>As people’s incomes rise in a developing nation, so does the amount of food they eat. That’s what has been happening in China for the past 30 years. But many people, especially in the middle class, are discovering that you don’t have to eat and eat just because there’s plenty of food available.
Still, fast food has become a habit for a lot of people. KFC now operates more than 3,000 stores in China. McDonald’s has about half that many, and there are dozens of Chinese chains, too. It’s no surprise, then, that Chinese people are getting fat.
But fast food is only part of the problem. People are also just eating more.
… But an analyst points out that a lot of traditional food — like yotiao, a double deep-fried dough stick that people love to eat for breakfast — isn’t that healthful. He says what people really need is to learn how to make good choices.
… And fortunately, there is plenty of nutritious food available.
… In many ways, figuring out how to stay slim and healthy in modern China is a bit like the struggle Chinese face in other parts of life. It’s how to decide what to keep from the past, and what to take from all the new choices a growing economy offers.