National Health Commission 2025 healthy recipes

As of March 2025, the National Health Commission has not released a fixed daily menu titled "2025 Exclusive Healthy Recipes". The current public nutrition intake guidance for residents is based on the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" and combined with the framework plan for adjustment of nutrition-related requirements in the "Healthy China Action 2025 Work Points" released at the end of 2024. The "Unified Recipes Accurate to Grams for Three Meals a Day" posted online are all third-party processed content and are for reference only.

When I helped my mother clear the cache on her phone last week, I found 3 pictures she had saved labeled "Official Recipes of the National Health Commission 2025", which said, "You must eat 1 corn + 1 egg + 300ml pure milk for breakfast, and you can only eat 150g of boiled vegetables for dinner." She gritted her teeth. After a week of implementation, I searched the refrigerator for steamed buns at night when I was hungry. I dug out the public documents on the official website of the National Health Commission and showed her to her before she believed it. There is no unified way of eating across the country. Everyone's gastrointestinal condition, labor intensity, and dietary preferences are different. It is easy to cause problems if a rigid recipe is adopted.

Speaking of which, this framework guidance is not that complicated. There is no need to hold the kitchen scale and weigh the grams. I met 62-year-old Aunt Zhang before when I was doing nutrition education in the community. She was pre-diabetic. She used to eat white rice with boiled vegetables according to the recipe posted online, but her blood sugar fluctuated. Later, she adjusted it according to the instructions: mix half of brown rice or oats with a fistful of green leafy vegetables in each staple food, and add lean meat or fish as big as the palm of her hand. She never felt hungry, and her blood sugar was very stable when she was reviewed three months later.

There are several dietary controversies that are currently raging on the Internet. In fact, the guidance also gives flexible room for adjustment, and there is no need to stand on any side. For example, some people say that eating 100% whole grains is healthy, while others say that whole grains are harmful to the stomach. There is no specific ratio in the actual requirements: for the elderly and children with weak stomachs, it is totally fine if 70% of the rice and white flour are consumed. As long as they don’t eat white rice with fried dough sticks or braised pork every meal. ； There are also people arguing about "can we eat two eggs a day?" As long as there are no kidney diseases or clear cholesterol metabolism problems, fitness people and growing children are fine if they eat two or three eggs a day. There is no need to stick to the old rule of "you can only eat one egg a day." If you are a vegetarian, don’t panic. The guidance specifically mentions that vegetarians should pay attention to supplementing vitamin B12 and eat more soy products, mushrooms, and dark green vegetables to supplement their iron needs. No one is forcing you to eat meat.

Adjustments for special groups are more practical than general guidance. For example, if I have a school-going child at home, my best friend’s son is in the second grade of junior high school. He used to say that he felt sleepy in the third class in the afternoon. After checking, there was no problem. Later, according to the requirements of the 2025 student nutritional supplement, I mixed the white rice for lunch with one-third oatmeal, and added a small handful of plain walnuts in the afternoon. After half a month, I said that I didn’t yawn much in class. In fact, I just added more whole grains and n-3 fatty acids to help stabilize blood sugar and improve concentration. There are also elderly people who specifically mentioned the need to prevent sarcopenia this time. Don't just drink porridge and pickles every day. My grandma used to be afraid that she would not digest it if she ate too much. Later, she added a small cup of sugar-free yogurt and a small piece of steamed chicken breast every afternoon. Recently, she can go for a walk downstairs much more safely than before, and even catches fewer colds.

It doesn’t have to be too rigid. For example, it is said online that “you must eat enough 5 kinds of vegetables every day.” How can it be so particular? I just want to eat broccoli today. It’s okay to stir-fry a large plate and eat enough. As long as you can eat vegetables of different colors such as dark green, red, and purple every week. Some people say "you must not eat lard." I asked my friends in the nutrition department that it is perfectly fine to eat it once in a while, as long as the total amount of oil used per day is controlled at 25-30g, which is about the amount of two or three spoons of white porcelain spoons. There is no need to talk about the discoloration of lard.

To be honest, I used to be superstitious about recipes that were accurate to the gram. I had to use a scale to weigh the oil before cooking and count the number of oats to cook. I gave up after persisting for half a month. I was too tired. Later, I chatted with a friend in the nutrition department and he said that the healthiest recipes are never based on calories. If you feel comfortable eating and have normal physical examination indicators, it is better than anything else. These guidelines issued by the National Health Commission are meant to draw a safety line for everyone: don’t eat too salty (no more than 5g of salt a day, about the amount of a beer bottle cap), don’t eat too oily, don’t eat more than 25g of added sugar a day, drink less milk tea and cola, and make the rest as comfortable as you want. You can’t even touch one bite of your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs just to comply with the so-called official recipe, right? Occasionally, if you are craving for a meal, just put less oil on other dishes that day.

Anyway, when I cook now, I just make a rough estimate of the amount, including meat and vegetables. I mix some grains into my staple food. I eat deep-sea fish twice a week. When I’m craving for food, I drink a cup of milk tea and eat hot pot. Last year’s physical examination indicators were all normal, and I’m much more comfortable than before when I weighed grams every day. After all, eating what suits you is the healthiest thing.