But what if you often live alone and find it impractical to prepare elaborate meals? How can you still enjoy nutritionally adequate meals? Life Times invited Fan Zhihong, Associate Professor at the College of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering, China Agricultural University, to share practical tips based on her experience. We hope you'll prioritize proper nutrition even when dining solo. Below, we introduce three dietary habits essential for maintaining good health.
A nutritious meal for one person must address three key issues: First, ensure dietary diversity and balanced nutrition. Second, keep preparation simple without excessive time investment. Third, limit portion sizes or prioritize easy storage.
The first issue is addressed through "ingredient combination."
For instance, a bowl of congee containing eight ingredients is far more nutritious than one made solely from rice. Similarly, a stew with four additions—mushrooms, bamboo shoots, radish, and kelp—is superior to a meat-only stew.
The second issue is addressed by improving cookware and simplifying preparation.
Complex cooking primarily involves the hassle of frying, stir-frying, boiling, and deep-frying. Switching to methods like stewing, steaming, cold-tossing, or baking makes things much simpler. For instance, a meal featuring one stewed dish, one cold salad, and a serving of pre-meal fruit is both satisfying and easy to manage.
Consider this example: diced mango and cantaloupe, a bowl of stewed pork ribs with winter melon and kelp, a cold salad of peanuts, wood ear mushrooms, and spinach, plus a whole-wheat steamed bun. This single meal incorporates nine food groups: four vegetables, two fruits, one whole grain, one meat, and one nut—offering a well-rounded variety.
You can also make full use of convenient ingredients like eggs and tofu products, which are very simple to prepare. Many store-bought tofu products, such as dried tofu and shredded tofu, are already cooked and seasoned. Simply reheat them at home for immediate consumption. Replacing some meat with these options is both healthy and convenient.
The third issue can be addressed through proper storage methods.
Generally, vegetables should be consumed within the same meal. However, since the body requires a significant amount of vegetables, eating more won't lead to weight gain as long as they aren't overly salty or oily.
Chicken, duck, fish, and meat are all foods that can be stored and reheated. They can be kept in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, so cooking a single batch can meet needs for up to two or three days.
Porridge and other staple foods can also be stored for 1-2 days, allowing one cooking session to provide multiple meals.
Thus, each meal requires only one portion of stored meat, one portion of stored staple food, plus one or two portions of freshly cooked vegetables and a serving of fruit—enabling effortless yet nutritious meal preparation.
This concludes our introduction to the three dietary habits for maintaining health. We trust you now have a clearer understanding. Finally, we sincerely wish you good health and joy in life.