After giving birth to the baby two years ago, Liu Yu obviously felt that he had thought more about “eating”: if he was cooking at home, he must choose Seasonal ingredients are not allowed to eat cold food. She will check what the baby can’t eat after the vaccine; if the family is going out to eat, it will be more stressful – you can’t choose raw food. , You can’t choose spicy hot pot, Sichuan and Hunan dishes, because it is not safe for the baby to approach the grill, and barbecue is also excluded.
Ke Yue, who had just graduated from college and started working, decided to cook by himself after ordering takeout for two consecutive weeks. She purchased Wuchang rice and multigrain rice, and cooked them according to the ratio of 1:1. Low-fat chicken breast and high-protein shrimp are her favorite ingredients, and green vegetables are also a must for every meal.
With the improvement of living standards, people have more and more choices in diet, and have higher and higher requirements for diet quality, not only to eat enough, but also to eat well Well, eat healthy. However, Chinese consumers still lack sufficient awareness of dietary education, namely food education.
“The cultivation and education of good eating habits is easy to say, but not so easy to do. China has carried out some exchanges related to food education in recent years, but it is still not enough, and food education is still not enough. It has not really entered the daily diet of most people.” Dong Ying, a professor at the School of Food and Bioengineering of Jiangsu University and executive director of the Probiotics Branch of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, told China Business News.
In order to understand consumers’ consumption habits, cognitions and preferences for daily diet, as well as their expectations for healthy diet products in terms of ingredients, brands, quality, prices, channels, etc., “First Caijing, together with the “China Food Health Seven Star Alliance” and Yakult, jointly launched a new generation of dietary education survey.
This report aims to outline the status quo, future trends, and consumer awareness and acceptance of dietary education in China, so as to enhance consumers’ understanding of dietary education, and to provide a solid foundation for Chinese food education in China. Strengthening food education at the family, enterprise, government and other levels provides a feasible methodology.
PART-1
Eating healthy is a consensus
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The combination of meat and vegetables, less oil and less salt is the “standard”
This year, 36-year-old Liu Yu began to prefer a lighter diet. As she gets older, she feels that her body’s ability to metabolize oil and salt has diminished.
Ke Yue’s father has diabetes, so she pays extra attention to her sugar intake. When drinking milk tea, she often chooses three-point sugar or no sugar, and she almost never adds sugar when she cooks for herself.
According to the 2012 Nutrition Survey of Chinese Residents, the per capita daily intake of cooking salt for Chinese residents aged 18 and above is 10.5 grams, which is 5 grams recommended by the World Health Organization. The daily intake of edible oil per capita is 42.1 grams, far exceeding the recommended standard of 25 to 30 grams per day in the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents; the daily intake of added sugar is about 30 grams.
In 2019, China established the Healthy China Action Promotion Committee and issued the “Healthy China Action (2019-2030)”, which advocated “three reductions”, namely, reducing salt, reducing oil, and reducing sugar. More and more families are also beginning to pay attention to this.
Our survey results also show that most respondents have formed a basic health awareness in their daily diet, and nearly 70% of the respondents will focus on eating less oil and less oil Salt, and 52.57% of consumers emphasized sugar control.
In addition to controlling the use of seasonings, a reasonable mix is also the key to consumers’ daily diet. More than 70% of the interviewed consumers emphasized the combination of meat and vegetables in their diets, more than half of them would guarantee to eat fruits every day, and nearly half of them paid special attention to the intake of dairy products.
Eating healthy has become the consensus of Chinese consumers.
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Demand is increasingly subdivided, and gut health is a “just need” for moms
At the same time, the needs of different groups of people for healthy eating are increasingly segmented.
People of all ages often have different health problems. Our survey found that the most common problem for children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 25 is slow growth, while the biggest problem for people aged 25 to 40 is obesity, and high blood lipids and high cholesterol are the most common problems for people over 40 years old. to the problem.
Among them, children and adolescents are in a critical period of growth and development, and their health issues often receive special attention. Young mothers pay special attention to their children’s diet and intestinal health, and pay attention to their children’s complexion and bowel movements every day.
In fact, most of the health problems common to teens are related to the human body’s gut health and their eating habits. Dong Ying introduced that there is a microbial community living in the human intestine, called the intestinal flora, which can be regarded as a major “organ” of the human body. Studies have found that the gut microbiota is related to functions such as digestion, metabolism, and immunity. The changes, instability and diversity of the gut microbiota are the characteristics of a series of intestinal dysfunction, metabolism and immune diseases.
“An unbalanced diet of people may cause an imbalance of intestinal flora, and the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria is disrupted, leading to some health problems. It may cause constipation and diarrhea.” Dong Ying explained.
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Diet modification can solve many health problems
Due to her busy work schedule, Liu Yu often relies on takeaways and cafeterias to solve his three meals. When he is stressed, he also prefers more flavorful dishes such as barbecue and hot pot. But if the two-year-old is at home, she will definitely go back and cook for the baby herself. She usually chooses to make light complementary food, or make some original fish, shrimp, etc. without seasoning. In addition, she will specially let the baby eat some fruit and yogurt. “Sometimes if you eat too much milk powder, your intestines will be very dry, so some probiotics will be appropriately supplemented to keep the intestines open.” Liu Yu told the “First Financial” magazine.
Every day, Liu Yu observes the baby’s bowel movements, judges the baby’s intestinal health, and adjusts the diet accordingly. “If the bowel movement is dry, you may need to add some fruits and the like. If it is too thin, you need to see what the problem is, whether eating cold food such as watermelon has caused diarrhea.” Liu Yu said.
Actually, many health problems can be improved through dietary modification. Our survey shows that 69.7% of the respondents would choose to change their eating habits to help manage their health problems, and 60.6% of the respondents chose food conditioning, which even exceeded the proportion of respondents who chose to take medicine and see a doctor.
“It is very important to learn how to properly match meals in daily life, ensure the intake of nutrients required by the human body, as well as regular exercise, adequate sleep, and emotional management. For intestinal health problems, Probiotics can also be supplemented in an appropriate amount every day.” Yuji Matsuura, managing director of Yakult (China) Investment Co., Ltd., told China Business News. For consumers, the probiotic diet that is often exposed to in daily life may be Yakult.
Liu Yu occasionally feels gastrointestinal discomfort. Whenever this symptom occurs, she immediately stops coffee and high-calorie food and goes home to cook millet porridge. In order to prevent diarrhea and other problems caused by acclimatization during business trips, she also supplements some probiotics every time she goes out of town.
Probiotic supplementation is an effective means of regulating intestinal problems. As a living microorganism, its health effects have actually gone from maintaining the balance of intestinal flora, improving intestinal discomfort symptoms such as diarrhea and constipation, and gradually deepening to irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, diabetes and other related diseases. field. In recent years, probiotics have also shown positive effects in the direction of the gut-brain axis, the gut-liver axis, and the gut-kidney axis.
Dong Ying introduced that a sufficient amount of probiotics can prevent pathogenic bacteria from adhering or multiplying in the intestine after entering the intestine, and can also change the permeability of the intestinal wall. In addition, some metabolites of probiotics, such as short-chain fatty acids, can inhibit the growth and proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, protect intestinal health, and enhance human immunity.
PART-2
Food Education in Developing China
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Food education, not just eating more fruits and vegetables
Although the combination of meat and vegetables and eating more fruits and vegetables have been integrated into the Chinese daily diet concept, Chinese consumers still lack a systematic and scientific understanding of the nutritional element structure of the diet and the nutritional content of food. .
Currently, most consumers focus on nutritional content only on protein, vitamins and calcium, while lack of awareness and attention to other nutrients. The survey results show that only 26.6% of the respondents will pay attention to the intake of probiotics in their daily diet, and 11.4% of the respondents will pay attention to trace elements such as iodine.
This has something to do with the limited channels for Chinese consumers to acquire nutritional knowledge. Our survey found that more than 70% of consumers will learn about diet and nutrition through books and professional media, 65.1% of consumers will get relevant information from social media, and 42.9% of consumers will pass word of mouth from friends and acquaintances. Get information.
Liu Yu learned about the diet and nutritional structure that many babies need from nutritionists at the Confinement Center, doctors at the Physical Examination Center, and social media such as Xiaohongshu.
When the baby was just born, the nutritionist at the Confinement Center told Liu Yu that the baby needed vitamin D3 supplements to promote calcium absorption, and also needed to eat enough milk powder to ensure protein intake adequate. During the baby’s regular physical examination, the doctor sent Liu Yu a pamphlet containing dietary guidelines for children, which mentioned the recommended intake of carbohydrates, vegetables, meat and other foods.
At the same time, Liu Yu also found that the mixed information on social platforms caused some parents to feel anxious, so they unnecessarily supplemented their children with some extra nutrients, “There is a kind of don’t want to loseThe feeling of being at the starting line.”
Liu Yu often sees relevant posts on Xiaohongshu, recommending parents to give their children calcium tablets, DHA or fish oil, or even oral iron. But in fact, if you pay attention to the nutritional composition and matching of food, you can get enough calcium, iron, DHA, etc. through the daily diet. Not every child needs additional supplements.
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Healthy snacks, would you choose?
Imperfect food education is also reflected in the selection of snacks. Today, deliciousness still seems to be the primary criterion for Chinese consumers, and they pay less attention to whether snacks are healthy and how nutritious they are. In general, families with children are relatively more health-conscious in the purchase of snacks, and they have the highest proportion of choosing yogurt and nuts.
Most households have developed the habit of consuming dairy products, and nearly 60% of the respondents keep yogurt at home. However, consumers’ awareness of live lactic acid bacteria milk drinks that also contain active lactic acid bacteria is far from enough. Only 1/5 of the respondents have the habit of purchasing live lactic acid bacteria milk drinks.
Although both contain active lactic acid bacteria, the types of lactic acid bacteria in ordinary yogurt and live lactic acid bacteria milk drinks are not exactly the same. Ordinary yogurt is generally fermented by adding lactic acid bacteria to fresh milk after sterilization. According to the international food standard fermented milk standard (Codex standards 243-2003), the lactic acid bacteria commonly used in yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which mainly play a role in fermentation. It does not have strong tolerance to human digestive juices. The lactic acid bacteria contained in the live bacteria-type lactic acid bacteria milk drink are relatively active, which can resist the human digestive juice and reach the intestinal tract alive. The representative brand of such drinks, Yakult, contains 10 billion active lactic acid bacteria in a 100ml bottle.
At present, the probiotic products in the Chinese market mainly include live-bacteria lactic acid bacteria milk drinks, probiotic powder, etc. Big brands such as Yili, Yakult and Junlebao also participate. But in Dong Ying’s view, Chinese consumers’ intake of probiotics is far from enough.
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Systematic and comprehensive food education is on the way
In fact, food education covers a wide range, including not only the cultivation of good eating habits, the education of scientific knowledge of nutrition, but also the education of harmony between man and nature, man and the environment, and food culture. inheritance. Obviously, Chinese consumers pay less attention to the latter two aspects.
In our survey, more than 80% of consumers adhere to reasonable dietary habits, and more than 60% of consumers emphasize reducing waste, but less than 1/3 Consumers will pay attention to using environmentally friendly tableware, and only 14% of consumers will deliberately choose sustainable ingredients.
Even Liu Yu, who is quite conscious of healthy eating, said that when shopping for food, she still pays the most attention to the food itself. She is basically concerned about the production process or whether the packaging is environmentally friendly. will not be considered. “Unless its marketing really impresses me, or its packaging is really fresh and appealing to me, I may not pay for its eco-friendly concept.”
In fact, more and more food companies have been actively engaged in environmental protection and low-carbon actions, reducing carbon emissions and water use in the production process of factories. For example, Yakult has participated in the “Million Tree Planting Project” public welfare activities for several consecutive years, and continued to donate trees to the Horqin area of Inner Mongolia. However, consumers’ awareness of shopping needs to be further strengthened.
“We humans must have a sense of awe for the earth, save food, protect the environment, respect animals, and fully recognize the issues of food and sustainable development. Compared with developed countries, we should There are still many gaps.” Dong Ying also said.
PART-3
Food can be everywhere
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Start by cooking your own meals
Food education was first proposed by the Japanese health expert Ishizuka Zuo Xuan. In the final analysis, food education is to cultivate people who have good eating habits and can lead a healthy eating life through education on various dietary concepts, nutritional knowledge, food safety, etc., as well as a variety of cooking, planting and other experiences.
Family should be the most basic unit of food education. Parents’ precepts and deeds in diet are the most direct education for their children.
Dong Ying noticed that a family of three living next door to her own house has takeaway bags left at the door every day. Her daughter and mother who are in high school have typical obesity problems. “Family education is very important, especially for the younger generation. They should cook more by themselves and be able to achieve a balanced diet. There should also be a family food education manual to guide these parents to learn and practice.”
Our survey found that the proportion of the respondents themselves and their children who could cook during their school days is actually not low. Nearly 40% of the respondents could cook by themselves, and nearly 40% of them knew how to cook by themselves. of respondents cook both themselves and their children.
Generally speaking, teenagers in lower-tier cities and townships are exposed to cooking earlier and participate in daily cooking at home. Our survey also shows that parents in second-tier cities and lower-tier cities are more likely to support their children in learning how to cook and cook in primary school, while the proportion of parents who think their children are too young and should focus on learning is higher in first-tier cities than in other cities. high.
In May of this year, the Ministry of Education released the “Compulsory Education Labor Curriculum Standards (2022 Edition)” and required it to be implemented from the fall semester of 2022. It is mentioned that students in grades 5 and 6 should learn to use simple cooking methods such as frying, frying and stewing to make 2 to 3 home-cooked dishes. Nutritious recipes for a lunch or dinner to see how different cooking methods relate to food nutrition.
Driven by policies, parents in high-tier cities have also begun to attach importance to cultivating their children’s cooking skills. As many as 78.1% of parents in first-tier cities support their children in learning how to cook and cook in primary school.
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A plethora of food education activities are coming
In addition to cooking, more and more urban residents are also actively participating in activities such as orchard picking and farming experiences, leaving the city on weekends to enjoy rural life. 76.9% of the respondents expressed their willingness to take their family members to participate in farm and orchard picking activities, and 46.6% of the respondents would experience farm work with their families. Ke Yue, who lives in a third-tier city, often drives with his family to pick cherries and strawberries in orchards dozens of kilometers away.
In general, higher-income families prefer activities with strong interactive experiences. In addition to general activities such as picking, cooking classes and summer camps on related topics are also very popular; and Families with relatively low incomes are most receptive to diet and nutrition lectures that can acquire relevant knowledge.
Of course, these activities are neither good nor bad in themselves, they are all great ways to advance food education at the family level. Through picking activities, children can learn about the growth and cultivation methods of different vegetables and fruits, understand seasonal vegetables and fruits, and cultivate the concept of seasonal diet; cooking classes help to establish the concept of balanced diet and nutrition, and can also learn a kind of Important life skills; farm work experience can make children feel the difficulty of labor and cultivate the concept of food saving; diet and nutrition lectures can provide more comprehensive and systematic knowledge.
Yakult also organized parent-child food classes, food education summer camp factory visits, science LIVE shows and other activities, which were loved by children. Through entertaining and entertaining, children can learn about the structure of the human digestive tract, dietary pagodas, intestinal flora and other related knowledge while playing, and acquire skills related to healthy eating.
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Going to the vegetable market is also a kind of food education
Actually, there is no need to blindly pursue those fashionable activities. Taking children to go to the market and supermarket is a good opportunity for food education. Our survey shows that 60% of the respondents will take their children to participate in the purchase of daily ingredients.
During this process, parents can guide their children to choose food and introduce them to the pros and cons of various foods and their nutritional value to the human body. More than 80% of the respondents will guide their children to choose vegetables and fruits when visiting the vegetable market and supermarket, and more than 70% of the respondents will guide their children to buy dairy products, meat, seafood, soy products, nuts, etc. Emphasized category. This subtle guidance can help children establish a basic understanding of diet and nutritional structure, while establishing healthy eating habits.