Recently, the U.S. News and World Report website announced its annual ranking of the world’s best diets. Among the 39 diets, the Mediterranean diet once again took the lead, while the Deshu diet and the flexible vegetarian diet were tied for second place.
Which way of eating is closer to our lifestyle?
Top 3 best diets
The concept of “Mediterranean diet” emerged in the 20th century. It has been found that the residents of the Mediterranean region have a lower probability of suffering from diseases such as the “three highs” and a longer average life expectancy. So some people have suggested that their diet contributes to health and longevity. Later, scientific research institutions in many countries conducted many large-scale epidemiological investigations.
An epidemiological survey of more than 1.5 million people shows that the Mediterranean diet helps reduce the risk of death from heart disease and cancer, and also reduces the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
But the so-called “Mediterranean diet” is not a diet designed by nutritionists, but a summary of the dietary habits of people in the Mediterranean. It roughly includes: mainly plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts, etc.; replacing butter with healthy fats (such as olive oil); replacing salt with plant seasonings and spices; limiting red meat consumption , Eat up to several times a month; eat fish and poultry at least twice a week; drink red wine in moderation (but not necessary).
In addition, proper exercise and meals with family and friends are also considered part of the Mediterranean diet.
“Deshu Diet” is a translation of DASH, which is a “hypertensive diet” formulated by the American Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Its three basic principles are: focus on plant foods, emphasizing vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products; try to reduce the total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet; reduce the intake of salt.
The basic concept of “flexible vegetarian diet” is consistent with the Mediterranean diet and the Deshu diet. Both emphasize plant-based foods and moderate consumption of animal foods.
The core concepts of these three dietary styles are the same, but they are different in focus. For example, the three dietary styles all emphasize plant-based foods, and advocate eating more fish and poultry, and less red meat. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes “healthy fats”, which is mainly related to the abundance of seafood and olive oil in the Mediterranean region. The Deshu diet places more emphasis on salt reduction because its main target is people with high blood pressure. These two diets are also tied for first in the best heart diet.
The top three on the “best diet” list are basically the same as the healthy diet recommended by modern nutrition. However, there is still a lack of clear scientific evidence on whether features that are inconsistent with modern nutrition recommendations, especially some practices in the Mediterranean diet based on “phenomenon summaries”, are beneficial to health. For example, the American Heart Association believes that although the calories from fat in the Mediterranean diet are mainly unsaturated fat, it will not increase the risk of heart disease, but it will lead to an increase in obesity. In the Mediterranean region, obesity has gradually attracted attention.
Create a “healthy diet” for the Chinese
There are more than a dozen countries in the Mediterranean, and in each country and in different regions of the same country, people have different dietary patterns. If you want to maintain your health through the concept of “Mediterranean diet”, there is actually no need to tout a particular food. Instead, you should start with the most important aspect of the characteristics of the Mediterranean diet.
For the Chinese, our products and ingredients are very different from those in the Mediterranean. If we pursue the “Mediterranean diet” mechanically, it will not be easy to achieve. We can start from the core concepts of Mediterranean diet, Deshu diet and flexible vegetarian diet to form our own healthy diet.
Specifically, the foods we need to eat as much as possible are: vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Let these plant foods account for most of the recipe, and try to eat fresh and lightly processed foods, avoid deep processing; fish, etc. For aquatic products at least twice a week, try to use steaming, stewing and other cooking methods to avoid deep frying and other high-temperature and oily cooking methods.
Foods that should be eaten in moderation as part of a healthy diet: simple processed, original nuts as snacks; milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products as sources of high-quality protein and calcium; lean poultry can be used as a source of meat.
Other foods that should be minimized include saturated fats such as lard, butter, butter, and cream, and use unsaturated fats instead. There is no need to pursue olive oil. Camellia oil is a cost-effective and high-priced alternative, and double-low rapeseed oil is a cost-effective and “economically applicable” alternative. Corn oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil are also acceptable choices.
Salt and sugar should be reduced as much as possible, and other seasonings and spices can be used to improve the flavor of food.
At the same time, fresh red meat such as pork, beef, and lamb can be eaten in small amounts, while processed meat products such as ham sausage, sausage, bacon, cured meat, and canned food should be eaten as little as possible.
The most capable of losing weight is not the best
For healthy eating, many people think of weight loss first. In fact, “weight loss” is only one aspect of health. A healthy diet may not be equally good at losing weight. For example, the Mediterranean diet only ranks 15th in the “best diet for weight loss” ranking.
For a healthy diet, we must not only seek to contribute to health, but also consider whether it is easy to adhere to—for example, whether food is easy to obtain, whether it is easy to implement, etc.
Some dietary styles can bring significant effects in the short term, but they are difficult for people to adhere to for a long time. They may also lead to malnutrition and lack of long-term health effects. This way of eating is not worth recommending.
The “Dukan Diet” at the bottom of the list is a typical example. Its core is lean meat, oat bran, and water as the main food, walking for 20 minutes a day. This diet restricts carbohydrate intake and forces the body to metabolize fat, thereby achieving rapid weight loss. From the results, it can lose weight quickly. However, on the one hand, this diet is like eating feed, which makes people lose the pleasure of eating, so it is not easy to stick to it. Once the regular diet is restored, the weight lost will be reduced. Will rebound; on the other hand, long-term intake of a large amount of protein will cause nutritional imbalance, which will have adverse effects on the body.
Another diet based on the same concept to lose weight-the ketogenic diet, has quite a lot of followers in our country. The core of the ketogenic diet is “a lot of fat, a small amount of protein, and as few carbohydrates as possible.” In terms of rapid weight loss, it has a more obvious effect. However, the human body is naturally powered by carbohydrates. Forcing it to use fat for energy is like forcing a car to use alcohol as fuel. Even if it can run, the potential damage is multi-faceted. No wonder the ketogenic diet ranks second from the bottom. Together with the Dukan diet, it is called the “worst diet”.
