Recipe of a healthy diet

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The recipe of a healthy diet includes all foods selected daily, the right choice will get a good nutrition. In fact, no single food can provide all the nutrients your body needs, so you should build a healthy menu that includes a variety of different foods in your daily diet. .

1. Healthy plate or healthy diet

To ensure that the portion of each meal is full of nutrients but the amount of food is not too much, everyone should use the "Health plate". The Healthy Eating Plate was created by nutritionists at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and editors at Harvard Health Publications, is a guide to creating a variety of nutritious, balanced meals designed to address deficiencies in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate. The Healthy Eating Plate is based entirely on the best science available and is free from political or commercial pressure from food industry lobbyists. Here is a simulation image of a healthy plate:

From the image of a healthy plate above, it can be seen that researchers have advised to use vegetables and fruits in meals that take up half of the plate. Vegetables, if used as much as possible for health, should be varied from variety to processing, prioritizing simple processed dishes to minimize the loss of vitamins and minerals. and the involvement of other fats. Note, some people include potatoes in their diets instead of starches, especially french fries, should be limited because potatoes are not considered vegetables on a healthy plate, they have a negative impact on the body. blood sugar content, is considered unhealthy fast food. In addition, whole grains such as: whole wheat, barley, wheat berries, quinoa, oats, brown rice, and foods made with them, such as whole-grain pasta have a milder effect on blood sugar and insulin levels than bread, white rice and refined grains. Protein is an indispensable ingredient in everyone's diet, and protein sources should be used from fish, poultry, beans and nuts. These are varied sources of protein that, in a healthy, healthy diet, can be mixed into salads and pairs well with the vegetables on your plate. Note that you should limit the use of red meat such as pork, beef, ... because in addition to protein, they also bring a lot of fat. Avoid using processed meats such as bacon and sausages.
Scientists have advised to use vegetable oil instead of animal fat because animal fat contains hundreds of times more cholesterol than vegetable oil. However, use vegetable oils only in moderation, choose healthy vegetable oils such as olive, canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, peanut, and others, and avoid partially hydrogenated oils, containing unhealthy trans fats. Note that having very little fat doesn't mean the food is healthy. In addition, drinking plenty of water every day brings many benefits to the body. However, the use of sugary drinks should be limited, milk and dairy products should be limited to one to two servings per day, and fruit juices should be limited (one small glass per day).

2. The size of the healthy plate

Actually, the healthy plate above does not specify a certain number of calories or servings per day from each food group. The portion sizes are relative to the approximate proportions of each food group used on a healthy plate. Because each individual based on weight, dietary needs such as wanting to gain weight, want to lose weight or maintain health will have a separate diet, the amount of calories tolerated in the body is also different, depending on the diet. Depending on age, sex, body size, and activity level, there are specific calorie counts for each food on a healthy plate. For example, in bodybuilders and gym people, the need for protein is higher than in normal active people because the calories they consume for each exercise are very large. As for those who work in the office, are less active, the amount of food they should use is also less.
In addition, researchers do not recommend the use of alcohol, beer, stimulants in meals. For some people, drinking small amounts of alcohol offers some benefits, while that amount can pose risks for others. So limiting the use of alcoholic beverages is something that doctors recommend a lot for each person.

3. The message from the healthy plate

The main message of the healthy plate is to focus on the quality of the diet.
The types of carbohydrates in the diet are more important than the amount of carbohydrates in the diet because some sources of carbohydrates such as vegetables (except potatoes), fruits, whole grains and beans have been shown to be healthier than with other carbohydrate sources. The Healthy Eating Plate also advises consumers to avoid sugary foods, a major source of calories due to their low nutritional value. Sugary drinks bring too many calories and unhealthy fats for the body, if using sugary drinks for a long time, there is a risk of obesity and metabolic disorders, causing heart-related diseases. The Healthy Eating Plate promotes healthy cooking oils because it doesn't set a maximum percentage of calories that people should get each day from healthy fat sources. strong. Instead of using animal fat with high cholesterol, cooking oil is still recommended by experts.

4. Compare healthy plate with healthy eating pyramid

Nutrition pyramid is an eating model built in the form of a pyramid that shows information about foods as well as the amount consumed by each person within a month. It is considered a standard to assess the nutritional consumption of each person and is recommended by experts to everyone to ensure enough nutrients for health and prevent disease. As such, both the healthy eating pyramid and the healthy eating plate are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and early death.
In the 1990s, the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion created the Healthy Eating Index “to measure how well Americans' diets fit with healthy eating patterns. recommended”. The scale used ranges from 0 to 100, meaning that 100 points is in compliance with federal recommendations while 0 points is to completely ignore them.

To evaluate the dietary practices in the healthy eating pyramid against government advice, researchers at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health created the Healthy Eating Index replaced with a scoring system similar to the USDA index. They then compared the two indicators, using daily dietary information collected from more than 100,000 female nurses and male health professionals involved in the two long-term nutrition studies. .
After the research, they found 11 ingredients evaluated by the healthy eating index instead were dairy products; vegetable; fruit; nuts seeds; bread / cereals; meat, poultry and fish; cholesterol; fat; sodium; Alcohol; and multivitamins.
Men who scored highest on the USDA baseline healthy eating index (meaning their diets most closely followed federal recommendations) had an 11% reduced risk of developing the disease heart disease, cancer, or other chronic diseases during 8 to 12 years of follow-up compared with those who scored the lowest. In addition, men with high scores were 20% less likely to develop severe chronic disease than men with low scores. The women who followed the government recommendations most closely had only a 3% chance of chronic disease and reduced their overall risk by 11%. Men whose diets followed the healthiest eating pyramid reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by nearly 40%; Women with high scores reduced their risk by nearly 30%.
In a study that followed 7,319 British civil servants for 18 years, men and women with the highest scores on the alternative healthy eating index were 25% less likely to die from any cause. and a 42 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, compared with those with the lowest scores. Another observational study of 93,676 postmenopausal women found that following a healthy eating pyramid scheme was better than following a low-fat diet for reducing disease risk. cardiovascular and heart failure.
Once we have a clear understanding of the principles of nutrition, each of us should build a healthy menu for ourselves. In case you have an underlying disease or have a health problem, you can go to Vinmec International General Hospital to be examined by a doctor and have in-depth advice. By maintaining a scientific diet will help prevent maximum diseases and prolong life.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference source: hsph.harvard.edu