Is it possible to eat as much as you like without worrying about your figure or whatever quick weight loss diet you may be on at the time?

Imagine a nation of people who stuff themselves with delicious food feeling satisfied and look forward to the next knowing that it will be as good as the last. I had to go halfway around the world to see it for myself, and it was only after that I began to understand why Western weight loss diet regimes do not work and why we should all be eating more rather than less.

In China, meals are the high points of the day. People greet each other by saying; ‘Ni chi fan le ma?’ (’Have you eaten yet?’). And they finish each meal exclaiming, ‘Wo chi bao le’ (’I've eaten until I am full’), and meaning it. And research has shown that Chinese people actually consume more calories than Americans but keep a lot slimmer.

Eat your greens

So what’s the secret? Actually, there are several and it took me many years to unearth them - not surprising as they’re rooted in a food culture with more than 3,000 years of recorded history.

Chinese people love eating and never deprive themselves with punishing slimming regimes and quick weight loss schemes. So what do they eat that allows them to form such a positive relationship with food?

In the West, we think of a balanced meal in terms of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
But the Chinese diet is made up of ‘cai’ (dishes) and ‘fan’ (staples) - probably the most significant is that the word ‘cai’ also means vegetables.

In China, food is seen as something that makes you fit, not fat.

China does not need a ‘five-a-day campaign’ because, in China, the vegetables are the dishes and are deemed worthy of the same attention as the finest cut of meat or freshest piece of fish. This is not to say that meat is not eaten there. On the contrary, there is no part of flesh or fowl that a Chinese chef won’t make into a fabulous dish.

In everyday meals, however, meat is more likely to be used in a supporting role (stewed mushrooms with chicken or green beans and pork slivers), and if a meat-based recipe is served it always forms part of a multi-course meal featuring vegetables made into mouthwatering, carefully seasoned dishes.

And a Chinese cook can take practically any vegetable and turn it into a feast. Take aubergines, for example. I thought they were used only in moussaka or ratatouille, but now I serve them stir-fried with ginger, tomato and egg; with a fragrant spicy sweet and sour sauce; braised with soy beans; or steamed with garlic and sesame.