Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, can be considered as the most authoritative Chinese healthy eating guide. This morning, the “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022” was released in Beijing.
What are the latest dietary guidelines for Chinese residents? What are the important changes compared to the 2016 version?
First look at changes in food recommendations. This should be the part that everyone cares about the most.
Have staples been reduced?
When I communicated with the program director of Yangshengtang on the content of the new dietary guidelines, the director asked me: “Why is the amount of staple food reduced?” I was a little confused after hearing this: “The amount of staple food has not decreased Ah!”
If you look closely at the new version of the Diet Pagoda, you will find that the recommended staple food is “200~300 grams of cereals”, of which “50~150 grams of whole grains and mixed beans”, 50~100 grams of potatoes gram.
The 2016 version of the dietary pagoda is “250~400 grams of cereals and potatoes”, of which “50~150 grams of whole grains and mixed beans” and 50~100 grams of potatoes.
As you can see, nothing has changed in essence. It’s just that the new version of the pagoda picks up the potatoes separately, so the recommendation is more accurate and detailed, and it is more convenient for everyone to understand and implement. Because the energy of potatoes is only about 1/4 of the same weight of cereals. If the cereals and potatoes are 400 grams, you are all eating cereals, and you may eat too much of the staple food. This revision avoids such misunderstandings.
At the same time, the recommendations of the new dietary guidelines also remind everyone to eat potatoes, whole grains and beans, and refined grains.
Have meat, poultry and eggs been reduced?
The new dietary guidelines recommend that the intake of fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat should be moderate, with an average of 120-200 grams per day. It is best to eat fish twice a week or 300-500 grams, eggs 300-350 grams, and livestock and poultry meat 300-500 grams.
In the 2016 edition, 40-75 grams of livestock and poultry meat, 40-75 grams of aquatic products, and 40-50 grams of eggs are recommended per day. If it is converted into 280-525 grams of livestock and poultry meat, 280-525 grams of aquatic products, and 280-350 grams of eggs per week.
In this comparison, is the new version of the guide 25 grams less?
In fact, it is not, but the current recommendation volume is more concise and intuitive, making it easier for ordinary people to operate. Because for the vast majority of people, 25 grams of meat won’t make much of a difference when you eat it.
The new version of the guide emphasizes the importance of fish and aquaculture. The recommendation of Guideline 4 specifically points out that “it is best to eat fish twice a week or 300~500g”, emphasizing the importance of eating fish. According to the Scientific Research Report on Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2021, less than one-third of adults can eat more than 40 grams of fish and shrimp a day, which is far from enough.
Dairy recommendations increased?
In the new version of the Diet Pagoda, the recommended amount of milk and dairy products is 300-500 grams, while in the 2016 version, the recommended amount of dairy products is 300 grams.
The recommended amount of dairy products is to take into account the needs of children and increase to 500 grams, not requiring adults to eat 500 grams. However, in the key recommendation, we see that “eat a variety of dairy products, intake is equivalent to more than 300ml of liquid milk per day”, so the importance of dairy products has increased.
What if an ordinary adult drinks more than 500 grams of milk every day? It is recommended to choose some skim milk or low-fat milk.
Vegetables and fruits, nuts, soybeans, oils, etc. have not changed.
Adult alcohol levels lowered to no more than 15 grams. The food recommendations on the Meal Pagoda refer to an important part of a balanced diet, alcohol is not, so it is not on the Pagoda. However, in the specific content of the new dietary guidelines, the alcohol intake has been revised.
In the 2016 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, “the daily alcohol intake for men should not exceed 25 grams, and the daily alcohol intake for women should not exceed 25 grams per day.More than 15 grams”, and in the new version of the guide, there is no longer a distinction between the intake of men and women, and it is unified to no more than 15 grams. It can be seen that the guide is trying to recommend everyone to drink less.
How to calculate 15 grams of alcohol, you can multiply the drinking amount by the degree of alcohol. After all, beer now has a relatively high alcohol degree of more than ten degrees.
The items marked in red above are all new additions to the new dietary guidelines. I think it is easy for everyone to see what has been added.
For example, “reasonable collocation” is emphasized, for example, “whole grains” are more strongly recommended. For the item “Knowing how to cook, choose, and read labels”, it is recommended that everyone should be able to understand food, cook food reasonably, choose healthy food, and especially learn to read nutrition labels. At the same time, it emphasized the content of “sharing meals with public chopsticks” and “eating regularly and drinking enough water”.
Some friends may have a little doubt about “regular eating”. In recent years, fasting, fasting, skipping dinner… all kinds of novel eating methods of irregular eating have emerged one after another. This “regular eating” is timely proposed in response to these phenomena.
The so-called “regular meal” means that the interval between meals is 4 to 6 hours, and the time between meals is relatively fixed. Meal time should be appropriate, too short or too long is not good.
Eating time is too short, affecting food digestion; too long, easy to consume excessive food, breakfast time 15~20 minutes, lunch and dinner 20~30 minutes is appropriate.
Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) Core Guidelines
Criterion 1 Variety of food, reasonable combination
Rule 2 Eat a balanced diet, healthy weight
Guide #3 Eat more fruits and vegetables, dairy, whole grains, soy
Guide 4 Eat fish, poultry, eggs, lean meat in moderation
Criterion 5 Less salt and less oil, sugar control and alcohol limit
Guide #6 Eat regular meals and drink plenty of water
Criterion Seven: Know how to cook, choose, and read labels
Criterion 8: Divide meals with chopsticks and eliminate waste
Under each criterion, there is a corresponding core recommendation
Criterion 1 Variety of food, reasonable combination
Core Recommendations:
● Stick to a balanced, cereal-based meal pattern.
● Daily meals should include cereals, potatoes, vegetables and fruits, livestock, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and beans.
● Consume more than 12 kinds of food per day on average, and more than 25 kinds of food per week, with a reasonable mix.
● Consume 200~300g of cereals per day, including 50~150g of whole grains and mixed beans; 50~100g of potatoes.
Rule 2 Eat a balanced diet, healthy weight
Core Recommendations:
● Every age group should be physically active every day to maintain a healthy weight.
● Do not overeat and maintain energy balance.
● Adhere to daily physical activity, at least 5 days a week of moderate-intensity physical activity for a total of more than 150 minutes; active physical activity is preferably 6,000 steps per day.
● Encourage appropriate high-intensity aerobic exercise and strengthen resistance exercise 2-3 days a week.
● Reduce sedentary time by getting up and moving every hour.
Guide #3 Eat more fruits and vegetables, dairy, whole grains, soy
Core Recommendations:
● Fruits and vegetables, whole grains and dairy products are an important part of a balanced diet.
● Have vegetables in every meal, and ensure that you consume no less than 300g of fresh vegetables every day, and dark vegetables should account for 1/2.
● Eat fruit every day, and ensure that you consume 200~350g of fresh fruit every day. Fruit juice cannot replace fresh fruit.
● Eat a variety of dairy products, equivalent to more than 300ml of liquid milk per day.
● Regularly eat whole grains, soy products, and nuts in moderation.
Guide 4 Eat fish, poultry, eggs, lean meat in moderation
Core Recommendations:
● The intake of fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat should be moderate.120~200g per day.
● It is best to eat fish twice a week or 300~500g, eggs 300~350g, and livestock and poultry meat 300~500g.
● Eat less processed meat products.
● Eggs are rich in nutrients, so don’t discard the yolk when eating eggs.
● Prioritize fish and avoid fatty, smoked and cured meats.
Criterion 5 Less salt and less oil, sugar control and alcohol limit
Core Recommendations:
● Cultivate a light diet and avoid high-salt and fried foods. Adults should consume no more than 5g of salt and 25 to 30g of cooking oil per day.
● Control the intake of added sugar, not more than 50g per day, preferably below 25g.
● No more than 2g of trans fatty acids per day.
● Avoid or limit sugar-sweetened beverages.
● Children and adolescents, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people with chronic diseases should not drink alcohol. If adults drink alcohol, the amount of alcohol consumed a day should not exceed 15g.
Guide #6 Eat regular meals and drink plenty of water
Core Recommendations:
● Reasonably arrange three meals a day, regularly and quantitatively, without skipping meals, and eat breakfast every day.
● Eat regularly, eat in moderation, not overeating, not picky eaters, and not excessively dieting.
● Drink plenty of water, in small amounts. In mild climates, adults with low physical activity levels drink 1700ml of water per day and adult women drink 1500ml of water per day.
● It is recommended to drink plain water or tea, less or no sugar-sweetened beverages, and no beverages to replace plain water.
Criterion Seven: Know how to cook, choose, and read labels
Core Recommendations:
● Healthy meal planning should be done at all stages of life.
● Know foods and choose fresh, nutrient-dense foods.
● Learn to read food labels and choose prepackaged foods wisely.
● Learn to cook, inherit traditional diets, and enjoy the natural taste of food.
● Eat out with moderation and balance in mind.
Criterion 8: Divide meals with chopsticks and eliminate waste
Core Recommendations:
● Choose fresh and wholesome food and do not eat wild animals.
● Separate raw and cooked food preparations, and reheat cooked food thoroughly.
● Pay attention to hygiene and start with serving chopsticks.
● Cherish food, prepare meals as needed, and advocate dividing meals without waste.
● Be a practitioner of sustainable food system development.
“Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022” also has many highlights, such as the proposed Oriental healthy dietary pattern, the proposed dietary guidelines for special groups such as the elderly, etc… … Due to space limitations, this article is written here. We will interpret the content of the “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022” in detail later, please continue to pay attention~
PS: From 2020 to 2022, I was fortunate to participate in the secretarial work of the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, and did some errands. During this process, I have personally experienced the rigor and professionalism of the experts of the dietary guide writing group in their work, and sincerely express my high respect to the experts who participated in the writing!
Jia Wu
Well-known science writers
Registered Dietitian
Master of Nutrition and Food Safety
– Representative of registered dietitians in the first “China Nutrition Thirty Forum”
– Many years as a nutrition guest on CCTV, Beijing TV, Beijing Radio, etc.
– Author of the first domestic children’s nutrition science fiction “The Adventures of the Pagoda – Food and Education Popular Science Books Written by Nutritionist Moms”, rated 9.1 on Douban; Dictionary
– Participate in compiling popular nutrition books such as The Nutrition Bible, Don’t Let Food Hurt You, etc.
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