Ultimate Guide to Healthy Chinese Food
CHINESE food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. It’s quick and delicious and offers a good alternative to fast food.
Traditional Chinese food is relatively low in fat, with an emphasis on rice, noodles, and vegetables. However, some Chinese foods can be very high in calories and fat if you don’t order them wisely.
Here are some tips on how to order healthy at Chinese food restaurants. Here is the ultimate guide to healthy Chinese food.
For starters, why not try some soup? Most of the soups on a Chinese menu are very low in fat, a great way to start a meal. A good choice is chicken or vegetable soup with rice, or even egg drop.
Chinese food appetizers can be high in fat, such as fried wontons and egg rolls. Try the steamed dumplings instead. Vegetable dumplings are simply delicious. When ordering entrees, look for foods that are steamed, braised, broiled, simmered, or sautéed (ask for foods that are sautéed with little or no oil). Try vegetable-based dishes to further reduce fat and calories. Many Chinese food restaurants now offer traditional steamed items, such as chicken and broccoli, with different sauces to accompany them. Try these dishes with some steamed rice for a healthy meal. You can even go a step further in the healthy direction and order brown rice.
When ordering noodles and rice, ask for them plain, not fried. Also, keep in mind that meats in sweet and sour dishes are often breaded and deep-fried. Instead, order meats that are broiled and grilled to reduce fat and calories.
Most Chinese cuisines are very high in sodium, due to the use of MSG and soy sauce. Therefore, you can request that your meals be made without MSG or even request low sodium soy sauce. Dishes made with hot mustard, sweet and sour sauce, plum sauce, or duck are often low in sodium.
For dessert, go ahead and enjoy that fortune cookie, with a nice cup of grain tea. The fortune cookie is only 15 calories and is a wonderful way to end a delicious meal.
- Look for dishes that include vegetables instead of meat or noodles.
- Ask for extra broccoli, snap peas, or other vegetables.
- Stay away from fried meat, seafood, or tofu. Ask for it sautéed or stewed.
- Retain the sauce and eat with a fork or chopsticks to leave more sauce.
- Avoid salt, which means avoiding duck sauce, hot mustard, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.
- Share your meal or take half home for later.
- Ask for brown rice instead of white rice.
