Forget low-calorie food, Chinese youth turn to tasteless, chewy snacks to lose weight

Young dieters in China are increasingly turning away from low-calorie foods in favour of a new trend: chewy snacks.

On social media, they are sharing their new-found favourites, including beef jerky, frozen buns, and even baby teething biscuits – each characterised by their toughness and chewiness.

Many prefer chewy foods as a way to keep their mouths busy and trick their brains into feeling satisfied, reducing the urge to eat more.

For these dieters, taste is not the top priority; instead, the focus is on the toughness of the snacks. The harder to chew, the more effective they believe it is.

One 37-year-old netizen from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, using the handle @yigexiangmujingli, has taken to munching on dangshena root thought to bolster the spleen and lung in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) – as her chewy snack of choice.

She shared with the SCMP that while she maintains a workout routine, she struggles with self-control around food. Hence, she seeks chewy snacks that keep her focused at work without adding weight to her body.