Nowadays, substitute meals are popular with young people. At present, the mainstream substitute food includes substitute meal powder, substitute meal milkshake, substitute meal porridge, substitute meal snack, protein bar, etc. they are generally associated with convenience, low fat and weight loss. The popularity of substitute meals is closely related to the fact that young people pay attention to weight management and pursue a healthy lifestyle. So, is substitute food safe? Can we really "lie thin"? Recently, the official account of WeChat public in Jiangsu market indicates that the current national standard of substitute food is lacking, which has led to the inevitable problems of uneven in quality, excessive marketing and false propaganda. In practical use, the effects are also different. Jiangsu market supervision department reminded that substitute food is only a "tool" in the process of fat reduction, not a simple substitute for substitute food. In addition, the contents of nutrients such as vitamins, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc of each substitute meal variety are different. Eating the same substitute meal for a long time is easy to cause malnutrition. "Substitute food cannot be eaten for a long time." Sun Guiju, member of the special committee of Jiangsu Provincial Food Safety Committee and doctoral supervisor of the school of public health of Southeast University, said that the use of substitute food is for the purpose of weight control. It is time-based and should not be used for a long time, but it can be used intermittently. Because some products on the market have low energy and do not strengthen nutrients, the nutrient content is low, which will lead to the lack of dietary nutrients. It is suggested that when the weight reaches a certain ideal range, we should restore normal diet, properly control energy and increase exercise, eat more dietary fiber and achieve energy balance in order to maintain a healthy weight. Is it suitable for everyone to reduce fat on behalf of meals, and who is not suitable? Sun Guiju said that substitute meals are mainly for overweight and obese people. In fact, ordinary people who reduce fat don't need to use substitute meals. Proper diet control and exercise are the healthiest. It is not recommended that pregnant women, lactating women, infants, children, patients and the elderly eat substitute food. In addition, substitute food generally has a high content of dietary fiber, which is not suitable for those with gastrointestinal dysfunction and incomplete digestive function. How to buy substitute food correctly? Sun Guiju suggested that we should pay attention to the selection of large brands, especially the content of food labels. First, we should look at the composition of formula components, and second, we should look at the value table of nutritional components. We should give priority to products with more components and high content of main nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, zinc and calcium. It is suggested that we can refer to the group standard of substitute food issued by the Chinese Nutrition Society (T / CNSs 002-2019). It is specially reminded that if the purchased product is a health food with weight loss function with blue hat approved by the state, it shall be taken according to its product manual and label. (outlook new era)