Smart Health: Changes and Remains of Eastern Dietary Structures ^†

Abstract

Smart health is a current research direction. This report elaborates on the following content: (1) How to choose the right diet, establish a scientific lifestyle, and reduce the risk of illness; (2) how to apply artificial intelligence and big data technology to food nutrition and health analysis to guide diet more effectively; (3) The five basic factors that affect health—emotions, diet, exercise, genetics, and the internal and external environments; (4) how to identify and avoid safety hazards in various types of food and learn to check food ingredient lists, nutritional ingredient lists, and processing methods; and (5) the main contribution of the Eastern dietary structure to human longevity. Due to factors such as race, region, climate, and products, Eastern people should live according to Eastern dietary habits, which is the crystallization of thousands of years of dietary culture and health wisdom.

1. Introduction

There is a stark contrast between the abundance of material goods and the lack of knowledge. Understanding how artificial intelligence can help people adapt to the needs of the times is a great challenge. By looking back at the evolution of diets in developed countries, we can observe that they have also gone through three stages: the “subsistence diet”, the “palatable diet”, and the “scientific diet”. In developing countries, we are currently experiencing a shift from a palatable diet to a healthy diet; no matter what stage of change, there are distinctive bouts of disease and health hazards, such as food safety, environmental pollution, high incidence of cancer, and the rejuvenation of the three diseases, which are seriously threatening our health. Through the development and leadership of artificial intelligence, we hope to help more people reduce this “pain of the times” by studying big data’s historical and clinical experiences.

In China, there is abundant unscientific food and unbalanced nutrition, and more professionals with varying levels of expertise are needed. For example, Wang et al. [1] chose 1038 young and middle-aged people who were selected for the survey using the Basic Information Questionnaire and the Adult Healthy Eating Behaviour Assessment Scale. Their findings were as follows. A previous history of gallstones and a family history of gallstones were associated with better healthy eating behavior, and poor eating behavior increased the risk of developing gallstones. The risk of gallstones can be reduced through dietary health education, promoting good healthy eating behavior, and interventions in public eating behavior. Nie et al. [2] investigated the prevalence and influencing factors of gallstones among Dong women in Guizhou Province. They found that the higher risk of gallstones in urban-dwelling women may be related to urban lifestyle and dietary factors. There is a gradual increase in the detection of gallstones with age and BMI. Advanced age and obesity have been shown to be risk factors for gallstones. The relationship between unhealthy eating habits and gallstones has been confirmed: Ding et al. [3] investigated the current situation of breakfast behavior among young students, revealing that a lack of attention to breakfast meals means that more attention needs to be given to nutritional quality and hygiene. The older someone is, the more they tend to eat breakfast at home, and the younger they are, the more likely they are to eat breakfast at roadside stalls. Such eating habits have several adverse health effects.

Artificial intelligence can make up for the shortcomings in the health sector, alleviating the pressure on the industry and society, and will undoubtedly contribute significantly to human health.

2. Comparison between Eastern Diet and Mediterranean Diet

Both the Mediterranean diet and the Eastern diet has distinctive regional characteristics, applied by people from different regions for millions of years. We believe that health is inextricably linked to region, season, and race. The Chinese diet, characterized by a distinction between staples and side dishes and a predominance of plant-based foods, is the most conducive to health and is effective in preventing and controlling chronic diseases. This idea is the culmination of the dietary wisdom that China, with its thousands of years of agrarian civilization, and is summed up for humans worldwide.

As we discuss the development of AI today, we must also remember to inherit and carry forward these fine traditions. Research has found that the human spleen and stomach have a memory function [4]. Our taste buds always remember those pre-determined and irreplaceable flavors; therefore, the most exquisite flavor in the world is always the “mother’s flavor”. Many adverse reactions and illnesses that are caused by being away from home are called “discomfort”.

Following the logic of the thinking of the industrial revolution, we quantified all types of nutrients to the same extent as drug ingredients and set standards. Terms such as milliliters, kilograms, joules, and so on have given us a more intuitive understanding and knowledge, and now, some people eat by the gram and drink by the liter. This kind of strict application is “taking medicine from a prescription”. The Chinese are concerned with the dynamic balance of “Yin and Yang” and often use the term “moderate” for nutritional intake in China. The so-called “right amount” is infinitely variable and can be reasonably matched according to the environment, food quality, cooking methods, and so on. This “reasonableness” also requires in-depth research using artificial intelligence.

Recently, we have emphasized the importance of eating different meals for different body types. However, how many people understand their body type? Furthermore, how many of us understand what we should eat? When we sit at the table and face a gourmet feast, how do we choose our food scientifically? Many people have no idea about it, which causes a series of health problems, especially among youngsters and children [5]. Artificial intelligence can quickly help us solve such problems, as it can be used to create a personalized nutritional diet based on our height, weight, age, gender, health status, and other essential information. If we take out our phone and take a photo of our personalized food, then the system will instantly analyze the nutritional content and choose the exact type of food and portion size.

3. Further Study on the Relationship between Daily Diet and Health under an AI Scenario

Artificial intelligence can also be explored in depth with respect to how people can eat in moderation when they have the same body type but different emotions. Currently, fewer and fewer people are working at sunrise and resting at sunset; more and more people are staying up at night and reversing their days and nights. Fewer and fewer people are eating according to the standard of five grains as the mainstay and five dishes as the filling; more and more people are anointing themselves and eating ten thousand dollars daily.

In pursuing a palatable diet, people must process their food more carefully, resulting in the loss of many natural nutrients, such as inorganic salts, Ve, dietary fiber, and other trace elements in plant germ. This loss is inextricably linked to many modern diseases; many people arbitrarily attribute the occurrence of disease to how they eat and dismiss traditional dietary practices out of context; some even take piles and piles of industrially produced nutritional supplements to prevent disease. Why do people need to do more than that? Why not change the wrong eating habits? Why do we not implement the “eat more of God’s food and less of man-made food” initiative that nutritionists have called on for years? There are still many similar things that could be improved in the health field, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence will help people change their habits and establish a scientific concept of health.

4. How to Establish Healthy Eating Habits

Through analysis, we need to know the five basic factors that affect health—emotions, diet, exercise, genetics, and the internal and external environment; master how to identify and avoid safety hazards in various types of food by learning to check foods’ ingredient lists, nutritional ingredient lists, and processing methods; understand the main contribution of the Eastern dietary structure to human longevity—due to factors such as race, region, climate, and products, Eastern people should live according to Eastern dietary habits, which is the crystallization of thousands of years of dietary culture and health wisdom; and conduct an in-depth physical examination and analysis of the body through artificial intelligence and big data, choose the right diet for sexual selection, establish a scientific lifestyle, enhance the physique, and reduce the risk of disease.

5. Summary

Sun Simiao, the great Chinese pharmacist of the Tang Dynasty, said, “A peaceful life is based on daily diets; saving a life in an emergency is based on medicine." How can artificial intelligence help us to achieve a more scientific combination of medicine and health?”

Today, we are standing at a new point in time, and history has given us a mission and role. Our research on science and technology will never end, our search for harmony between humanity and nature will never end, our research on artificial intelligence will never end, technology is people-oriented, and artificial intelligence is making life better.