Too busy for lunch? China’s tech workers turn to meal-replacement drinks that’re fast, healthy … but not necessarily tasty
Former programmer’s powdered product offers nutritionally complete meals that can be downed in just five minutes, but country’s culinary culture presents a challenge
Five minutes into his lunch break, web developer Zhou Shengkai has already prepared and finished his meal.
Zhou makes his lunch every day by mixing 100 grams of powder with cold water, which offers him 20 grams of protein, 9.5 grams of fat and 430 kcal in energy. Dinner is consumed with the same efficiency – he usually has it on the bus from his workplace to the gym.
We are telling them to think rationally, not to be controlled by their appetite
“This is so convenient,” said the 23-year-old, who lives in Qingdao, Shandong province. “Half an hour is way too long for having a meal. Now I can do something else with the time.”
What Zhou has two times a day is a meal replacement made from oats, soy and other ingredients including vitamins and minerals. Its producer claims that people aged from 18 to 49 can get all the essential nutrients they need from the powdered drinks, without eating anything else.
Such products, called “the future of food” or even “the end of food” by their techie fans in America’s Silicon Valley, have recently found new demand from China’s urban workers, who want to eat healthily, but also fast.