Milk beans add nutrients, less oil is healthier

May 12-18, 2024 is the 10th National Nutrition Week in mainland China, and May 20 is the 35th "5.20" Chinese Student Nutrition Day. I would like to take advantage of the Nutrition Week to call on everyone to eat more dairy and soy foods and reduce the amount of cooking oil. For people who exercise, it is also important to increase milk and soy foods and reduce fat intake.

1. Adding milk

Milk and dairy products are highly nutritious, provide high-quality protein, and are a good source of calcium.

(1) Milk is a good sports drink

For people who exercise, milk can help replenish energy, promote muscle recovery, reduce muscle soreness, and liquid milk can also replenish water. Milk contains carbohydrates, which help to replenish energy and resynthesize glycogen after exercise. Milk can also provide high-quality protein, and milk contains a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids (such as leucine), which can help with muscle protein synthesis. The ratio of casein to whey protein in milk is about 4:1, and the two proteins have different digestion and absorption rates, which can continue to increase the circulating amino acids, which are the cornerstone of muscle repair. One study found that women who drank pure milk after strenuous whole-body resistance training gained more muscle mass and strength and lost more fat mass over a 12-week period compared to carbohydrate-rich beverages. In addition, milk water also contains electrolytes such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, which help to replenish the fluids and electrolytes lost during sweating during exercise, and calcium is also essential for muscle contraction. In addition, the stomach empties more slowly after drinking milk and urine output is comparatively lower than hydration and sports drinks, allowing the body to stay hydrated for a longer period of time.

(2) How to add milk before and after exercise

You can drink a small amount of milk 1-3 hours before exercising to give the body time to digest all the nutrients; You can also drink every 15 minutes to maintain water intake during exercise, and when exercising for more than 1 hour, you also need to add carbohydrates and electrolytes to replenish energy and fluids; Within 2 hours of exercising, replace lost fluids by drinking fluids such as milk. Of course, not everyone is suitable for milk as a sports drink, and it is more important to choose the one that suits you.

(3) Suggestions for adding milk

It is recommended to consume 300-500mL of liquid milk or an equivalent amount of dairy products per day, and more for people who exercise. It is recommended to choose different milk and dairy products for daily meals, milk, yogurt or cheese slices can be eaten together, in addition to milk, goat's milk, mare's milk, camel milk, etc. can also be chosen. Milk can also be added during the cooking process. People who are lactose intolerant can choose lactose-free milk or fermented dairy products such as yogurt and cheese. People who lose fat can choose skim or low-fat milk. After a long period of endurance exercise, you can also choose a milk with a higher carbohydrate content, such as chocolate milk, to replenish glycogen stores, provided that you choose milk instead of milk-containing beverages.

Second, increase the beans

Soybeans and their products are diverse and nutritious, providing high-quality protein, unsaturated fatty acids, calcium, potassium, vitamin E, etc.

(1) The benefits of increasing beans

For people who exercise, the antioxidant content of legumes can help reduce inflammation caused by exercise. Soy protein is also rich in branched-chain amino acid (leucine), which can stimulate muscle protein production and effectively increase muscle tissue. A meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that soy protein is as good as animal protein. Although soy protein is slightly less digestible, soy foods are rich in electrolytes and vitamins such as calcium, which can make up for the deficiency of some foods. Increasing soy intake can also help control weight, maintain lean tissue, reduce the risk of osteoporosis, and reduce the incidence of heart disease. In a clinical trial, researchers found that a daily intake of 30 grams of soybeans, a moderately protein-rich food, reduced the risk of metabolic syndrome, which could reduce the risk of heart disease.

(2) Suggestions for increasing beans

It is recommended that adults consume an average of 15-25 grams of soybeans or equivalent soybean products per day (20 grams of soybeans is equivalent to about 60 grams of northern tofu, about 110 grams of southern tofu, about 45 grams of dried tofu, and about 300 grams of soy milk). People who consume too much meat can replace some meat with soybeans and their products, which not only ensures high-quality protein intake, but also reduces the health risks caused by excessive intake of meat. When making soybeans and their products, it is appropriate to put less oil, salt and sugar.

3. Oil reduction

Fat is one of the most important nutrients in the human body, which can provide energy and essential fatty acids, and help the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, mainly from cooking oil and meat.

(1) The relationship between fat and exercise

Oil reduction is not the case for all fats, such as monounsaturated fats in olive oil and sunflower oil, and polyunsaturated fats in nuts such as walnuts. Polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce lipogenesis by inhibiting gene expression in the liver, and they both help lower cholesterol and can also reduce the risk of heart disease. There is evidence that polyunsaturated fats help maintain testosterone levels and are associated with better body composition, mood, and athletic performance.

(2) The reason for oil reduction

Long-term excessive fat intake can lead to obesity and increase the risk of chronic diseases such as dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. In particular, excessive consumption of saturated fats, such as high-fat meats, dairy products, as well as biscuits, cakes, packaged snack foods, margarines and shortenings, which use trans fats, is not good for the human body. They raise cholesterol, increase fat content, and increase the risk of heart disease.

(3) Suggestions for oil reduction

At present, the average intake of cooking oil for mainland residents has exceeded 1/3 of the recommended amount, and it is recommended that adults consume 25-30g of cooking oil per day. The nutritional composition of different cooking oils is different, and a variety of choices is conducive to the balance of nutrition, so it is recommended to change the varieties appropriately when purchasing cooking oil. In terms of cooking methods, it is recommended to choose steaming, boiling and other methods, and less frying to cook food. In addition, in the choice of food, it is necessary to pay attention to avoid "invisible oils", learn to read food labels, and choose foods with less fat content. The appropriate amount of fat in the diet of the exercise population should be 20%~30% of the total energy. The ratio of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids should be maintained at 1:1:1.

Source: Yangtze Evening News