ABSTRACT
China is a big country with great varieties of foodstuffs. However, the most important components of the daily diets are grains and cereals, which provide about 80% of the daily caloric intake. In south China, the predominant grain is rice and in the north, the main staple foods are wheat and coarse grains including corn, millet, sorghum, etc. The amount and varieties of plant subsidiary foods are dependent on the climate. In general, Chinese diets are rich in vegetables. The supply of staple and nonstaple food varies in amount and varieties with season. National nutrition surveys carried out in China in 1959 and 1982 indicate that the consumption pattern of plant foods and crude fiber intake differ in different parts of China, as shown in Table 7.4.1. Crude fiber is mainly from cereal grains and vegetables. The data in Table 7.4.2 indicate the contribution of crude fiber from various foods in north China peasant diets
as calculated by Zheng from the annual dietary surveys in 1979. The crude fiber content of the Chinese daily diet is much higher than the daily crude fiber intake in England, which was estimated to be about 4 g per capita.
