Under normal circumstances, people can meet their physiological needs for nutrients through three meals a day, and there is no need to eat snacks. But in some special circumstances, eating some snacks can be beneficial to the body. Here are a few examples to illustrate: the elderly. Eating appropriate snacks is good for your health. Why? Because the digestive system function of the elderly decreases, such as the decrease in gastric juice secretion and the decrease in the secretion of various digestive enzymes in the digestive tract, resulting in a reduction in digestion and absorption functions to a certain extent. In this case, if you still eat three meals a day, you will not be able to meet the nutrient needs of the elderly. Because the digestive function is reduced, it is difficult to digest and absorb every full meal, which puts more burden on the gastrointestinal tract and often causes symptoms of indigestion. If you eat 70% or 80% full at each meal and feel hungry between meals, eating some easy-to-digest and nutritious snacks will not only ensure the normal nutritional needs of the elderly without causing excessive burden on the gastrointestinal tract. School age children. Children in this age group are growing up in knowledge and health. However, due to various reasons, they always eat breakfast in a hurry, or because the breakfast is simple and poor in nutrition, or the taste is monotonous, which affects the children's appetite, causing them to rush to school after eating less breakfast, and feel hungry before lunch. , which directly affects the learning effect of the third and fourth classes. In this case, if you eat a snack around 10 a.m., you can satisfactorily resolve this contradiction. Western developed countries have taken measures to solve the problem of recess meals for primary school students. Chinese nutrition workers have repeatedly called for the introduction of recess meals in schools where conditions permit, and have conducted small-scale pilot projects. The results are very satisfactory. Not only do students have good learning effects, but their physical fitness has also improved. Pregnant women. Due to special circumstances, pregnant women have higher nutritional requirements than the average person of the same age. However, due to the pressure of the fetus on the digestive system in late pregnancy, the feeling of fullness after eating is heavy, which affects the amount of food eaten. The nutritional requirements during this period are quite large, and insufficient nutrition will directly harm the fetus and pregnant women. At this time, you can use the method of eating snacks, which is often said to be the solution of "small meals and frequent meals". Certain patients, first and foremost, are diabetics. If diabetics eat too much in one meal, their blood sugar will rise rapidly and continuously, which is detrimental to their condition. Dividing the three meals a day into six or seven meals can solve the problem of sustained and rapid rise in blood sugar that is taboo for diabetics. Of course, snacks between meals are also very particular. You can’t just eat whatever you want. Then there are the gastrointestinal system diseases, such as gastritis and other diseases. The digestive ability of patients is weak. Ingesting a large amount of food at one time will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal system. Not only is digestion and absorption unsatisfactory, but sometimes it even aggravates the condition. Therefore, you should not overeat during meals and eat snacks between meals. Listed above are several situations in which snacking is beneficial to the body. However, there is also a certain knowledge about what kind of snacks to eat. First of all, you should not always eat processed foods that have low nutritional value and only provide heat energy, such as biscuits. Instead, eat some nutritious foods such as boiled eggs, beef jerky, and milk. Of course, this type of food requires a certain amount of time and space for processing, and can only be used when conditions permit. We should have a concept. First, we cannot be against eating snacks. Second, eating snacks must pay attention to nutrition and not just illustrate greed. Third, eating snacks must be in moderation and must not affect the next meal or disrupt normal eating habits, so as not to affect digestion. Normal rules of absorption. At present, the types of snacks can be roughly divided into: preserves, juices, puffed products, dairy products, cakes, sweet candies, animal proteins, etc. From 2006 to 2007, the results of a snack consumption survey conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing and Hubei showed that instant noodles turned out to be children’s favorite snack! "My children also love to eat instant noodles." Director Zhang Bing of the Nutrition Office of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said with understanding, "Parents cannot completely restrict their children from eating snacks, they can only reduce the amount they eat. "In a survey of primary school students, it was found that instant noodles have become their favorite snack, followed by potato chips, shrimp crackers, crispy noodles, etc. The survey results also show that more than 60% of children and teenagers eat snacks every day, and the snack consumption rate is highest among children aged 3 to 5 years old. In fact, snacks are not without merit. The key is what to use as snacks and who eats what snacks. “Snacks are also a source of nutrition for people, and they do not mean junk food.
"Zhang Bing said that for example, children in kindergarten usually finish their dinner at 5 pm, and they have to replenish more or less food when they get home, otherwise they will not be able to survive the next morning. At this time, It is very important to choose what foods to use as "snacks". Elderly people also have weak digestive functions. Experts often advocate eating small meals frequently and supplementing nutrition at any time (for related articles, see "Elderly Eat Three Times a Day" in Issue 433, Page 2 of this newspaper). Snacks"). There are also office workers who consume a lot of energy and may wish to eat some fruits during tea time. These are healthy snacks. It is precisely because of these objective problems that the Ministry of Health and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention are formulating the "Snacks for Chinese Residents". "Consumer Guide" is to tell people how and what to eat snacks from a nutritional perspective, so as to avoid hidden disease risks due to incorrect snacking habits. For example, regarding the problem of children's love for instant noodles, Zhang Bing analyzed that first of all, it is the market. It’s easy to buy. Secondly, when parents are busy with work and don’t have time to cook, they use instant noodles to recharge their food. Over time, children will naturally like it. However, parents need to understand that finished snacks high in sugar and salt will affect their health. The appetite for dinner reduces the sensitivity of taste buds. The more you eat, the stronger the taste, and the greater the chance of developing high blood pressure and diabetes in the future. Therefore, for children who like to eat instant noodles, parents can throw away the seasoning packets and put the seasonings by themselves. Then add some fresh vegetables. In this way, instant noodles, which have been criticized by many for being nutritionally deficient, can be easily turned into "nutritious fast food" in your hands. According to the "Snack Consumption Guide for Chinese Residents" to be released in August this year, Snacks will be classified, and the intake of snacks will be explained in detail and mapped, such as how many bowls of rice are equivalent to a pack of instant noodles, how much pork is equivalent to a pack of potato chips, etc. The "Snack Consumption Guide for Chinese Residents" will be released. Previously, Zhang Bing wanted to tell parents that they must control their children to only eat one kind of snack every day, and the portion should not be too large. Do not let their children eat snacks with strong taste, and eat more fruits, yogurt, milk, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. as snacks. Most of the snacks are eaten by children, but many adults also eat them frequently. Girls usually eat beef tendons, shredded squid, seaweed, pistachios, egg tarts, potato chips, chocolate, mints, and koji. Strange biscuits, strange-flavored beans, jelly, cakes, candies, spicy fish sticks, crispy angles, shrimp crackers... Haha, it's delicious, isn't it?