As many of you know I take tours to China. Last year I spent three months there. It is very rare to see a Chinese person that is heavy. On a two-week tour I would be hard pressed to find 10 Chinese people that are overweight. What is their secret? Here is what I have observed as I have traveled there that past four years.
1. Dessert is fruit. At the end of the meal, a plate of sliced watermelon or oranges will come to your table. Most of my Chinese friends do not even like things that are really sweet.
2. Vegetables of all kind are their main dishes. Seventy-five percent of any meal in China is usually some combination of vegetable and a little meat. They have much more variety in the vegetables that they eat. I often ask, “What is the name of this vegetable.” “It is a green,” will be their reply. I ate several times with a Chinese boy who is the only child in the family and is 7. He ate every vegetable that was placed on the table, and there were many.
3. Milk, cheese, and dairy products are not a part of the Chinese diet. For breakfast you will find warm soymilk as the liquid they use with anything that calls for milk. Soymilk is the only thing that looks like dairy that I have seen on their table.
4. Meat is a condiment. You see very little meat in any of the Chinese dishes. I have never sat down to a juicy steak, or a piece of chicken or pork. The three meats that I most often see would be chicken, pork and fish. Meat is usually cut into small pieces and added to a vegetable, or they may have free-range skinny chicken with vegetables and broth as a soup. Fish is the exception, which is often cooked whole — with the head on — and served that way.
5. Breads are not part of the Chinese diet. If you see bread it would be steamed bread, as the Chinese kitchen does not have ovens to bake. This steamed bread is like a bun and often has a filling of sweet pork or bean paste. A wok is the utensil used to cook everything.
6. Fresh is king in China. Chinese people are used to fresh. In the village I lived in for two months, the vegetables that I ate were picked that morning and sold at the market that day. The Chinese only buy what they need for the day. In the village I saw a few small refrigerators, but it was rare to see food or leftovers in the fridge.
7. Carbohydrates come from rice or noodles. It is rice in the south and noodles in the north that give the Chinese people the energy they need for the day. They do need a lot of energy, as only about 10 percent of the populations have a car. Most of them ride a bike, walk or use the public transportation.
8. Junk food is not part of their daily routine. All of the people that I know do not eat a lot of junk food. Health is on top of the mind in China. I would say that taste and convenience is the top of mind in America.
9. Tea and warm water would be their drinks of choice. You can find soda pop in China, but I did not ever see any of my friends drink a can or even having anything cold. Ice water is not something that you can get at a restaurant. Instead you would get tea or warm water.
10. Fast food is not a daily experience. Yes I think that most of the Chinese have had American fast food, but it is not something they have often. Fast food is most found in the big cities. They have Chinese fast food, but it seems to be healthier than the standard American hamburger and pizza.
In summary, you can see by my list that a Chinese diet is much more a plant-based diet. They also walk and exercise a lot more than Americans. Hence, they do not have a problem with overweight citizens and all the health challenges that come from abundance of processed and low-nutrient foods.
Dian is writing a new book that will be released in March. The title is Tipping the Scales in your Favor, small steps that make a big difference to you health, you weight and your happiness. You and preorder it by going to https://dianthomas.com/weight-loss.htm. She will also give you private access to a special area for those who have purchased the book to see the material as it is developed on her website. Act now so you can take advantage of her creative ideas that took her from 326 to 200 pounds.