The Business of Looking Better

By Li Xiaoyang

To make herself look and feel pretty in summer dresses， 20-something Hepburn Zhang， an employee at an Internet company in Jiangsu Province， has committed herself to consuming light meals only for lunch and dinner since May. Additionally， she adheres to a strict three-times-a-week workout routine at the gym. These combined efforts have helped her shed 3 kg in one month.

“I often buy light food from salad stores. Many of my young colleagues maintain similar habits to keep fit，” she told Beijing Review. Of course， a young woman pursuing beauty like her also views cosmetics as an indispensable part of life. According to Zhang， her annual spending on cosmetic products averages around 7，000 yuan（$1，093） in recent years.

Like Zhang， more and more Chinese people， including both women and men， have attached growing importance to their physical appearance， for they believe a better appearance can help them gain the upper hand in both career and life. The quest for a more desirable body shape and better appearance have driven various beauty-related industries， including gyms and all things exercise， health foods， makeup and cosmetic surgery.

Shaping bodies

Due to improving living standards， many Chinese find obesity to be an emerging challenge. Instead of meat and carbohydrates， they now shift their preference toward lighter meals and meal replacements such as energy bars and diet shakes to keep slim and save time on dining. With little oil， salt and sugar， light meals are easy to cook and are low in calories and fat yet high in fiber， which can be nutritive and make people feel full more easily. This type of nutrition now on sale across restaurants， stores and gyms has spurred on a new craze.

According to a survey by Beijing Youth Daily released in June， 84.5 percent of around 1，500 respondents would like to keep consuming light meals for the purposes of health and fitness， in which those aged between 20 and 30 make up 88 percent. A total of 85 percent of the respondents willing to uphold their newfound habit are female.

Xiao Ju， a university sophomore， has found light food to greatly benefit her health. “I kept eating light meals like salad for one meal every day of a month， which has eased my spleen-related asthenia as well as my depression，” she told Beijing Review.

Healthy food chains such as Element Fresh and Wagas have become a common sight in many cities in China over the past seven years， providing an exceptional option for those favoring a healthy diet and willing to try out some Westernstyle light dishes. Chain retailers such as Luckin Coffee have also adopted several light food products into their assortment to ride the tide. Aside from regular offerings， plant-based meat has garnered attention. Starfield， a China-based artificial meat food developer has cooperated with nearly 100 food chains such as Heytea， a milk tea chain， and fast-food chain Dicos， making its products increasingly known among consumers.