Many people almost completely give up rice from their daily diet due to the habit of “fearing starch,” said Associate Professor Nguyen Trong Hung, director of the Center for Nutrition Counseling, Rehabilitation and Obesity Management at the National Institute of Nutrition, speaking at the 2025 Nutrition-Food Science Conference on November 20.
“Many people boast that they only eat half a bowl of rice per meal or skip it altogether, but they actually consume too much meat, oily seeds, fruit and juice. This imbalance is very dangerous,” he emphasized.
According to Associate Professor Heng, starch should still account for about 50% of energy intake. Even patients with diabetes without complications should maintain this minimum amount. Adults need an average of 1,600 to 2,000 kcal per day, so they need at least 1 to 1.5 bowls of rice with each meal to get enough energy.
If you eat too little rice, your body will feel hungry quickly and “compensate” with meat or fatty foods, distorting your diet. The overuse of potatoes, corn, cassava or fruit instead of rice for weight loss is also considered unsustainable.
Another habit you are warned about is drinking juice every day. Associate Professor Heng said: “A glass of juice can contain up to 300 to 500 grams of fruit. Drinking juice and fruit at the same time will push your total sugar intake well above the recommended amount. Drinking it occasionally is okay, but drinking it every day is definitely not reasonable.”
Experts at the 2025 Nutrition-Food Science Conference.
From a policy planning perspective, Associate Professor Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, emphasized that building seven nutrition pyramids for each age group and subject aims to improve kidney function and prevent non-communicable diseases. These pyramids are visually designed and translated into specific food units such as spoons, bowls, and slices of bread, helping people easily apply them to their daily meals.
According to Duong, the goal is to increase the average height of children and adolescents by at least 1.5 cm and increase average life expectancy to 75.5 years by 2030. Of these, at least 68 are living healthy lives. Currently, the average life expectancy of Vietnamese people is 74.7 years, but the period of living a healthy life is still short. Elderly people often suffer from about three chronic diseases, most of which are caused by irregular eating habits.
Experts agree that Vietnam must strengthen nutrition education, develop regionally tailored diets, build exercise infrastructure, and actively learn from Japan’s nutrition policy model. The goal is to raise Vietnam’s profile, reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases and increase healthy life expectancy from 2025 to 2030.
On November 20, the National Institute of Nutrition (Ministry of Health) held the 22nd Annual Conference on Nutrition and Food Science to commemorate Vietnam Teacher’s Day. At this conference, the institute awarded a doctoral degree in nutrition to one graduate student and awarded commendations to seven graduate students in the 21st class.
The conference featured 16 scientific reports and numerous presentations from graduate students, lecturers, international organizations, and companies. Five research topics were announced for 2025, focusing on lipid disorders, osteoporosis, child development, worker nutrition, and behavior change communication.
The program also updates important directions. Scientific research for the period 2026-2030, National Action Plan on Nutrition 2026-2030, Guidelines for school feeding, Recommended nutritional requirements for 2025, Non-communicable disease situation, Problem of fake and low-quality food, Solutions to reduce salt and sugar, Report of the IUNS-ICN-2025 international conference in France, etc.
The conference confirmed the role of an authoritative scientific forum, provided direction for evaluation, intervention and nutrition policy, and contributed to the implementation of the National Nutrition Strategy 2021-2030, Vision 2045.
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