Insufficient protein leads to decreased immunity. Are you eating in the right order? Nutritionist: Plant-based protein is less burdensome, let’s compare plant-based milk

Do you feel inexplicably fat during the epidemic? It may be because we often order takeout and tend to prefer high-calorie, high-sugar, and high-sodium foods. We may accidentally order too much and eat too much, which affects our metabolism, causes constipation, and increases the burden on our body. Nutritionists say that if you want to eat a nutritionally balanced diet while putting less burden on your body, you might as well eat more fruits and vegetables to supplement dietary fiber, and increase your intake of low- and medium-fat protein, which helps vitamins and minerals function normally in the body and maintain physiological functions, thereby avoiding obesity and increasing autoimmune function.

Benefits of protein to human health: tissue repair, nutrient transport, immune regulation, etc.

Why is protein important to human health? Protein is composed of more than 20 kinds of amino acids. It mainly provides calories and is also involved in the composition of the body's skin, muscles, internal organs, hair, nails, and bones. It also has the function of building and repairing tissues. In addition, it is also the main force for producing hormones, enzymes, regulating acid-base balance, strengthening the immune system, and is responsible for the "carrier" of many nutrients, including the transportation of vitamins and minerals, thus affecting the normal function of the human body; protein can also synthesize immunoglobulins, which help regulate immunity.

Effects of insufficient protein: decreased immunity, decreased basal metabolic rate, increased risk of obesity, etc.

Once protein is lacking, the body's energy production will be blocked, muscle tissue will be broken down, immunity will be reduced, basal metabolic rate will decrease, and obesity will be easy to occur. How much protein intake is required every day? The recommended daily protein intake for healthy adults is 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Taking an adult weighing 50 kilograms as an example, the amount of protein required per day is about 50 grams.

When we mention protein, we think of beef, fish, milk, eggs, etc. The recommended order of intake is "beans, fish, eggs, meat".

Animal Protein vs. Plant Protein

As for how to supplement protein intelligently? Nutritionist Zhao Hanying pointed out that sources of protein include animal protein and plant protein. When we mention protein, we think of beef, fish, milk, eggs, etc. The recommended order of intake is "beans, fish, eggs, and meat." Animal protein often contains large amounts of saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol; plant protein contains dietary fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals, and is relatively healthier. Plant milk, one of the representatives of plant protein, is made from plants and contains dietary fiber and protein. It can promote intestinal motility and help muscle growth.

Soy milk is the most common type of plant milk, and the National Health and Family Planning Commission also recommends beans as the top source of protein. In addition to supplementing the daily protein requirement, soy milk can also replace part of animal protein, achieving the goal of balanced nutrition with less burden. In addition, common plant milks include brown rice milk containing plant nutrients such as germ, peanuts and sesame, or oat milk.

Are all plant milks “milk”? Be careful not to consume too much fat

However, are all the dazzling array of plant milks “milk”? Nutritionist Zhao Hanying reminds that some plant milks belong to the oil category, including walnut milk, peanut milk, coconut milk, pistachio milk, hazelnut milk, etc.; oat milk belongs to the starch category. Oat milk is a staple food. After drinking oat milk, you should consume less other starches to avoid excessive intake.

Nutritionist Zhao Hanying said that in the post-epidemic era, in order to avoid obesity, we still need to pay attention to a balanced diet and consume wisely to maintain health. Grasp the principle of "less burden on diet" and make changes to your diet, such as changing from original beverages and soups to soy milk or oat milk, which can reduce the burden on the body and provide a more balanced nutrition.