What are the "Ten Fists" dietary principles for the elderly?

　　elderly Grasp the "ten fists" of diet to maintain a balanced diet healthy

　　A good dietary structure and habits are not only beneficial to health, but can also delay aging and prevent disease , especially to prevent obesity and cancer , cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and osteoporosis and other chronic sexually transmitted diseases occurrence.

　　Recently, the Elderly Nutrition Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society proposed the "Ten Fists" principle for a balanced diet for the elderly. The reporter interviewed a well-known nutrition expert, East China University affiliated to Fudan University Hospital clinical Professor Sun Jianqin, director of the Nutrition Center, asked her to interpret these "ten fists" for everyone.

　　Experts from the Geriatric Nutrition Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society recently summarized the "Ten Fists" principle for the elderly's daily meals to help the elderly simply, clearly and vividly remember the approximate daily intake of various foods, and estimate the weight of the food based on the size of their fists. The weight of a fist of raw food is approximately 150 grams.

　　“The "Ten Fists" principle is specifically:

　　Two fists of cereals (a variety of staple foods, including whole grains, beans and potatoes)； Five fists of fruits and vegetables ； A fistful of meat (including fish, poultry, eggs, meat) ； Two fistfuls of milk and soy products (including milk, its products, and soy products).

　　At the same time, relevant experts from the Elderly Nutrition Branch also added four "Dietary Guidelines for the Elderly" based on the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", that is, the Dietary Guidelines for the General Population, based on the characteristics of the elderly:

　　1. Pay attention to the prevention of malnutrition and anemia；

　　2. Arrange your diet reasonably and improve your quality of life.；

　　3. Food should be of good thickness, soft, and easy to digest and absorb.；

　　Fourth, do more outdoor activities and maintain a healthy weight.

　　two fists of cereal

　　Cereals are very rich in nutrients and are an important source of vitamin B1 and dietary fiber needed by the human body.

　　More and more scientific research shows that a dietary structure based on plant-based foods can avoid the defects caused by the high-energy, high-fat and low dietary fiber dietary patterns in developed countries such as Europe and the United States, and is beneficial to the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer.

　　With the improvement of living standards and changes in food taste requirements, grain processing is becoming more and more sophisticated. Although refined rice noodles are white, delicate and taste good, the biggest disadvantage is that they lose a lot of nutrients. Cereals are the main source of B vitamins and are rich in soluble dietary fiber, minerals, etc. Most of these nutrients are found in the cortex and grain germ of rice noodles. The more refined the grain processing, the greater the loss of nutrients. If you eat refined white rice noodles for a long time, it will cause insufficient intake of B vitamins and dietary fiber.

　　Professor Sun Jianqin suggested that the elderly should choose 2 to 3 or more varieties of cereals every day, and consciously choose more coarse grains to match the thickness. It is best for the elderly to eat 200 to 300 grams of cereals every day, of which whole grains and miscellaneous grains should account for 50 to 100 grams.

　　Five fists of fruits and vegetables

　　Vegetables and fruits have the "Four Treasures": they are rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and various antioxidant substances. They are alkaline in human metabolism and can neutralize the acidic physique caused by the metabolism of animal foods, playing a special role in maintaining human health.

　　A large number of studies have shown that vegetables and fruits are the first choice for the prevention of most tumors, and they also play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease, obesity, cataracts, etc. In particular, the effect of dark-colored vegetables and fruits such as red, yellow, and green is more obvious.

　　The elderly should try their best to eat 400g to 500g of vegetables every day, of which dark vegetables should preferably account for half； Eat 200g to 400g of fruit. Make sure to have one to two vegetables at each meal and two to three fruits every day.

　　a fistful of meat

　　As age increases, the elderly's digestive function gradually weakens, their food intake gradually decreases, and they are prone to deficiencies in protein, vitamin A, B1, B2, calcium, iron, etc. Fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat are good sources of high-quality protein, lipids, fat-soluble vitamins, B vitamins and minerals. Therefore, the elderly should often eat fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat, ensuring a daily intake of 50g to 100g of fish, shrimp, poultry, 50g of livestock meat, and 25g to 50g of eggs.

　　Professor Sun Jianqin reminded that pork contains high levels of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, and excessive intake may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the elderly should eat less fat meat and offal. Fish generally have lower fat content and more unsaturated fatty acids. Some seafood fish are rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which have a certain effect on preventing dyslipidemia and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Poultry also has lower fat content and higher unsaturated fatty acid content, and its fatty acid composition is also better than livestock fat. Eggs are rich in high-quality protein and have a relatively complete range of nutrients.

　　Two fists of milk and soy products

　　Research shows that the calcium intake of the elderly in my country is far lower than the recommended intake, and as age increases, the elderly's need for calcium also greatly increases. In order to protect the health of bones and teeth in middle-aged and elderly people and prevent diseases related to calcium deficiency, the elderly should pay special attention to drinking milk. Professor Sun Jianqin pointed out that the elderly should ensure to drink 1 to 2 cups of milk every day, and it is best to choose low-fat milk.

　　In addition to being good for bone health, milk can also help lower blood pressure. Some components in milk fat also have certain anti-cancer and anti-cancer effects. Therefore, humans should not be "weaned" throughout their lives.

　　Soybeans are not only rich in high-quality protein and essential vitamins for the human body, but also contain soy oligosaccharides, isoflavones, plant sterols and other phytochemicals, which are beneficial to cardiovascular protection and tumor prevention. The elderly should eat about 100 grams of soy products every day.