What is the high-protein diet that doctors talk about? How to eat it?

What is the high-protein diet that doctors talk about? How to eat it?

In the hospital, you often hear doctors say things like:

Even for those who have recovered from the disease some time ago, the American Nutrition Society recommends that a high-protein diet and adequate water intake during the recovery period can help us recover as soon as possible.

So what is the high-protein diet that doctors talk about, and how do we eat it in our daily lives?

Protein is one of the basic components of our human body. It is also the main component of immune organs, immune cells and immune factors. A high-protein diet means that the protein content is higher than a normal diet. Patients without underlying diseases are recommended to take in 1.2~1.5g/(kg·d) of protein.

Can everyone eat a high-protein diet?

Indications for a high protein diet:

1. Patients who are obviously emaciated and malnourished: A high-protein diet can help absorb nutrients, maintain muscle mass, and maintain normal body function, etc.

2. Patients after trauma or before and after surgery: During the recovery period after trauma, a large amount of protein is needed to provide raw materials for the body's recovery and promote wound healing. Eating a high-protein diet before surgery can not only speed up wound healing, but also increase the body's resistance to infection. If protein intake is insufficient during the recovery period of surgery, not only will the wound heal slowly, but the chance of infection will also increase due to decreased immunity.

3. Burn patients: The basal metabolic rate of burn patients increases, and protein consumption also increases. The repair of burn wounds cannot be separated from protein. At this time, a high-protein diet can greatly improve the healing of burn patients' tissues and wounds and improve their overall immune function.

4. Cancer patients with normal renal function: Due to the consumption of the tumor, protein consumption increases, causing severe malnutrition and protein deficiency, so they need to eat a high-protein diet.

5. Patients with chronic wasting diseases, such as tuberculosis, ulcerative colitis, etc.

6 Others: Pregnant women, nursing mothers, growing and developing children and adolescents at certain stages, etc.

Who should not eat a high-protein diet?

Contraindications:

1. For those who are allergic to protein, eating a high-protein diet will aggravate the allergic symptoms and even endanger their lives.

2. Patients with chronic kidney disease or uremia: Protein intake needs to be limited, because high-protein foods will produce more waste and toxins in the body, which cannot be excreted in time. Excessive accumulation will seriously endanger kidney health.

3. Others, such as patients with acute pancreatitis after abdominal surgery, and patients with acute gastroenteritis, should not eat high-protein foods, otherwise it will affect the recovery of the disease and even cause harm to the body.

How do we eat high-protein food in our daily life?

High protein food sources:

①Animal high-protein foods such as fish, poultry, eggs, lean meat, milk and dairy products

According to the recommendations in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022", each adult should eat fish twice a week or 300-500g, and 300-500g of livestock and poultry meat, and choose fish rich in n-3 unsaturated fatty acids in moderation, such as salmon, hairtail, small yellow croaker, etc., and eat less fatty, smoked, pickled and deep-processed meat products.

Eggs: The protein content is as high as 13%, and the human body's absorption rate can be as high as 98%. It is recommended to use a lighter cooking method, less oil, less salt, and try to eat both the egg white and the egg yolk.

Milk and dairy products: For special groups such as pregnant women, children and the elderly, it is recommended to consume 300 to 500 grams of milk and dairy products per day, and more than 300 ml/d for adults. As a fermented product of milk, yogurt not only retains all the nutrients in milk, but also contains certain probiotics and has high nutritional value.

②Plant proteins such as soybeans, soy products and dried fruits are rich in high-quality protein.

Eat 25-35 grams of soybeans and nuts every day. For example, you can eat some bean products such as tofu, dried bean curd, and bean skin, which are easy to chew and digest and have more balanced nutrition. It is not recommended to eat bean products such as fermented bean curd and black beans because they contain more sodium.

Author: Guan Juan, Emergency Department, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital

The pictures are taken from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please let us know and they will be deleted.