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'Bite of Health' program checks groceries for nutrition and fat
By Xu Wenwen |
November 27, 2012, Tuesday
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ON a typical morning, middle-aged housewife Ma Jingfen goes to the grocery store to buy the family's food for dinner. She buys a kilogram of fish, half a kilo of pork, half a kilo of shrimp and some vegetables.
At the entrance she is attracted to a Bite of Health booth that offers a nutrition check of her market basket and advice from nutritionist Miao Qin.
A nutrition scale calculates that half a kilo of shrimp has 216 calories and the same weight of pork contains more than 1,600 calories. A kilo of river fish has around 600 calories.
"How many people are you feeding and for how many meals? How will you prepare the food?" Miao asks.
"Three people for one meal - my husband, my son and me," the housewife says. "We will have pork braised in soy sauce, fried shrimp, steamed fish and sauteed vegetables."
"Does anyone in your family have a medical history?" Miao asks.
"My husband's blood pressure is a little high, so the steamed fish is especially for him. My son usually eats out and is rarely back for dinner, so the pork braised in soy sauce is for him, it's his favorite."
Miao then suggests using less oil, boiling instead of frying the shrimp, and saving half the pork for another meal.
"Shrimp and fish containing healthy protein are good for people with high blood pressure, but fried shrimp is too oily," explains Miao. "And your son, who eats at restaurants a lot, already has enough or too much calories and fat. So half the meat is enough for one meal."
Miao observes the woman's rather portly shape and suggests she use less oil when she fries foods.
This food testing and nutrition advice is part of the Bite of Health program by Xihu District Public Health Bureau. It includes measuring blood pressure, calculating a person's caloric needs, and giving medical advice.
The Bite of Health promotion started in September at seven grocery markets around the district, always in the morning when housewives buy food for the family's lunch and supper.
The promotion aims to prevent illness, which is generally better than having to treat it, especially chronic issues of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems, says Chen Zheng, an official of the bureau.
Dr Lu Zhen, a nutritionist from Liuxia Town Clinic in Xihu District, helps citizens calculate how many calories they need, converting that into the amount of food, based on their physical condition and activities.
Nutrition Studio
With a calculator, Lu helps a man over 70 years of age and weighing 70 kilos work out how much and what kind of food he needs each day. He needs 1,677 calories, meaning he should take around 62 grams of protein. Lu recommends 200 grams of meat, 300 grams of rice and half a kilo of vegetables daily.
The elderly gentlemen was startled: "Should I eat so much meat? I thought older people should eat a 'mild' diet and eat less meat. Recently I have been mainly eating vegetables."
"But you also need protein to support your muscles and bones, and mild food does not mean vegetarian food - it means mild recipes and less fat," Dr Lu says.
Nutritionist Miao agrees. "We suggest that people who are getting on in years eat healthy protein contained in fish and shrimp. As the saying goes, two-legged animals' meat (like poultry) is better than four-legged animals' meat, and the meat of animals without legs is better than the meat of animals with legs."
Xihu District has been promoting nutritious food. Last year at Xixi Community, the district established a Nutrition Studio for locals. Six nutritionists, including Miao Qin, work there. All used to be doctors and nurses.
For just one yuan (16 US cents), a citizen gets an hour-long one-on-one consultation. It includes physical analysis, dietary advice and basic nutrition information. Many people want advice on how to lose weight.
Anyone can use the scales measuring height, weight and body mass index, as well as automatic blood pressure kits and a body composition analyzer.
A large glass pyramid with five levels displays which kinds of food, and how much, everyone should eat daily.
"People have a strong interest in better nutrition but they don't know where to find professionals," Miao says, noting that different "experts" on TV give different health advice. Many housewives watch TV every day and get mixed messages.
Xixi Community's nutrition studio is a Hangzhou pilot project that will be promoted in all communities of the city.
Hangzhou is also developing its "silver industry" to serve senior citizens. This year the city has been adding senior citizen service centers in every community; they function as a place for sports and activities, a canteen and a place to rest and relax.
It is calculated that by 2015, 20 percent of the population of Zhejiang Province will be above 60 years of age.
At the entrance she is attracted to a Bite of Health booth that offers a nutrition check of her market basket and advice from nutritionist Miao Qin.
A nutrition scale calculates that half a kilo of shrimp has 216 calories and the same weight of pork contains more than 1,600 calories. A kilo of river fish has around 600 calories.
"How many people are you feeding and for how many meals? How will you prepare the food?" Miao asks.
"Three people for one meal - my husband, my son and me," the housewife says. "We will have pork braised in soy sauce, fried shrimp, steamed fish and sauteed vegetables."
"Does anyone in your family have a medical history?" Miao asks.
"My husband's blood pressure is a little high, so the steamed fish is especially for him. My son usually eats out and is rarely back for dinner, so the pork braised in soy sauce is for him, it's his favorite."
Miao then suggests using less oil, boiling instead of frying the shrimp, and saving half the pork for another meal.
"Shrimp and fish containing healthy protein are good for people with high blood pressure, but fried shrimp is too oily," explains Miao. "And your son, who eats at restaurants a lot, already has enough or too much calories and fat. So half the meat is enough for one meal."
Miao observes the woman's rather portly shape and suggests she use less oil when she fries foods.
This food testing and nutrition advice is part of the Bite of Health program by Xihu District Public Health Bureau. It includes measuring blood pressure, calculating a person's caloric needs, and giving medical advice.
The Bite of Health promotion started in September at seven grocery markets around the district, always in the morning when housewives buy food for the family's lunch and supper.
The promotion aims to prevent illness, which is generally better than having to treat it, especially chronic issues of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems, says Chen Zheng, an official of the bureau.
Dr Lu Zhen, a nutritionist from Liuxia Town Clinic in Xihu District, helps citizens calculate how many calories they need, converting that into the amount of food, based on their physical condition and activities.
Nutrition Studio
With a calculator, Lu helps a man over 70 years of age and weighing 70 kilos work out how much and what kind of food he needs each day. He needs 1,677 calories, meaning he should take around 62 grams of protein. Lu recommends 200 grams of meat, 300 grams of rice and half a kilo of vegetables daily.
The elderly gentlemen was startled: "Should I eat so much meat? I thought older people should eat a 'mild' diet and eat less meat. Recently I have been mainly eating vegetables."
"But you also need protein to support your muscles and bones, and mild food does not mean vegetarian food - it means mild recipes and less fat," Dr Lu says.
Nutritionist Miao agrees. "We suggest that people who are getting on in years eat healthy protein contained in fish and shrimp. As the saying goes, two-legged animals' meat (like poultry) is better than four-legged animals' meat, and the meat of animals without legs is better than the meat of animals with legs."
Xihu District has been promoting nutritious food. Last year at Xixi Community, the district established a Nutrition Studio for locals. Six nutritionists, including Miao Qin, work there. All used to be doctors and nurses.
For just one yuan (16 US cents), a citizen gets an hour-long one-on-one consultation. It includes physical analysis, dietary advice and basic nutrition information. Many people want advice on how to lose weight.
Anyone can use the scales measuring height, weight and body mass index, as well as automatic blood pressure kits and a body composition analyzer.
A large glass pyramid with five levels displays which kinds of food, and how much, everyone should eat daily.
"People have a strong interest in better nutrition but they don't know where to find professionals," Miao says, noting that different "experts" on TV give different health advice. Many housewives watch TV every day and get mixed messages.
Xixi Community's nutrition studio is a Hangzhou pilot project that will be promoted in all communities of the city.
Hangzhou is also developing its "silver industry" to serve senior citizens. This year the city has been adding senior citizen service centers in every community; they function as a place for sports and activities, a canteen and a place to rest and relax.
It is calculated that by 2015, 20 percent of the population of Zhejiang Province will be above 60 years of age.
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