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The average Vietnamese consumes about 134 grams of meat per day, almost double the recommended amount. Photo illustration by Pexels |
The figures were announced by Dr Le Thi Hop, former director of the National Institute of Nutrition, at a conference on plant-based nutrition last month.
Meat consumption in Vietnam is particularly high among people living in urban areas. Vegetable consumption has increased recently, but still has not reached the recommended figure.
“This is a negative eating habit, which could be the reason for the recent increase in chronic non-communicable diseases,” Hop said.
Chronic non-communicable diseases are defined as those that persist over a long period of time, are not viral, are not self-limiting and are rarely curable. The main categories of these diseases include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers.
Data provided by the World Health Organization shows that out of 100 deaths in Vietnam, 81 are caused by chronic non-communicable diseases.
The causes of these diseases include unhealthy diets, smoking and alcohol consumption habits, and lack of exercise. To be more specific, a diet rich in red meat, fat, sugar and salt is likely to cause this type of disease.
Dr Truong Tuyet Mai, deputy director of the National Institute of Nutrition, attributed the double burden of malnutrition, which is defined as the coexistence of overnutrition and undernutrition at all levels of the population, to across Vietnam, to this unbalanced diet as well.
She suggested that people should maintain a balanced and healthy daily diet, which involves both plant and animal protein, to avoid chronic non-communicable diseases.
The benefits of plant-based foods have been proven in various studies. Dr Andrea Glenn, a professor at Harvard University, said plant-based foods are often high in fibre, carbohydrates, unsaturated fats and minerals, while they are low in saturated fats and contain no no cholesterol. For this reason, replacing animal protein with vegetable protein helps reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood, minimizes the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and blood pressure-related diseases by stabilizing blood sugar and fat rate.
Adults, on average, should consume more plant protein than their younger counterparts. The recommended amount is around 100 grams of vegetable protein per day, and the best sources for this are beans and nuts. Fresh vegetables and fruits, milk and other dairy products should be preferred, while red meat and fatty dishes, with the exception of fish fats, should be limited to keep cholesterol levels under control.
Consumption of sugar, sweets, sodas and alcohol should also be kept to a minimum. And it is not recommended to consume more than 5 grams of salt per day.
“It should also be noted that not all plant-based foods are healthy,” Glenn added. “You should eat whole plant-based foods, including whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, while avoiding processed oats, fried potato chips, and other high-sugar foods.”
