Chinese Dietary Guidelines 2022 | Principle 3: Eat more fruits and vegetables, milk, whole grains, and soy

【Core Recommendation】

● Fruits and vegetables, whole grains and dairy products are important components of a balanced diet.

● Include vegetables in every meal and ensure daily intake of no less than 300g of fresh vegetables, of which dark vegetables should account for 1/2.

● Eat fruit every day and make sure to consume 200~350g of fresh fruit every day. Juice cannot replace fresh fruit.

● Eat a variety of dairy products, with the intake equivalent to more than 300ml of liquid milk per day.

● Eat whole grains and soy products regularly, and eat nuts in moderation.

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk, and soybeans are important sources of vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals, and play a key role in improving dietary quality.

【Practical Application】

1. How to choose vegetables and fruits

1. Focus on “Freshness”

Fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables are brightly colored, just like living plants. They are high in water content, rich in nutrients, and have a fresh taste. Eating such fresh fruits and vegetables has many benefits to human health.

2. Choose “color”

According to the color depth, vegetables can be divided into dark vegetables and light vegetables. Dark vegetables refer to dark green, red, orange and purple vegetables, which have nutritional advantages, especially rich in beta-carotene, which is the main source of dietary vitamin A. You should pay attention to choosing more.

3. More “Quality”

When choosing and buying vegetables, you should change them frequently, at least 3 to 5 kinds a day (Table 1). Summer and autumn are the seasons with the most abundant fruits. Different fruits have different sweetness and nutrient content. You should eat at least 1 to 2 kinds a day, and seasonal fruits are preferred.

Table 1: Common types of vegetables

2. How to achieve the goal of adequate fruit and vegetable intake

1. Eat vegetables at every meal

In a meal, first make sure that vegetables account for about 1/2 of the weight, so as to meet the daily "quantity" goal.

2. Eat fruit every day

Choose fresh, seasonal fruit, buy a variety of different kinds, and place the fruit where it is easy to see and reach at home or at work so that you can eat it at any time.

3. Clever combination of fruits and vegetables : Focus on vegetable dishes and try some new recipes and combinations to let colorful fruits and vegetables decorate the table and cheer you up.

3. Cooking Skillfully to Preserve Vegetable Nutrition

1. Wash before cutting

2. Serve with soup

3. Stir-fry quickly

4. Eat immediately after frying

4. How to eat more milk and soy

1. Choose a variety of dairy products

Compared with liquid milk, yogurt, cheese, and milk powder have different flavors and different protein concentrations, so you can try more and enrich your diet.

2. Soybeans and their products can be eaten frequently in different ways

Tofu, dried tofu, shredded tofu and other products can be rotated every week to change the taste and meet nutritional needs (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Food swaps for legumes (by protein content)

3. Consider dairy products and soy products as essential components of your diet

It is actually not difficult to achieve the equivalent of 300 ml of liquid milk per day (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Dairy products equivalent to 300 ml of liquid milk per day (based on calcium content)

Source of calcium content data: "Standard Edition of Chinese Food Composition Table (6th Edition, Volume 2)", 2019.

5. Whole grains and beans as important components of the diet

1. Whole grains, a good dietary partner

It is recommended to eat 50 to 150 grams of whole grain foods every day, which is equivalent to 1/4 to 1/3 of the daily grain intake.

2. Use red beans, mung beans and pinto beans wisely

Mixed beans can be eaten with staple foods to play the role of balancing nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin B, potassium, magnesium, etc., and improve protein complementarity and utilization.

3. Make good use of modern cooking utensils

Whole grains feel rough when eaten, and beans are difficult to cook. Consumers who are accustomed to the soft taste of refined rice and flour should learn appropriate cooking methods when using whole grains and beans in the early stages.

6. Nuts are good, but not in excess

Moderate intake is good for health, and its energy should be included in the total energy of three meals a day.

7. Develop a good habit of eating a variety of foods from an early age

Parents should pay attention to the cultivation of healthy eating behaviors in their children from a young age, and create a healthy eating atmosphere in daily life to increase their children's preference for vegetables, fruits, milk, beans and other foods. Parents should also set an example themselves so that children can learn from them and adapt to a balanced diet with diverse foods.

【Key Facts】

● Fruits and vegetables provide rich micronutrients, dietary fiber and phytochemicals.

● Increasing the intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Increasing the intake of whole grains can reduce weight gain.

● Increasing the total intake of vegetables and the intake of cruciferous vegetables and green leafy vegetables can reduce the risk of lung cancer.

● Eating more vegetables, fruits and whole grains can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

● Milk and its products can increase bone density in children and adolescents; yogurt can improve constipation and lactose intolerance.

● Soybeans and their products contain a variety of substances beneficial to health, and are beneficial in reducing the risk of osteoporosis and breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

1. Current status and trends of Chinese residents’ intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk, legumes, and nuts

According to the 2015 Chinese Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Monitoring Data, the average daily intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk, soy and nuts per standard person was 265.9g, 38.1g, 16.3g, 25.9g and 13.9g, respectively, all lower than the recommended intake in the current Chinese Dietary Guidelines (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Daily intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk, soy and nuts by Chinese residents

2. Nutritional characteristics and dietary contributions of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk, beans, and nuts

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk and beans are important components of the human diet. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals needed by the human body. Milk and soybeans are also important sources of high-quality protein.

In the diet of people of different age groups, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy products and legumes all play an important role in meeting the human body's needs for micronutrients and dietary fiber.

Figure 4: Contribution of different types of food to some nutrients in a 2000 kcal balanced diet

Considering the current situation that the intake of vegetables by Chinese residents has decreased, the intake of fruits, whole grains, milk and beans has not changed significantly but is still at a relatively low level, and the contribution of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, milk and soy products to dietary nutrients, this should be the main reason for the generally low intake of retinol, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C and calcium by adults over 18 years old in my country. Therefore, it is recommended to eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, milk and soy products to increase the intake of β-carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C and calcium, which is an effective measure and important guarantee to improve the overall insufficient intake of dietary micronutrients by Chinese residents and reduce the occurrence of malnutrition.

3. Vegetables, fruits, milk, beans and health

Table 2: Relationship between vegetables, fruits, milk and its products, soy and its products, and nuts and health

author:

Yang Yuexin | Director of the Dietary Guidelines Revision Expert Committee, Professor of the Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Tian Su | Secretary of the Dietary Guidelines Revision Expert Committee, Associate Professor of Hebei Medical University