China Focus: Health-conscious Chinese "weigh in" on balanced diets

BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- As the evening settled in, Wu Ke peeled back the silver lid of a small bottle, the fresh scent of green juice rising to meet her as she plunged her straw into the foil.

Her first sip was small, but deliberate -- this was her dinner. The 29-year-old primary school teacher in Beijing is mindful of her health. She was determined to stick to her diet, one sip at a time.

The recent "Golden Week" holiday has fueled interest in liquid salads -- a blended drink made from vegetables and fruit, marketed as a fresh solution for those in China eager to undo the effects of holiday overindulgence. On Oct. 7, the final day of the National Day holiday, online searches for the product surged on WeChat, Tencent's all-in-one social media app.

This isn't the first time liquid salad has found itself under the spotlight this year. In July, HEYTEA, a leading new-style tea brand in China, partnered with Anta Sports to introduce a drink made from kale, apple, lemon and chia seeds. Around 1.6 million bottles, priced at 19 yuan (about 2.7 U.S. dollars), were bought within the first few days of the Paris Olympics.

The growing popularity of liquid salads and light foods in China underscores an increasing health consciousness and trend toward weight control in the world's second-largest economy.

Many office workers are now opting for bowls of greens topped with beef, chicken breast or salmon for lunch. The trend has also been linked to the likes of KFC, famously known for its "finger lickin' good" offerings, toward more health-conscious offerings through the launch of brands like Kpro, a new health-conscious eatery, in cities of Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, and most recently in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Even traditionally high-calorie mooncakes were revamped with healthier fillings or offered in mini portable packages to cater to calorie-conscious customers during the recent Mid-Autumn Festivals. "I prefer options with cleaner labels over complex alternatives that have a laundry list of ingredients," said Wu.

The statistics are weighty. According to official data in 2020, over half of the adults in China are overweight or obese, and the rate could reach 65.3 percent by 2030. The population on the Chinese mainland surpassed 1.4 billion at the end of 2019.

China had struggled for centuries to feed its vast population, with undernourishment a genuine concern for many families up until the late 1970s. Obesity has emerged as a public health challenge only after the economy took off.

As living standards improve, dietary habits have moved away from traditional plant-based consumption in China. While incorporating more animal foods has enhanced nutrition overall, it has also led to excessive fat intake, said Prof. Wang Youfa, head of the obesity branch of the China Nutrition Society and vice director of the Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center.

Zhang Peng, chief bariatric and metabolic physician at Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, identified traditional beverages, snacks, takeout foods and dining out as leading contributors to obesity in the country.

Against this backdrop, light foods have increasingly gained traction among consumers. A bold estimate released at a July industry conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, projected the market for sugar-free and low-sugar foods in China will exceed 900 billion yuan by 2027.

HOMEMADE CHINESE FOODS

Some consumers, however, complain about the relatively high prices of light foods on the market. A survey indicates around 71 percent of light foods cost consumers between 20 yuan and 40 yuan. In 2023, the average annual salary for employees in the private sector in China was 68,340 yuan.

Xiaodou, a 39-year-old employee at a bank in south China's Guangdong Province, stands 160 cm tall and has successfully lost 20 kg over seven months, bringing her weight down to 55 kg in May.

Besides workouts, her secret is reducing her intake of carbohydrates, cooking oil and salt. As a mother of two, she prepares her dinner in the morning and takes it to work, allowing her to enjoy supper by six o'clock, a time she believes is more conducive to her health.

"I tried the light food available on the market, but it didn't seem to work for me. So, what I've done is replacing unhealthy foods in my diet with healthier options little by little; some of these replacements are actually more economical," she explained.

Experts corroborate her claims. Zhang, a physician in Beijing, said that while obesity is often associated with the meat-based diets in the West, excessive carbohydrate intake is a significant contributor to obesity in China.

According to Wang, cooking oil usage in China exceeds recommended levels by over 40 percent, while the intake of seafood, eggs, fruit, vegetables, dairy and beans falls significantly short of recommendations. "This unbalanced nutritional intake increases the risk of chronic diseases," he said.

In addition to Xiaodou's experience, a medical cosmetologist surnamed Zhang from Beijing has also embraced cooking to maintain her health.

The 39-year-old has shifted her meals to include beef, chicken, vegetables, brown rice, corn and sweet potatoes after successfully losing 12.5 kg, down from 70 kg in February. This change occurred within two months through a weight loss therapy that combined Chinese massage and meal replacements.

"I trust the meals I prepare for myself more," said Zhang.

Xiaodou rejects the idea of diet shock; instead, she advocates for a more natural approach -- one that is both realistic and compassionate.

"Weight control is one of the few things in the world we can absolutely achieve on our own. So, trust yourself," she said. ■