What are the six categories of a balanced diet

The six categories of balanced diet that we ordinary people refer to most for daily meals usually refer to cereals and potatoes, vegetables and fruits, animal foods, soybeans and nuts, milk and dairy products, cooking oil and salt. This is a practical division made by the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents based on the dietary structure of the Chinese people. You can just use it to make meals without having to worry about complex nutritional calculations.

Speaking of this, many people may be wondering, why did the popular science guide I read before say that the six major categories are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats? These are actually two different division logics. There is no right or wrong, but the applicable scenarios are different. The six major categories often mentioned in the academic field refer to the six essential nutrients, namely carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. This is divided from the dimension of nutritional supply and is more suitable for people who do dietary research or precise energy control. For example, macronutrient intake must be calculated during the fat-burning period of fitness, or diabetics need to stabilize blood sugar. It is more convenient to refer to this classification.

I usually prepare meals for the elderly and children at home. I don’t bother to calculate how many grams of protein I eat every day. I just follow the six categories of food classification: steam corn in the morning as potatoes, cut an orange with some boiled rapeseed as fruits and vegetables, boil an egg, pour a cup of hot milk, and sprinkle with a few original almonds. When cooking, add half a spoon less oil and use low-sodium salt. The six major categories of a meal are covered. Calculate the nutritional density is enough, no need to think. Of course, many nutrition practitioners have proposed that dietary fiber should be separately classified as the seventh category. However, there is currently no unified consensus in the academic community. There is sufficient dietary fiber in the cereals, potatoes, vegetables and fruits we eat every day. As long as we eat enough of each type of food, we will basically not be short.