Nutritional diet guidance

There is no universal nutritional recipe that is suitable for everyone. The core of a truly effective nutritional diet is to match your body foundation and life rhythm, and make minimal practical adjustments to your existing eating habits to achieve long-term sustainable nutritional balance, rather than short-term extreme dieting or following the trend.

I just received a consultation from a girl a while ago. She graduated from 985 and worked in Internet operations. She worked overtime until 11 o'clock every day. I read Xiaohongshu and saw that people said that to lose fat, you should eat boiled vegetables + grilled chicken breasts. I struggled for two weeks. One night in the middle of the night, I couldn't help but show off two boxes of fried chicken and a large cup of milk tea. She came to me crying and said that I had poor self-control. I looked through her food record and the first sentence said, this is not a problem of your self-control, but the way you choose to eat is completely anti-human. After working as a public nutrition consultant for five years, the first pitfall I encountered with 90% of people is that they insist on copying other people's perfect recipes without considering their own actual situation - just like buying clothes, others look good in size S, but your 170cm tall body is forced to fit into it, and you are so tight that you can't even wear it twice.

Oh, by the way, the various dietary patterns that everyone often hears about nowadays are actually not absolutely good or bad. For example, the Mediterranean diet, which is generally recognized by the global nutrition community, is rich in seafood, nuts, whole grains and less red meat. It is indeed good for the cardiovascular system. However, if you live in a small inland city, it is inconvenient and expensive to buy fresh seafood. There is no need to improvise. If you replace the refined oil at home with olive oil, grab a small handful of original nuts every day, and eat canned deep-sea fish twice a week, the effect will be the same.

I have to say a few words about the ketogenic and low-carb diets that are the most controversial on the Internet. Supporters say that they can lose fat quickly and improve insulin resistance, while opponents say they damage the liver, kidneys, and hair loss. Both sides are supported by research data. In fact, there is no need to argue about right or wrong. Essentially, ketosis was first used as a medical diet plan to treat refractory epilepsy in children. If you have problems with obesity or insulin resistance, short-term use with full follow-up by a doctor or a registered dietitian can indeed see results. However, if ordinary people try it on their own without any evaluation, it is really easy to cause problems. Last year, I met a young fitness guy who went on ketosis for three months. His physical examination showed that his creatinine exceeded the standard and he lost one-third of his hair. It was not worth the gain.

Talking back to the methods that ordinary people can implement, it really doesn’t have to be that complicated. For example, if you eat takeout every day, every time you order, add an extra portion of stir-fried vegetables, order less fried pre-made food, and replace half of the white rice with multigrain rice. With such simple changes, if you stick to it for a month, your blood lipids and blood sugar will have positive changes. It’s easier to cook at home. Just remember the approximate proportions when serving rice: half of the plate is filled with green leafy vegetables, melons and eggplants, one-quarter is filled with high-quality proteins such as fish, eggs, and poultry, and the remaining quarter is filled with staple food. You don’t need to accurately calculate calories and get a headache. Just fill it like this, and there is a high probability that there will be no problems.

There is another controversial point that people often ask: Should we drink milk? Some people say that milk is a high-quality source of calcium, and drinking 300ml a day is good for bones. Some people say that Chinese people who are lactose intolerant drink bloating. Others say that the IGF-1 in milk can cause cancer. Everyone has their own reasons. In fact, the current academic consensus is very clear: normal adults drink 300-500ml of pure milk every day, and there is no evidence that it will increase the risk of cancer; if you are lactose intolerant, you can switch to Shuhua milk or sugar-free yogurt. If you really don’t like to drink it, drink two cups of thick soy milk every day, and supplement with some vitamin D. Your calcium intake is sufficient. There is really no need to listen to what others say and force it into your stomach. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable drinking it.

I followed suit in the past two years. In order to wear a nice little skirt to cut off carbon dioxide, I skipped a single bite of staple food and ate chicken breasts and lettuce. I lost four pounds in the first week and was so happy. As a result, my aunt postponed it for half a month in the third month. I often felt sleepy and could lose focus even while sitting in meetings. Later, Guaiguai resumed eating a bowl of rice every day, occasionally switching to sweet potatoes and corn. Within two months, my aunt returned to normal, her weight did not return, and her energy level improved a lot.

In fact, the longer I work in this industry, the more I feel that nutritious diet is really not that important. You don’t have to buy ridiculously expensive organic vegetables, you don’t have to weigh the food on a scale every time, you don’t have to feel guilty because you ate an extra bite of birthday cake, and you don’t have to punish yourself by fasting the next day if you eat too much at a party during the holidays. Eat lighter in the next two days and walk a few more steps and you’ll be back.

In the final analysis, the best nutritious diet is never the exquisitely arranged light food bowls posted in your circle of friends, but the way you feel comfortable eating and can stick to it for a lifetime. After all, when we eat food, in addition to supplementing nutrition, it is also a great pleasure in life, right?