The assorted vegetarian dishes, such as marinated rice with peach gum, beeswax persimmon, golden mushroom roll in sauce, cumin monkey mushroom string, are becoming the new favorites of everyone. In recent years, with the high incidence of chronic diseases such as hyperlipemia, coronary heart disease and diabetes, vegetarian food has been more and more praised by some people. "Vegetarian restaurants" often appear on some popular App lists. However, there are many cases of physical diseases caused by blindly advocating and extreme vegetarian diet in life, the most typical of which is various problems caused by malnutrition. What do you think of vegetarianism? What adverse effects does vegetarianism have on the body? How to balance nutrition? Can vegetarianism be equated with health Ten years ago, a documentary "China on the tip of the tongue" was popular all over the country. In the second season of the film "three meals", it is mentioned that more than 50 million Chinese have chosen vegetarian food. In different countries and regions, the proportion and structure of vegetarians are different. "In addition to India, Europe has the largest number of vegetarians in the world, followed by the United States." Zheng Xixi, chief physician of Nephrology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, told reporters that vegetarians in developed countries are more concentrated in young people, and women are more than men. "Vegetarians in China are mainly concentrated in middle-aged and elderly women." A survey on the prevalence of vegetarians in Shanghai by the medical school of Shanghai Jiaotong University shows that vegetarians account for 0.77% of Shanghai residents, with an average age of 65 years and 75% of women. It can be seen that the proportion of vegetarians in China is relatively low, but the absolute number is not small. Indeed, fresh vegetables and fruits contain many beneficial chemicals. Most of them have antioxidant effects and are very good for health. However, for a long time, some people have misunderstood that "element" is equal to health. "Vegetarianism is just a way to choose a diet. Many people equate it with a healthy diet." Chen Wei, chief physician of Clinical Nutrition Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said. "In the famous American nurse health study, the top two foods leading to weight gain are potato chips and fried potatoes, and the drinks are sugary drinks and 100% fruit juice." Zheng Xixi reminded that when residents choose vegetarian food, they should also distinguish between healthy vegetarian food and unhealthy vegetarian food. Vegetarian food is not equal to health. Another misunderstanding is that vegetarians should be insulated from meat or meat products, otherwise they can't be called vegetarian. According to Wang Yu, a nutritionist in charge of the Clinical Nutrition Department of the people's Hospital of Peking University, vegetarian food can be divided into total and semi vegetarian. Total vegetarianism refers to the diet based solely on grains, vegetables, melons and fruits, without contact with all kinds of meat and meat products. "Semi vegetarian is also called elastic vegetarian. Compared with vegetarians, the diet model is not so strict, and there are many different foods included and excluded." Wang Yu said that those who eat dairy products are called lactogen, as well as egg protein, fish protein and egg milk protein. Some people are vegetarian for a period of time and don't eat for a period of time, which is an elastic vegetarian in time. "There are many kinds of vegetarian food, mainly according to the degree of 'vegetarian' in the diet." Zheng Xixi explained that vegetarianism includes pure vegetarians, that is, the most extreme vegetarians. They don't eat food from animals at all, including honey, Geely Ding and other food materials from animals; All vegetarian, do not eat meat, eggs, milk and seafood; Egg milk element, do not eat meat and seafood; Fish vegetarian, you can eat fish, not meat, eggs and milk; Recently, there is also a flexible vegetarian diet to reduce the intake of food from animals, but it is not completely prohibited. In the survey on the prevalence of vegetarian diet in Shanghai, only 15.58% of vegetarians are all vegetarian, and most of the rest belong to semi vegetarian or elastic vegetarian. In addition, not everyone adapts to the vegetarian diet, which should be adjusted to individual conditions and time. "Children need to eat an appropriate amount of meat, eggs, milk, fish and other foods during their development, which is conducive to growth." Liu Wei, director of the preventive care department of the first hospital of traditional Chinese medicine in Changde City, Hunan Province, said that pregnant and lactating women and patients after surgery also need to eat a certain amount of meat, eggs, milk and fish, which is conducive to restoring their physique. In clinical practice, Chen Wei found that some tumor patients listened to the rumor of "starving to death", so they only ate vegetarians instead of meat, resulting in serious malnutrition, "so that we have to supplement patients with higher-level nutrition". How much nutrition will your body lose if you only eat vegetarian The scientific research report on dietary guidelines for Chinese residents (2021) points out that the basic food needed by human beings can be divided into five categories, namely cereal and potato, vegetables and fruits, animal food, soybean nuts and oils. "Different dietary combinations or structures, or too much or too little food for a long time, will cause an imbalance between the supplied energy or nutrients and the needs of the body." Wang Yu said. So, what nutritional deficiencies will be caused by the lack of a large category of food in the diet of vegetarians? "Vegetarianism itself is dominated by Cereals, vegetables, fruits and seeds. The content of dietary fiber is high, and the corresponding protein source and quantity will be insufficient." Chen Wei said that if a vegetarian barely meets his protein needs, once he gets sick, his demand for protein will become higher, so it is difficult to meet the needs of the human body to eat vegetarian. Through combing, the reporter found that vegetarians are prone to lack iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B12 ω- 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, choline and other nutrients. In this regard, we should be alert to the possible health problems caused by vegetarianism. For example, long-term lack of vitamin B12 will lead to numbness of hands and feet and fatigue; Zinc deficiency will lead to anorexia, taste disorder, pica, and slow growth; Lack of vitamin D will affect the absorption of calcium, bone and teeth are not normal, and infants will have rickets, raising the risk of cancer "Vegetarians are more prone to lack of key nutrients, especially iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12." Zheng Xixi added that the total amount of iron in vegetarian diet is not low, but the iron absorption rate from plant sources is low, only 10%, compared with 20% from animal sources. Wang Yu told reporters that she had previously treated a female anemia patient in her 50s. She looked bad and easily tired. When asked, I knew that the patient had not eaten meat for 30 years and insisted on being vegetarian. "Like this iron deficiency anemia, it's best to eat meat, because the meat is heme iron, which is easy to combine with red blood cells." Wang Yu said that some patients with malnutrition in clinical practice are caused by improper vegetarian behavior. "If circumstances permit, it is not recommended to try an all vegetarian diet." Yang runqiang, associate professor of the school of food science and technology of Nanjing Agricultural University, pointed out that if you want to eat semi vegetarian food, it is recommended to eat more whole bean food and whole grain food, and eat more plant-based fermented food, such as Douchi, fermented soymilk, etc. In a long-term clinical study, Chen Wei found that "vegetarianism seems to have no significant improvement on health. On the contrary, the changes in lifestyle brought by vegetarianism are more beneficial to the body, such as the withdrawal of bad living habits such as smoking and drinking". "It is suggested that vegetarians find professional nutritionists to help set up nutritional arrangements. Because there are scientific principles for the nutritional requirements and combination of vegetarians." Chen Wei said that if you don't find a professional doctor, I hope you don't listen to others and blindly adopt an all vegetarian diet. Unreasonable and unscientific vegetarian diet will increase the burden on your body and threaten your life in serious cases. A balanced diet is the first choice for health In the interview, many experts said that if you want to maintain long-term health, a balanced diet is the first choice. The scientific research report on dietary guidelines for Chinese residents (2021) points out that dietary imbalance is the main risk factor for chronic diseases. The global disease burden study shows that unreasonable diet is the most important factor in the occurrence and death of diseases in China. The death of 3.1 million Chinese residents in 2017 can be attributed to unreasonable diet. In fact, the basic principle of balanced diet as the guiding ideology of the dietary structure of the Chinese nation has existed since ancient times. "The Yellow Emperor's Canon of internal medicine puts forward the dietary compatibility principle of 'five grains for feeding, five fruits for helping, five livestock for benefit, five dishes for filling, combined with smell, so as to supplement essence and Qi'." Liu Wei said. Grain is the basic material for human survival. Five livestock replenish the essence and Qi of the five internal organs, five dishes have a synergistic nourishing effect, five fruits supplement nutrition, and all kinds of food are reasonably matched to ensure the supply of necessary heat energy and nutrients for diners. In Liu Wei's opinion, "sincerely adjusting the five flavors, peace and five zang organs" advocates the comprehensive combination of grains and miscellaneous grains, so as to supplement each other's nutrients, enhance the nutritional value of food and adjust and supplement the five zang organs. According to the scientific research report on dietary guidelines for Chinese residents (2021), the most influential healthy dietary patterns in the world are Mediterranean diet and DASH diet. The former is characterized by diverse, light food, simple processing, rich nutrients and high intake of monounsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber. The latter emphasizes eating enough vegetables, fruits and low-fat milk to maintain adequate intake of potassium, magnesium and calcium plasma, and minimize the intake of salt and oil in the diet to effectively reduce blood pressure. When it comes to specific operations, Wang Yu believes that reference can be made to the "pagoda of balanced diet for Chinese residents". For example, cereal food is at the bottom, and each person should eat 250 ~ 400 grams a day; Vegetables and fruits occupy the second layer and should eat 300 ~ 500g and 200 ~ 400g per day; Fish, poultry, meat, eggs and other animal foods are located on the third floor and should eat 125 ~ 225 grams per day; Milk and bean foods account for the fourth layer. You should eat 300 grams of milk and dairy products and 50 grams of beans and bean products every day; Cooking oil and salt are at the top, and the daily cooking oil shall not exceed 25g or 30g, and the salt shall not exceed 6G. On the basis of a balanced diet, we should try our best to "have a festival of food and drink". "Festival includes rhythm, which means eating fast and slow. We should pay attention to chewing carefully and swallowing slowly. Festival also means moderation." Liu Wei said that "eating twice as much as you eat, your intestines and stomach are hurt" and "if you don't enter the valley, your Qi will decline in half a day, and you will have less Qi in one day", which is about the disadvantages of overeating and the harm of starvation. Festival also refers to solar terms, that is to say, we should eat in time and eat more fruits and vegetables naturally produced locally and this season. "When we live here, we get the local Qi; when the Qi of heaven and earth comes to a certain season, we will also get the weather at that time. The food naturally produced here is the most suitable for our health, because these foods are produced by the natural Qi of heaven and earth at this time." Liu Wei added. (outlook new era)