"Dietary Guidelines for the Chinese Elderly (2022)" released Sufficient animal food intake should be ensured at every meal

Recently, under the guidance of the Office of the National Working Committee on Aging, the Chinese Nutrition Society issued the Dietary Guidelines for the Elderly in China (2022) (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines).

For the first time, the Guidelines provide dietary guidance
for the general elderly (people aged 65 to 79) and the elderly (people aged 80 and above).

"Changes in human physiological, psychological, economic and social factors determine that people have special nutritional needs after entering old age and need specific dietary guidance
.
" Zhang Jian, one of the main drafters of the guideline, vice chairman of the Geriatric Nutrition Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society and researcher of the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview with China Consumer News that with the increase of age, especially over 65 years old, the characteristics of aging of the elderly are more obvious
.
Physiological changes can affect the ability of older people to ingest, digest and absorb nutrients, increasing the risk of
various diseases.
Based on the scientific principles of nutrition and human nutritional needs, the Guidelines put forward guidance on food selection and physical activity based on local food production and supply and people's living practices
.

Fruits and vegetables have their own advantages

The Guidelines suggest that on the basis of a balanced diet for adults, the elderly should be provided with more abundant and diverse foods, try to eat different types of vegetables, and pay special attention to choosing more dark leafy vegetables, such as rape, greens, spinach, purple cabbage, etc
.
The content of certain vitamins and trace elements in fruits is different from that of fresh vegetables, and fruits contain more abundant fructose, fruit acid, pectin and other substances than vegetables, so vegetables should not be used instead of fruits
.

For the elderly, the Guidelines recommend that food should be diverse and encourage a variety of ways to eat; Choose foods with a fine and soft texture and high energy and nutrient density; Supplement nutrition in a timely and reasonable manner to improve the quality of life
.

Zhang Jian said that with the reduction of human activities, although the need for energy of the elderly has decreased, the need for multiple nutrients has not decreased, especially the demand for protein, calcium, minerals and vitamins will increase
.
The daily diet of the elderly should be diversified, with at least 12 kinds of food intake per day and at least 25 kinds of food per week, so as to match coarse and fine grains, meat and vegetables, dark and light colors, and dry and thin
.
The chewing and swallowing ability and digestive function of the elderly and frail elderly are more obvious, and soft and easily digestible foods
should be chosen as much as possible.

Zhou Hong, deputy secretary-general of the China Association for the Elderly Health Care Association, said in an interview with China Consumer News that the elderly should eat at least 300g of vegetables and 200-350g of fruits
every day.
The dietary fiber, vitamins, and trace elements content of most vegetables, especially dark-colored vegetables, is better than most fruits
.
For example, although vegetables and fruits contain vitamin C and minerals, except for a few fruits such as fresh dates, hawthorn, and citrus, most fruits such as apples, pears, bananas, peaches, and watermelons have less
vitamin C and mineral content than vegetables.
There are thousands of kinds of vegetables, each with different characteristics and nutritional value, should constantly change varieties, at least 5 kinds of intake per day, to ensure a more comprehensive
intake of nutrition.
Most fruits contain bioactive substances not found in vegetables, including various organic acids, phenolic acids, aromatic substances, etc.
, which have a variety of effects
that benefit human health.

Reduce food restrictions

The Guidelines recommend that the average elderly should consume adequate amounts of animal foods and soy foods
.
Animal foods include animal meat, poultry meat, fish and shrimp and egg foods, which should be eaten
as much as possible.
Each meal should have a certain amount of animal food, and its total intake should reach an average of 120-150g per day, of which fish, livestock and poultry meat and eggs are 40-50g
respectively.
It is recommended that the elderly drink 300-400mL of milk or dairy products with equivalent protein content per day, and at the same time consume sufficient soybean products to achieve an average daily intake of 15g of soybeans
.

For the elderly, the Guidelines emphasize eating more foods with high nutritional value and bioavailability, such as fish, poultry meat, eggs, dairy products and soybeans, and reducing unnecessary food restrictions
.

Zhang Jian said that many elderly people are worried about the risk of various chronic diseases caused by animal foods containing more saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, and rarely or even refuse to eat animal foods, resulting in anemia, low body weight, rapid muscle loss and other problems
.
Under normal circumstances, the protein intake of the elderly should be 1-1.
2g per kilogram of body weight per day, and the protein intake of the elderly who undergo daily resistance training should be ≥ 1.
2-1.
5g
per kilogram of body weight per day.
The proportion of high-quality protein in animal foods and soy foods should not be less than 50%.

It is not advisable to concentrate on one meal every day to consume a large amount of protein, and three meals should have animal food
.

Delay muscle decay

The guidelines suggest that the elderly should maintain an appropriate weight, and the BMI (body mass index) should preferably be kept between
20-26.
9kg/m2 (superscript, square meters).
If the BMI is out of range, moderate adjustments should be made in diet and physical activity to smooth the weight back into the normal range, and no extreme measures should be taken to allow the weight to change
significantly in a short period of time.

"Moderate exercise is one of the
main ways to delay muscle decline in the elderly.
" Zhang Jian emphasized that the human body begins to lose muscle mass around the age of 40, losing about 8% before the age of 70, and then the rate of muscle loss is significantly accelerated, and muscle loss can reach 15%
every 10 years.
Muscle decay is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and is an independent risk factor
for death in older adults.
Active outdoor activities and sunlight exposure to the elderly are conducive to promoting vitamin D synthesis in the body, strengthening bone quality and delaying the rate of
muscle decline.
The elderly should do what they can in the choice of exercise methods, and choose walking, brisk walking, tai chi and other slow and gentle ways to avoid adverse events
such as body injury or falls caused by excessive activity.

Prevent nutritional deficiencies

The Guidelines recommend that the general elderly should have regular health check-ups to assess their nutritional status and prevent nutritional deficiencies; For the elderly, it is necessary to pay attention to the problem of weight loss, regular nutritional screening and assessment, and prevent malnutrition
.

Zhang Jian said that the elderly should participate in health examinations 1-2 times a year, timely detect risk factors, and actively improve their lifestyle
.
Professional malnutrition risk assessment should be carried out in a timely manner, which is conducive to timely detection of nutritional problems and correction of wrong eating behaviors
.
For the elderly with a variety of chronic diseases, nutritional assessment, scientific regulation of diet, and nutritional support
for disease treatment and rehabilitation should be provided.
It should be emphasized that polynutrient deficiencies are a major health problem for the elderly and should be given special attention and preventive measures
.

It cannot be ignored that the decline of physical function in the elderly will affect appetite, especially empty nests, lonely elderly people are prone to lonely and depressed emotions, resulting in decreased
appetite.
Therefore, it is encouraging the establishment of elderly canteens, tables for the elderly, etc.
, so that the elderly can make and share food together, which is conducive to improving and adjusting psychological state and maintaining a positive and optimistic mood
.

(Reporter Sun Yanming)