The Chinese Diet versus the North American Diet, a personal perspective

I do not pretend to know the diet in China nor North America. This is only a personal observation as a Chinese who has lived the last 22 years in Montreal, Canada and still goes to China once a year.

China is a very big country and people from different regions eat very differently from each other. Up till 20 years ago, people ate whatever foods available in their surrounding area (probably around 200 km radius). Therefore, people from the north usually only ate wheat and people from the south ate mostly rice (Yangtze River as a divider).

I was born and raised in a coastal district of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, so I know what people eat in that area most. Unless specifically stated, whenever I mention China in this article, I only mean this small coastal district.

Up till 20 years ago, people in the city ate mostly rice, tofu, eggs, shell fish, fish, vegetables, nuts and fruits. In the rural area, yum and corn was their main source of carbohydrates instead of rice. If you lived in a fishing village, shell fish and fish (often salted in order to be kept) were your main source of protein. If you were a farmer, eggs and pork (in the form of ham or sausage, Chinese style, the sophisticated versions you can still find them in Chinatowns in mostly North American cities) were your main source of protein. Green vegetables were available fresh all year around and people in both the city and rural area ate plenty for lunch and super. However, for breakfast, vegetables were eaten in preserved form (fermented and salty). In the fall and winter, only the citrus types of fruits were available in that area. May to July, there were many types of fruits available. July to September we ate mostly melons (water melon, honey dew, cantaloupes etc.). I did not get to eat apple or banana as one is grown in the north and another in the south.

People ate moderately for economic reasons. We usually had a big feast every year during the Spring Festival.

Before I was 16 years old and left home, I was fed with the following for breakfast almost every single day:

One scrambled egg, few walnuts chopped up, and 2 teaspoons of sugar cooked in about 2 cups of boiled water.

One bowl of hot liquid rice (congee)

Some salty preserved vegetables (usually fermented) and salty shell fish (marinated in salt and sometimes with alcohol)

We had soup (Chinese style, lot of liquid, not much substance, basically salty water) almost every super.

Canned carnation milk was part of my diet as a baby, as I was told. Fresh cow’s milk was a luxury and yogurt was unheard of.

Were people healthier following this type of diet? I have no idea. The average longevity is better today in China than 20 years ago just like everywhere else in the world. The maximum longevities have not changed much. There are quite few females living beyond 90 today as 20 years ago. But one fact remains clear and obvious; NOBODY was FAT 20 years ago in that area.

20 years ago, Coke and Pepsi were drinks for the elite, available only in bars in 4-5 star hotels. Now it has gotten much cheaper and available everywhere. Almost all the Coke and Pepsi drinks are sold with sugar added. I could not find any diet Coke or Pepsi last time I was there (February this year).

5 to 10 years ago, KFC opened in that small coastal county where I was born. McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are not that far either (less than an hour’s drive away).

I was there in February this year; a brand new huge Tesco (British grocery chain) opened there and was packed with shoppers every day.

Every year, I noticed more and more fat people (mostly people under 25 years of age). There are even fat camps for obese children in China, which were unheard of 20 years ago.

When it comes to water intake, 20 years ago, in addition to rice congee and soup, rich people drank hot tea and poor people and children drank boiled hot water. Now children (excluding those from extremely poverty) drink western style cold drinks loaded with refined sugar.

Fresh milk and yogurt are abundant today. I once saw one child ate 10 of the 6 oz yogurt at an all you can eat breakfast restaurant in a hotel.

In another 20 years, there will not be any difference between how we eat in North America and in China. Hopefully by then we will find out what is the optimal diet for us humans and we will all eat healthier.