VNExpress-Aug 1
An average Vietnamese consumes roughly 74% of the recommended daily vegetables intake and around 134 grams of meat per day, almost twice the recommended amount. The figures were announced by Dr Le Thi Hop, former head of the National institute of Nutrition, during a conference about plant-cased nutrition last month.
The intake of meat in Vietnam is especially high among people living in urban areas. Consumption of vegetables has risen recently, but has still not reached the recommended figure. “This is a negative diet habit, which could be the reason behind the recent rise in non-communicable chronic diseases,” Hop said. Non-communicable chronic diseases are defined as those that persist over a long time period, are not viral, not self-limiting, and rarely curable. The major categories of these diseases include cardiovascular, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers. Data provided by the World Health Organization shows that out of 100 mortalities in Vietnam, 81 are caused by non-communicable chronic diseases. Causes of these diseases include imbalanced dieting, smoking and drinking habits, and lack of exercises. To be more specific, a diet that is high in red meat, fat, sugar, and salt, is likely to lead to this kind of disease. Dr. Truong Tuyet Mai, deputy head of the National Institute of Nutrition, attributed the double burden of malnutrition, which is defined as the coexistence of overnutrition alongside undernutrition at all levels of population, across Vietnam, to this imbalanced diet as well. She suggested that people should maintain a balanced and healthy daily diet, which involves both plant- and animal-based protein, in order to avoid non-communicable chronic diseases. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/wellness/vietnamese-consume-too-much-meat-say-health-advocates-4629393.html
