Nutrition, Dietary Balance and Menu Planning
This domain tests whether you can build a menu that hits dietary targets without losing the cooking - and whether you know which technique destroys which nutrient.
Daily reference targets (adult)
Salt under 5 g; cooking oil 25–30 g; added sugar under 25 g with an upper limit of 50 g; 谷薯类 250–400 g; 蔬菜 300–500 g; 水果 200–350 g; 畜禽肉 40–75 g; 水产 40–75 g; 蛋 40–50 g; 奶及奶制品 300 g; 大豆及坚果 25–35 g. Energy split: protein 10–15%, fat 20–30%, carbohydrate 50–65%.
Technique and nutrient retention
- Rinse rice no more than three times and do not rub, to keep B vitamins.
- 急火快炒 and cut-then-cook-immediately preserve vitamin C; soaking vegetables leaches it.
- A splash of vinegar or a tomato base protects vitamin C and improves non-haem iron absorption.
- 味精 performs best at 70–90 °C and should not be used in strongly acidic or alkaline dishes.
- Steaming retains more water-soluble vitamins than boiling; deep-frying adds fat and loses the most.
Worked example
A 1000 kcal business set: 250 g steamed rice, 80 g 清蒸鱼, 100 g 白灼菜心, 60 g 豆腐, one small bowl of 冬瓜汤. Reasoning: protein lands near 35 g, sodium near 1800 mg with soy kept to 8 g, and the plate carries three colours plus two textures. No second 油炸 item, because the fat allowance is already at 25 g.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating 生抽 and 蚝油 as "not salt", which silently doubles sodium.
- Serving 红烧 or 油炸 to a guest with hypertension or diabetes on a set menu.
- Assuming 老火汤 is a protein source; it is mostly fat and purines.