Young dieters in China are increasingly ditching conventional low-calorie foods for a more unusual weight-loss trend: chewy snacks.
Across social media, users are sharing their favourite tough-to-chew foods, ranging from beef jerky and frozen buns to baby teething biscuits.
The idea is to keep the mouth occupied for longer while creating a feeling of fullness, helping dieters curb the urge to eat more.
For many of them, taste is secondary to texture, with some believing that the harder a food is to chew, the more effective it is as a diet snack.
A 37-year-old woman from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, who uses the handle @yigexiangmujingli, has chosen dangshen root as her preferred chewy snack. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the root is believed to support the spleen and lungs.
She told the South China Morning Post that although she exercises regularly, she struggles with controlling her appetite. She therefore turns to chewy snacks to keep herself occupied while working without adding significantly to her weight.
She said dangshen has a mildly sweet taste, which she prefers to meat-flavoured alternatives. She also occasionally eats additive-free beef jerky and sugar-free chewing gum.
The trend has prompted some young Chinese consumers to rediscover traditional foods known for their tough textures. One social media user sought out Zhoushan hard cake from Zhejiang province, a sundried glutinous rice cake described as being “as hard as a brick”.
The traditional snack was historically preserved for military campaigns and sea-fishing expeditions. Other regional foods being rediscovered include fried rice cookies from Guangdong and pancakes from Shandong.
For these young dieters, calorie counting has taken a back seat to the simple act of chewing while keeping food consumption low.
One person even said he enjoys chewing dog chew sticks to relieve anxiety during exams. He claimed he could spend up to two hours chewing a single stick and said it also helped maintain oral hygiene.
Chewy snacks are part of a wider range of weight-loss strategies being explored by young Chinese millennials, including eating commonly consumed low-glycaemic index foods and “human food” — diced and frozen meat and vegetables.
These approaches are viewed by some as alternatives to more extreme dieting methods, such as severely restricting food intake.
Some studies suggest chewing may help reduce mental stress, while TCM principles emphasise thorough chewing and eating slowly as beneficial for digestion and metabolism.
