There has always been a saying that people who "know how to eat" are less likely to get sick! Do you eat well every day? The first criterion of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" is "a variety of foods and a reasonable combination." Each of us has different eating habits that we have developed since childhood, so what will be the difference between different dietary preferences?
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Eating affects the brain
In an April 2024 study published in Nature Mental Health, researchers at Fudan University analyzed the relationship between dietary preferences and brain health in more than 180,000 people and found that those who ate a balanced diet showed better mental health and cognitive function.
The researchers divided the participants' dietary preferences into 4 different subtypes:
"Sugar Control Party" - Subtype 1: Starch-free or low-starch diet preference
"Vegetarian Party" – Subtype 2: Vegetarian Diet Preference
"Carnivorous Party" – Subtype 3: High-protein and low-fiber diet preference
"Balanced Party" – Subtype 4: Balanced Diet Preference
The researchers analyzed the scores of several mental health indicators and cognitive function to explore the potential impact of food preference on brain structure, and found that the "equilibrium party" scored the lowest on mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and had the highest sense of well-being, indicating that the mental health status was the best.
Differences in metabolic markers and brain morphology and white matter integrity among the 4 subtypes of diets
Moreover, different dietary preferences also affect the risk of mental disorders. In contrast, the "Equilibrium Party":
The risk of depression was increased by 18% and 22%, respectively, for the "vegetarian party" and the "meat eater party";
The risk of stroke was increased by 13% and 21%, respectively.
The anxiety risk of "sugar control party", "vegetarian party" and "meat party" increased by 9%, 26% and 23%, respectively.
The risk of eating disorders was significantly increased by 86%, 168% and 96%, respectively. ①②
Not only picky eaters and picky eaters can affect our mood, but also malnutrition. A recent study found that malnutrition may increase the risk of Alzheimer's.
Eat well and get sick less
A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition in April 2024 by a research team from Beijing Tiantan Hospital showed that malnutrition may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and as Alzheimer's disease progresses, it will exacerbate malnutrition.
The researchers analysed 266 participants, with a mean age of 65 years, including:
Group I: 73 cognitively normal patients;
Group II: 72 people with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease;
Group III: 121 people with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.
Body composition measurements showed that participants in the third group had lower mean arm circumference, waist circumference, calf circumference, and lower BMI compared to the first two groups.
In terms of the nutrition assessment scale, the third group was worse than the first two groups, and the micro-nutrition assessment score was also lower than that of the first two groups.
Researchers believe that malnutrition is likely to increase a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which in turn exacerbates malnutrition. ③④
Eating well may be more important than taking medicine!
Malnutrition is a common problem among older people. Zhou Honglian, chief physician of the Department of General Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Xiao Xing, deputy chief physician, published an article on the hospital's WeChat public account in 2022, introducing that the digestive system degeneration, the coexistence of multiple diseases, the gastrointestinal adverse reactions caused by drugs, and social and mental psychological factors have led to the increasingly serious problem of malnutrition in the elderly. To improve the nutritional status of the elderly, eating may be more important than taking medicine. ⑤
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According to the book First Bite: The Truth About Eating Habits, changing the way you eat is far from easy. But crucially, it's achievable. After all, as omnivores, we don't inherently know what to eat. All of us have to learn, sit expectantly like children and wait to be fed.
But healthy eating is a skill that can be learned for anyone of any age. There are 3 important things that all of us can benefit from:
One is to follow a regular eating time;
The second is to respond to hunger signals and satiety signals in the body, rather than relying on external signals such as food portions;
The third is to be willing to try all kinds of food. ⑥
Suggestion:
1. Choose a little miscellaneous food
On average, more than 12 foods are consumed per day and more than 25 per week. (7) The more miscellaneous the food types of the elderly, the better, and the daily food types can include cereals, vegetables and fruits, fish and shrimp, meat, eggs, milk, beans and nuts. ⑤
2. Choose a little more seasoning
It is recommended to consume less than 5 grams of salt per day. (7) Dishes can be seasoned not only with salt, but also with fresh garlic and onions, or with different types of pepper, vinegar, herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc. ⑧
3. Distribute three meals evenly
Sun Lihong, an associate professor at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, reminded in an interview with Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine News in 2022 that many elderly people now live with their children, and their children eat out during the day, and the elderly often eat to make do. In the evening, when the family is reunited, the table is often more sumptuous. As a result, there is an imbalance in the distribution of calories in three meals, which leads to obesity and high blood lipids in the long run.
It is recommended that the elderly reasonably allocate energy for three meals, and the calorie ratios of breakfast, lunch and dinner account for 25%~30%, 30%~40% and 30%~35% of the calories throughout the day. Don't settle for breakfast and lunch, eat a light, less greasy diet in the evening, and eat some fish, shrimp and lean meat appropriately to ensure a balanced calorie balance. ⑨
4. Animal foods and soybeans are indispensable
Animal foods compensate for the lack of sufficient protein and fat in plant foods, and they are rich in high-quality protein. For the elderly, protein intake should be evenly distributed in 3-5 meals a day, and the proportion of high-quality protein (including leucine, etc.) accounts for at least 50%. If appetite decreases and digestion and absorption capacity decreases, you can use a small number of meals to cook, boil, stew, stew, stew, and other ways to cook these high-quality protein foods soft and rotten and arrange them in the daily menu. ⑤
An elderly man weighing 50 kg,
According to the reference recipe with a daily intake of 1.2~1.5 g/kg protein.
The picture is from Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology
In addition, you can also eat different kinds of milk and legumes, such as milk, milk powder, yogurt, cheese, soy milk, tofu, dried tofu, etc.
5. Cook in a richer way
Adopt different cooking methods to enrich the color and flavor of food, increase the attractiveness of the food itself, and make cooking a part of old age. ⑩
6. Eat freshly
Associate Professor Sun Lihong introduced that it is necessary to avoid eating pickled, expired and unhygienic food, and the food should be fresh. Many elderly people maintain a tradition of frugality. Some food is reluctant to throw away when it expires and spoils, and leftovers are reluctant to throw away. The nutritional value of these spoiled or expired foods has decreased significantly, and it may cause diseases after consumption. ⑨
This article is synthesized from:
①Associations of dietary patterns with brain health from behavioral, neuroimaging, biochemical and genetic analyses. Nature Mental Health.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00226-0
(2)2024-04-05Singularity.com, "<自然>Sub-journal: Sugar Control/Vegetarian/Carnivorous Party, How Does Dietary Preference Affect the Brain?Fudan Team Analyzes Data of 180,000 People and Finds That People with a Balanced Diet Have Better Psychological Health and Better Cognition" (3)2024-03-21Yinuovi "Dementia Comes from Starvation?Capital Medical University Study Finds that Malnutrition May Increase the Risk of Alzheimer's"
④An investigation into the potential association between nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease. Frontiers in Nutrition.2024.https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1306226
(5)2022-07-01 Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, "[Self-test] More than half of the elderly are malnourished, doctors say that eating may be more important than taking medicine"
(6) "The First Bite: The Truth About Eating Habits" by Bee Wilson
hatps://baijiyahaao.baidu.com/s?id=1649964989746696089&dfr=spider&for=pc
(7) Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022
(8)2023-10-08 Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital "[Science Popularization Officer of the Tenth Hospital-213] High Salt is Harmful to Health, Beware of "Invisible Salt" in Life"
(9)2022-07-15Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine
(10)2023-11-27Hainan Hospital of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army
Editor: Ren Xuan
Reviewer: Lu Yang