I grabbed this news story from the Food and Nutrition section of China’s largest state-run newspaper, Xinhua. I was thinking it might be a good advanced-level read, because contains a bunch of high-level but commonly-used words related to nutritional science. I did notice it seems oddly fixated on kiwi fruit as being a great source of nutrition, and once I got to the end, I realized it’s a sponsored post by New Zealand kiwi grower brand Zespri. So, bear in mind, this article was written with the intention of getting you to buy more kiwi fruit. Still, with all the diet talk floating around these days, learning words like “micronutrients (微量营养素 – wēiliàng yíngyǎngsù) and “glycemic index” (血糖生成指数 – xuètáng shēngchéng zhǐshù) is still quite useful.
One other thing: In this article, the term “奇异果” is used for “kiwi” – but there’s more than one way to say “kiwi” in Chinese. Another common term is 猕猴桃, the latter being the term you’re more likely to find in the dictionary. Seems like the grower’s association is trying to nudge the use of the former, maybe because it sounds closer to the English term, and because the literal meaning of the characters 奇异果 “mystical fruit” sounds more appetizing than 猕猴桃 “macaque / monkey peach”.
Key vocab
隐性饥饿 – yǐnxìng jīè – hidden hunger
膳食结构 – shànshí jiégòu – dietary structure
膳食纤维 – shànshí xiānwéi – dietary fiber
微量营养素 – wēiliàng yíngyǎngsù – micronutrients
摄入量 – shèrùliàng – intake amount
免疫力 – miǎnyìlì – immunity
血糖生成指数 – xuètáng shēngchéng zhǐshù – glycemic index (GI)
膳食平衡 – shànshí pínghéng – dietary balance
从’吃饱’到’吃好’：揭秘高营养素密度食物与隐性饥饿
工作日的中午如何吃好一顿饭，是不少上班族面临的现实问题。时间紧、选择有限，面条、盖饭、简餐套餐成为常见选项。然而，这样的午餐是否可以满足人体对多种营养素的需求？
很多人认为，只要吃饱了，营养自然就跟上了。肉有了、菜有了、主食也有了，看似面面俱到。但事实真的如此吗？
“吃饱了”，就等于“吃好了”吗？
北京大学公共卫生学院教授马冠生指出，人体需要的营养素有40多种，每一种对维持正常的生理功能都很重要。很多人感觉是吃饱了，但往往是胃填满了，营养并没有得到“满足”。
2020年《中国居民营养与慢性病状况报告》显示，我国居民膳食结构正面临显著挑战：脂肪供能比超过30%上限的人数达63.6%，89.4%的成人钠摄入过量；维生素C摄入不足比例达76.4%，钾摄入不足比例达81.9%，膳食纤维长期偏低，钙、B族维生素亦普遍低于推荐摄入量。
吃饭时忽视某种食物、年龄增长、肠道疾病、肥胖等，都可能诱发“隐性饥饿”。这种由营养摄入不平衡、微量营养素长期摄入不足所引发的饥饿状态，虽不表现为明显的饥饿感，但其对健康的危害却不容忽视。长期处于隐性饥饿状态，人体易产生疲惫乏力、注意力难以集中等一系列症状，可能诱发免疫力下降、视力下降、超重肥胖、心脑血管疾病等多种健康问题。
那么，如何有效避免隐性饥饿，真正把营养补全？马冠生指出，坚持膳食平衡，选择高营养素密度食物是关键。
所谓高营养素密度食物，即指在同等能量下，含有营养素（如维生素、矿物质和膳食纤维等）的浓度更高的食物。这类食物的优势不仅在于丰富的营养价值，更在于有助于体重管理，进而促进人们的全面健康。
“用更直观的方式来说，就像一台天平，同样能量的食物，一侧是能量，一侧是营养素。高营养素密度食物，就是用更少的能量换来了更多的营养。”马冠生说。
一颗奇异果，能装下多少营养？
那么，哪些食物具有高营养素密度呢？马冠生提到，像黄心奇异果这样的高营养素密度水果就是典型代表。他介绍，每100克黄心奇异果约含171毫克维生素C，足以满足成人每日100毫克的推荐摄入量。
除了维生素C，黄心奇异果在膳食纤维和钾元素方面也表现突出。马冠生指出，每100克黄心奇异果约含2克膳食纤维，在促进肠道健康、助力体重管理方面具有独特优势；每100克黄心奇异果约含289毫克钾，有助于促进体内多余钠的排出，对当前国人普遍高钠摄入的现状具有针对性的补充价值。此外，黄心奇异果还富含叶黄素等十多种天然营养素，凭借高膳食纤维、低GI（血糖生成指数）和高营养素密度的综合特点，诠释了“吃得精、吃得好”的健康理念。
根据《中国居民膳食指南》（2022）中提出的“平衡膳食餐盘”理念，均衡的一餐应涵盖：谷薯类、蔬菜类、水果类、鱼肉蛋豆类。针对不同人群，马冠生给出了可落地的具体建议。职场人群常因饮食不规律存在营养缺口，核心是补足膳食纤维和微量元素缺口、控制体重，可在外卖、加餐时主动搭配水果，如黄心奇异果。孕妇群体则可以优选新鲜蔬果，利用膳食纤维辅助维持血糖稳态，用维C来应对氧化应激。青少年群体则适合利用水果天然的风味和色彩培养健康饮食行为。
破解“隐性饥饿”，从一日三餐做起
一日三餐看似平常，却日复一日地塑造着每个人的身体状态。马冠生认为，与其追求复杂难坚持的养生方式，不如在日常饮食中多留心一点。合理搭配膳食，优选高营养素密度食物，比如加一颗富含多种营养素的奇异果，便捷补足营养需求，为餐盘“装满营养”。
值得一提的是，4月底上线的“每日向膳”AI小程序，由中国健康促进与教育协会营养素养分会“国民营养素养提升计划”提供专业内容支持，由火山引擎、豆包大模型提供技术支持。消费者只需扫一扫餐盘，就能生成可视化的营养分析报告，帮助自己更有针对性地调整膳食结构，让每一顿普通家常饭都真正变成滋养身体的营养餐。
随着《“健康中国2030”规划纲要》的深入实施，高营养素密度水果在优化国民膳食结构中的作用日益凸显。作为全球奇异果产业的领军企业，佳沛将以全新品牌主张“向善而育（Grown for Good）”为引领，在每一个环节践行对消费者、合作者、种植者与社会的善意，推动产业升级，并持续践行以天然营养助力公众健康的承诺，为国民健康管理注入科学膳食理念，展现出现代化健康产业生态中的企业担当。
From ‘Eating Full’ to ‘Eating Well’: Unveiling Nutrient-Dense Foods and Hidden Hunger
How to eat a good lunch on a workday is a real challenge many office workers face. With limited time and choices, noodles, rice bowls, and simple set meals become common options. But can such lunches meet the body’s need for various nutrients?
Many people believe that as long as they eat until full, nutrition naturally follows. They have meat, vegetables, and staple foods – seemingly covering all bases. But is this really true?
‘Eating full’ – does it equal ‘eating well’?
Professor Ma Guansheng from Peking University’s School of Public Health points out that the human body needs more than 40 types of nutrients, each important for maintaining normal physiological functions. Many people feel full, but often their stomachs are filled while their nutritional needs remain ‘unsatisfied.’
The 2020 ‘Report on Chinese Residents’ Nutrition and Chronic Diseases’ shows that Chinese residents’ dietary structure faces significant challenges: 63.6% of people exceed the 30% upper limit for fat energy supply, 89.4% of adults consume excessive sodium; 76.4% have insufficient vitamin C intake, 81.9% have insufficient potassium intake, dietary fiber remains chronically low, and calcium and B vitamins are generally below recommended intake levels.
Ignoring certain foods during meals, aging, intestinal diseases, obesity, and other factors can all trigger ‘hidden hunger.’ This state of hunger caused by imbalanced nutrition intake and long-term insufficient micronutrient consumption doesn’t manifest as obvious hunger pangs, but its health hazards cannot be ignored. Long-term hidden hunger can cause fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and a series of other symptoms, potentially leading to decreased immunity, vision decline, overweight and obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and other health problems.
So how can we effectively avoid hidden hunger and truly achieve complete nutrition? Professor Ma points out that maintaining dietary balance and choosing nutrient-dense foods is key.
So-called nutrient-dense foods refer to foods that contain higher concentrations of nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber) at the same energy level. The advantage of these foods lies not only in their rich nutritional value but also in their help with weight management, thereby promoting overall health.
‘To put it more intuitively, it’s like a balance scale. With foods of equal energy, one side is energy, the other side is nutrients. Nutrient-dense foods exchange less energy for more nutrition,’ Ma said.
How much nutrition can a single kiwifruit hold?
So which foods are nutrient-dense? Professor Ma mentioned that gold kiwifruit is a typical representative of nutrient-dense fruits. He explained that every 100 grams of gold kiwifruit contains approximately 171 milligrams of vitamin C, sufficient to meet an adult’s daily recommended intake of 100 milligrams.
Besides vitamin C, gold kiwifruit also excels in dietary fiber and potassium. Professor Ma noted that every 100 grams of gold kiwifruit contains about 2 grams of dietary fiber, offering unique advantages in promoting intestinal health and aiding weight management; every 100 grams contains about 289 milligrams of potassium, which helps promote the excretion of excess sodium from the body – particularly valuable given the current high sodium intake among Chinese people. Additionally, gold kiwifruit is rich in lutein and over ten other natural nutrients. With its combination of high dietary fiber, low GI (glycemic index), and high nutrient density, it embodies the healthy concept of ‘eating refined, eating well.’
According to the ‘Balanced Diet Plate’ concept proposed in the ‘Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents’ (2022), a balanced meal should include: grains and tubers, vegetables, fruits, and fish, meat, eggs, and legumes. Professor Ma provided practical suggestions for different groups. Working professionals often have nutritional gaps due to irregular eating habits; the key is to supplement dietary fiber and micronutrient deficiencies while controlling weight – they can proactively pair fruits like gold kiwifruit with takeout or snacks. Pregnant women can prioritize fresh fruits and vegetables, using dietary fiber to help maintain blood sugar stability and vitamin C to combat oxidative stress. Teenagers are suited to developing healthy eating behaviors through the natural flavors and colors of fruits.
Breaking ‘Hidden Hunger,’ Starting with Three Meals a Day
Three daily meals may seem ordinary, but day after day, they shape everyone’s physical condition. Professor Ma believes that rather than pursuing complicated and hard-to-maintain health regimens, it’s better to pay a little more attention to daily diet. Properly combining meals and prioritizing nutrient-dense foods – such as adding a kiwifruit rich in multiple nutrients – conveniently supplements nutritional needs and ‘fills the plate with nutrition.’
Worth mentioning is the ‘Daily Good Diet’ AI mini-program launched at the end of April, with professional content support from the ‘National Nutrition Literacy Improvement Program’ of the Nutrition Literacy Branch of the China Health Promotion and Education Association, and technical support from Volcano Engine and Doubao Large Model. Consumers simply scan their plate to generate a visual nutrition analysis report, helping them adjust their dietary structure more specifically, turning every ordinary home-cooked meal into a truly nourishing nutritious meal.
With the deep implementation of the ‘Healthy China 2030 Planning Outline,’ the role of nutrient-dense fruits in optimizing national dietary structure is becoming increasingly prominent. As a leading global kiwifruit industry company, Zespri will lead with its new brand proposition ‘Grown for Good,’ practicing goodwill toward consumers, partners, growers, and society at every step, promoting industrial upgrading, and continuing to fulfill its commitment to supporting public health through natural nutrition, injecting scientific dietary concepts into national health management and demonstrating corporate responsibility in the modern health industry ecosystem.
