Will 'grass-eating' help Chinese win the battle of the bulge?

Appetites for low-calorie, high-fiber meals are surging amid high obesity rate

20191003 china obesity

China's economic growth over the past few decades has caused eating habits to change, sometimes for the worse as obesity rates are climbing. © Getty Images

HIROSHI MURAYAMA, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- Health-conscious Chinese are starting to turn away from meat and carbohydrates in favor of fruit, vegetables and cereals as obesity rates in the country swell.

Driven largely by younger Chinese, the trend has been jokingly referred to in the media as a return to the "grass-eating economy" of China's past, when famines under a harsh Communist regime often decimated the country until as recently as 40 years ago.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.