The line graph illustrates the annual consumption of grain, meat, vegetables and dairy produce per person in China, measured in kilograms, over the period from 1985 to 2010.
Overall
, diets changed markedly during these twenty-five years, as consumption of meat and dairy climbed steeply Linking Words
while
the amount of cereals eaten fell. Vegetables, which were the most popular item at the start, remained in first place throughout, Linking Words
although
their lead narrowed considerably.
In 1985, greens stood far ahead of every other category at roughly 150 kilograms per person, with cereals a distant second at around 110. Linking Words
Subsequently
, the former rose modestly to peak near 170 in the late 1990s before settling at approximately 160 by 2010, Linking Words
whereas
the staple crop followed the opposite path, declining steadily to just 80 and thereby losing almost a third of its original figure.
The two remaining foods, having started from a much lower base, grew more dramatically than anything else. Meat intake, Linking Words
for instance
, which was a mere 20 in 1985, nearly tripled to reach about 58 by the end of the period, overtaking grain in 2005. Dairy products showed an even faster rate of expansion, soaring from under 5 to some 30, and had Linking Words
this
momentum continued, they would have caught up with the third category within another decade.Linking Words