I think Chinese people are comparatively thinner than others because of their physical activity, not their diet. The second reason they’re thinner is just their mindset about health.
Diet
Do Chinese people eat less fast food than the average American? Yes. Do they eat less processed foods? Yes. But still, there are tons of snack foods here that Chinese love — and I think they’re packed with preservatives and additives. Think about the instant noodles, the “cheese” teas, and milk teas that are popular now. It is true that most Chinese people tend to favor less salt and less sugar than their western counterparts. That helps. But when you watch Chinese people order noodles with sauce, fish balls, beef balls, and some tofu — you can conclude its probably not their diet alone that helps them stay thin.
Lots of Chinese food is fried. There is a ton of oil used in Chinese cooking.
Walking (Physical Activity)
The key difference is the amount of physical activity Chinese people get every day. They walk, a lot. The density of Chinese cities allows them to walk pretty much anywhere, if they want. In the USA, if I wanted to walk , it would take me a good 30 minutes.
This could be a typical day for me: Leave my place and walk to the nearest subway station. After arriving at my destination, walk from there to the office. Around noon, walk from the office to a nearby place for lunch. After that, walk back to the office or walk to go get a refreshment. After work, walk to a restaurant or to the subway station (to go to meet a friend for food). After food, walk back to the subway or bus station. Get off the subway or bus and walk home. It’s a lot of walking.
On top of this, you’ll see elderly people dancing in the parks. You’ll see married couples taking mid-evening strolls after dinner. A lot of them. And the younger crowds are getting more and more into fitness. Gyms are plentiful and memberships are very cheap (compared with the West).
Mindset
Chinese people are just, overall, more mindful of health. If they see you drinking a Coke or eating fast food, they might remind you that’s not healthy. If you gained weight, they will probably tell you. Tea is popular here. TCM, herbal medicines, and food with medicinal qualities are consumed quite often. When was the last time my mom informed me that the soup I was about to eat had “Ingredient A” that is good for “Body Part X”?? It happens a lot here.
So yeah, I honestly don’t think the Chinese diet is the reason why they’re skinny. There’s a lot of salt in soy sauce. Peanut oil is used to fry many things.
