Food entrepreneurs in China are trying to show that there are endless possibilities of healthy eating options that go beyond the dull celery and carrot sticks.
Although still at an infancy stage in China, the health food industry is developing and growing fast.
An increasing number of restaurant chains that serve health foods that are tasty, fresh and creative are springing up.
Element Fresh, one of China's leading restaurant chains for health food, was set up in 2004 in Shanghai, which focuses on sandwiches, salads and fresh juices.
The chain, co-founded by Scott Minoie and George Wang and managed by Frank Rasche, has been thriving in the past decade amid a rising awareness of the role of food in maintaining good health.
Although the restaurant chain was initially mostly frequented by foreigners, currently three quarters of its customers are Chinese.
"We were convinced that over time the number of people preferring nutritious and healthy food with great taste would become huge," said Rasche, CEO of Element Fresh.
The restaurant chain refuses to disclose its annual revenues but remains confident that it will be able to continue registering solid double-digit growth in coming years.
The company currently has 32 restaurants, including an outlet recently inaugurated at the Shanghai Disney Resort. Additionally, the opening of a new location in Wuhan, Hubei province, later this year will increase the group's presence to 10 cities in China.
