feel tired and depressed, the easiest way to decompress is to "eat something good". Fried chicken with milk tea, hot pot skewers... It seems that there is no such thing as a problem that these delicacies cannot solve.
High-sweet, high-calorie foods may allow you to get short-term happiness, but long-term diet, not only can not play a role in "decompression", but also may bring many chronic diseases.
How to scientifically regulate emotions through diet, and "eat" health in one bite? "Life Times" (search for "LT0385" in WeChat to follow) interview experts for you to answer.
Experts interviewed
Ruan Guangfeng, Director of Science and Technology Department of Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center
He Li, Research Fellow, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Chinese Registered Dietitian Han Dongmei
4 Eating Habits to Make the Body More "Tired"
"Turning grief into appetite" can indeed regulate emotions to a certain extent, but the method is not right, but it will greatly increase the fatigue of the body.
01
Loves sweets
Most of the sugars in sweets are simple or disaccharides, which are quickly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream by the body. When blood glucose concentrations rise, insulin secretion increases, and high insulin levels are one of the causes of lack of energy. In addition, eating too much refined white rice noodles can also cause insulin levels to rise and aggravate fatigue.
◆ It is recommended to reduce the number of sweets eaten, no more than twice a week, and limit the amount of consumption, for example, the cake is only 2 to 3 finger widths each time.
◆ When eating staple food, replace at least 1/3 of the refined white rice noodles with whole grains and miscellaneous beans. Coarse grains are rich in dietary fiber, which can keep the blood sugar rising smoothly and slowly after meals and avoid excessive insulin levels.
02
Staple foods are eaten too little
Carbohydrates are the most important energy supply materials for the human brain and nerves, if the staple food is eaten too little, the brain and nervous system lack sufficient energy, it is easy to make people weak and emotionally poor.
In addition, staple foods eat too little, carbohydrate energy supply is insufficient, the body's stored glycogen is quickly depleted, resulting in water loss, protein, fat decomposition, the human body is prone to muscle soreness, weakness and other symptoms.
Be sure to eat staple food every day, about one fist per meal.
Try to maintain the richness of the staple ingredients of the three meals. For example, whole oats cooked into sticky porridge or rice, which is beneficial to blood lipid control; red adzuki beans, mung beans, kidney beans and other starch beans, blood sugar reaction is very low, and rich in ingredients that delay digestion and absorption, added to staple foods are conducive to lowering blood lipids and controlling blood pressure.
03
Do not eat red meat
Red meat, that is, pigs, cattle and sheep and other livestock meat, iron content is rich, if you do not eat red meat for a long time, it is easy to occur iron deficiency anemia, then people will feel depressed, sleepy and unfocused.
The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) recommend that the daily intake of animal foods be 120 to 200 grams. You can eat a little red meat every day, controlled at about 1 or two at a time; you can also eat 3 to 5 times a week, don't eat too much at a time.
Usually, you can choose some fresh lean meat, such as beef tendon meat, tenderloin, etc., eat less fat meat such as fat cattle, fat sheep, pork belly, etc., and the "three high" people should eat less.
04
Eat too greasy
A large amount of fat entering the small intestine will lead to an increase in the secretion of gallbladder contractin in the small intestine, which in turn promotes drowsiness.
Eat less high-fat, high-calorie foods every day, and the daily intake of edible oil should not exceed 25 to 30 grams.
It is best to eat light food for a few days after each high-fat diet to avoid fat accumulation and reduce the burden on various organs of the body. You can also change to a healthier way of cooking, such as changing frying and grilling to stewing, steaming, etc.
A scientific diet helps you "eat" back to happiness
Eating the wrong way can be exhausting, but eating right can also soothe the nerves and body. Compared with hot pots and sweets, your body may need the following "decompression foods" more.
Foods rich in B vitamins: Eat away stress
B vitamins can promote energy metabolism in the body, and once the lack of attention can lead to a lack of concentration, the body's ability to manage emotions is reduced.
Because B vitamins are soluble in water, they are easily metabolized and can hardly be accumulated in the body for a long time, and must be replenished daily. Purple rice, buckwheat, red beans and other grains, small rape and other green leafy vegetables, dairy products, eggs, etc. are all good sources of B vitamins.
Magnesium-rich foods: Eat away anxiety
Insufficient intake of magnesium in the human body will make nerve cells susceptible to stimulation, emotional instability, and cause nausea, anxiety, insomnia and other discomforts.
Usually, you can eat more magnesium-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and milk. Among them, the greener the greener the color, the more magnesium it contains.
There are oxalic acid and phytic acid that affect the absorption of magnesium in green leafy vegetables and coarse grains, respectively, it is recommended to blanch them with boiling water before frying vegetables; when cooking coarse grains, soak them for a while in advance.
Iron-rich foods: Eat away tired
Iron is an important component of hemoglobin, and increasing iron intake helps the body regain energy and vitality.
Animal foods such as pork liver, chicken, and fish are rich in heme iron and are more easily absorbed by the human body. While supplementing iron, it is necessary to eat more vitamin C-rich foods such as cauliflower and bell peppers to promote the absorption and utilization of iron.
Zinc-rich foods: Eat away depression
A comparative trial at the University of Toronto in Canada found that zinc concentrations in depressed patients were low compared to normal people, and zinc supplementation helped alleviate depression.
Nuts such as peanuts, walnuts, and pistachios are good helpers for "zinc supplementation", and shellfish such as oysters, animal livers, and lean meats also have a high content of zinc, which can be eaten in moderation.
It should be noted that nuts are high in fat content, and it is best not to eat more than a handful of nuts per day; people with symptoms such as mouth ulcers, diarrhea, and acute infections of the digestive tract should not eat nuts.
The "Golden Rule" of Healthy Eating
A healthy diet not only helps us regulate negative emotions, but also prevents the occurrence of diseases to a certain extent. How can I eat nutritiously and eat healthy? Nutrition experts have come up with 6 rules:
01
Stay away from processed foods
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, people who ate more than 4 servings of ultra-processed foods per day had a 6.2% higher risk of all-cause death than those who ate less than 2 servings per day.
It is usually best to avoid eating processed foods such as ham sausages, instant noodles, and milk tea, and try not to use cooking methods such as frying to avoid excessive intake of oil, salt and trans fats.
02
Good breakfast to eat
If you do not eat breakfast for a long time, the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, high blood lipids and diabetes will increase.
A qualified breakfast should include at least three types of food: bread, multigrain porridge and other starchy staple foods, eggs, lean meats and other high-quality protein foods and fresh fruits and vegetables.
03
Eat early for dinner
Eating dinner early is not only conducive to digestion and absorption, but also does not affect sleep.
According to the best bedtime at 10 pm, dinner is best eaten around 6 pm, and at the latest, it is not more than 7 pm. If you have to eat too late, don't go to bed right away, and fall asleep after at least 2 hours of intervals.
04
Eat first and eat later
Eating vegetables and then meat during meals, and finally eating staple foods such as rice and steamed buns, helps to reduce postprandial blood sugar peaks, reduce blood sugar fluctuations, and prevent hypoglycemia. Diabetics are especially suitable for this way of eating.
05
Eat slowly and seriously
Eating fast not only makes people fat, but also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Chewing slowly is conducive to better sensing the state of gastrointestinal hunger and fullness, and promotes the absorption of nutrients.
06
Cooking at home
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Public Health found that people who ate at home more than 6 times a week were not only healthier, but also more satisfied and happy with their lives. ▲
Editor of this issue: Zhao Ziying
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