Nowadays, everyone is very concerned about dietary health and wants to eat both nutritious and healthy food. However, most people focus on what they eat while neglecting the way and method of eating. Little do they know that if the eating method is not scientific, even the best food will be difficult to absorb. Today, we help you summarize a set of optimal numbers for eating, so that you can eat more healthily and scientifically.
Best breakfast time:
20 minutes after getting up
Zhao Xia, director of the Nutrition Department at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital: Generally speaking, it's most suitable to have breakfast 20-30 minutes after getting up, when one's appetite is the strongest, and the state of digestion and absorption is at its best level. It is best to consume at least 500 milliliters of water before breakfast, which helps digestion, replenishes body fluids, removes waste, reduces blood viscosity. Breakfast should include bread, rice porridge and other carbohydrates; meat, eggs and other animal-based foods; milk, soy products, and fresh vegetables and fruits in four categories. The adequacy of breakfast nutrition can be quickly evaluated based on the number of food categories. If breakfast includes all four types above, it is a nutrient-rich breakfast; three types are relatively adequate, and two or fewer types are inadequate. Vegetables and fruits don't need to be too much, but cannot be omitted.
Recommended breakfast combination plan:
Women: 1 cup of soy milk + 1 whole wheat bread + 1 carrot stir-fried with shredded meat.
Students: 1 bowl of egg noodles + 1 peach + 1 glass of milk; add a banana or yogurt at 10 am.
Elderly: 1 portion of milk oatmeal porridge + 1 portion of tofu; supplement with a banana or apple in the morning.
Best chewing times:
Chew each bite 30 times
Japanese scholars have found that when carcinogenic substances like aflatoxins from moldy food are mixed with saliva and then applied to animal cells, the toxicity of strong carcinogens almost completely disappears. Experts point out that the disinfectant function of saliva lies in its ability to eliminate the superoxide free radicals produced by carcinogens. This digestive and detoxifying process of saliva continues in the stomach for approximately 30 minutes after the food mixed with saliva enters the stomach.
Saliva contains multiple antibacterial elements, which can kill or inhibit many external bacteria such as hemolytic streptococcus, typhoid bacilli, E. coli, and staphylococcus.
Therefore, slow and thorough chewing during meals allows food to mix fully with saliva, which can reduce the ability of carcinogens to produce superoxide free radicals. Chewing each bite 30 times can eliminate superoxide free radicals in food during chewing. Therefore, it is recommended that people chew more when eating, which not only aids digestion but also has an anti-cancer and bactericidal effect.
Best dinner time:
Around 6 pm
Many families rush through breakfast, lunch is improvised, and the day's nutritional supplementation is placed on dinner, unaware that problematic dinners are the root cause of many diseases.
Studies show that eating less for dinner leads to better sleep. Dinner should be eaten until eight-tenths full, with the feeling of not being hungry as the measure. The best time for dinner should be arranged around 6 pm, and try not to exceed 9 pm. Moreover, do not go to bed within four hours after dinner, allowing the evening meal to be fully digested.
Dinner should mainly consist of light foods. If dinner is too greasy, excessive fat intake can cause an increase in blood lipids, leading to arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Excessive protein intake can increase the metabolic burden on the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidneys, which is very harmful to patients with liver and kidney diseases.
Optimal ratio of three meals:
3:4:3
Nowadays, many people have become accustomed to the inverted pyramid-style diet of "eating less for breakfast, eating well for lunch, and eating full for dinner." Moreover, many families serve lavish dinners filled with chicken, duck, fish, meat, and eggs, all high-protein, high-fat, and high-energy foods. These can enhance the coagulation of lipids, easily depositing on the walls of blood vessels, prompting arteriosclerosis and thrombus formation, and can also lead the liver to produce more low-density and very low-density lipoproteins, transporting excessive cholesterol to the arterial walls and worsening the situation. As age increases, the human body's ability to handle sugar decreases. Concentrating daily caloric intake at dinner accelerates the decline of glucose tolerance, increasing the burden on the pancreas, promoting pancreatic aging, and eventually leading to diabetes and various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Experts suggest: The proportion of food intake for the three meals of the day should be determined according to each person's living habits and health conditions. Generally speaking, the ratio of breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be 3:4:3, ensuring energy supply during activities while allowing the gastrointestinal tract to rest during sleep.