Obesity and Its Related Diseases in China: The Impact of the Nut ...

Caballero and Popkin (1) pointed out that urban residents trended away from the consumption of inferior grains (e.g., corn or millet) and trended toward the consumption of more milled and polished grain (e.g., rice, wheat), higher fat food prepared outside, more processed foods, and higher intake of sugar, animal protein, and fats, compared with rural residents (9).

2.1.1.2 Dietary Patterns

The classic Chinese diet is composed of cereals (usually rice in the south; wheat and wheat products in the north) and vegetables with few animal foods. Typically, such a diet is low in fat, high in carbohydrates, and high in dietary fiber. However, the Chinese diet shifted markedly from the 1980s to the 1990s, following a classic Westernization pattern.

Cereals. Data from China National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) and China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) (1) showed that the intake of cereals decreased considerably during the past two decades in both urban and rural areas. From 1989 to 1997, the total intake of cereals decreased by 127 g per person per day (by 67 g for urban residents and by 161 g for rural residents). Although the higher-income group still has lower intake of cereals than the lower-income group, the difference across income groups has decreased.

Vegetables and Fruits. CHNS data (1) showed that urban residents’ intake of vegetables did not change from 1989 to 1997, but in the rural region it decreased by 52 g per person per day (409 g in 1989 to 357 g in 1997). The fruit intake increased by 2.5 times and 1.8 times in urban and rural residents, respectively, during that period. As a whole, total intake of vegetables and fruits decreased from 391.8 g per capita per day in 1980 to 366.7 g per capita, per day in 1997. The largest decrease occurred in the low-income group.