'EastDiet' — a homegrown way to better health

What makes region special?

A closer look at the diet reveals unmistakable characteristics of China's eastern coastal region.

Freshwater fish and aquatic products, tofu and other soy foods, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, lotus root, taro and a wide variety of seasonal vegetables all feature prominently in the dietary pattern.

Yu Bin, founder of the Michelin two-star restaurant Jie Xiang Lou in Hangzhou, said this is hardly surprising.

The diet, he said, was shaped not by health-conscious planning but by geography and generations of accumulated culinary wisdom. "Hangzhou places tremendous emphasis on terroir (the combination of soil, climate, and sunlight) and seasonal freshness," Yu said.

In the eastern coastal region's culinary tradition, the changing seasons dictate not only the landscape but also what is put on the dining table.

Spring brings shepherd's purse, Indian kalimeris and bamboo shoots. Summer offers lotus seed pods, water caltrops and tender freshwater delicacies. Autumn is the season of lake crabs and aquatic produce, while winter features winter bamboo shoots and preserved foods.

This seasonal rhythm naturally increases dietary diversity, a characteristic increasingly recognized by nutrition researchers as a hallmark of healthy eating.

Modern nutritional science suggests that good health rarely comes from eating a single "superfood". Instead, it emerges from a varied and balanced diet.

The traditional food culture of China's eastern coastal region appears remarkably consistent with contemporary understandings of healthy eating.

The region's dense network of rivers and lakes has also shaped its protein sources. Unlike many regions where livestock has historically dominated the dinner table, freshwater fish, shrimp and other aquatic products have long played a central role in local diets. Soy products such as tofu, dried bean curd and tofu sheets further diversify protein intake.

What may appear to be ordinary dietary choices today, researchers argue, form the nutritional backbone of the EastDiet.

The study also uncovered a culturally intriguing feature: people adhering to the EastDiet generally preferred lighter flavors. For many consumers accustomed to heavily seasoned food, "light" flavors are often associated with blandness.

Yu disagrees. "People should be able to taste the ingredient itself," he said. "Freshness comes from the ingredient. Seasoning should be restrained."

This philosophy has long shaped Hangzhou cuisine, where steaming, braising, poaching and gentle simmering are widely used to highlight natural flavors rather than mask them.

What traditional cooks describe as qingdan xianhua — light, fresh and smooth — is, in essence, respecting the ingredient's original taste.

Remarkably, this culinary philosophy aligns closely with modern nutritional advice to reduce excessive salt, sugar and ultra-processed foods.

Unlike the Mediterranean diet, which relies heavily on olive oil, China's eastern coastal food culture developed its own form of what might be called "subtraction cooking" — preserving natural flavors while minimizing unnecessary calories and sodium.