| Is Chinese food really healthy? Well that all | | | | |
| depends on what you order. Many people have | | | | - If you must have that heavier corn starched |
| the misconception that Chinese food = healthy | | | | based sauce, see if the cook will skip the |
| eating. This belief is only true if the | | | | breading (e.g. sweet sour pork or chicken). |
| restaurant is serving truly authentic Chinese | | | | |
| food. There are quite a few menu choices | | | | - Avoid double carbohydrate picks such as |
| found in Chinese carry out restaurants that | | | | rice and noodles. Pick one or the other, not |
| have become "westernized", making them high | | | | both. |
| in fat and sodium. Many of the dishes are | | | | |
| fried and surrounded by heavy sauces which | | | | - Drop the fork, use the chop sticks. |
| render the food unhealthy, and are really no | | | | |
| better than eating fried fast food. | | | | - Use Soy Sauce in modest amounts. This sauce |
| | | | is loaded with sodium. If dish is prepared at |
| Here are a few tips to keep the in mind when | | | | home you can purchase low sodium based soy |
| dining out or calling in for carry out: | | | | sauces at the grocery store. |
| | | | |
| Appetizers | | | | - Go heavy on vegetables and light on meat |
| | | | (Beef with Broccoli) |
| - Swap out high fat and high calorie | | | | |
| appetizers such as egg rolls and spare ribs | | | | Beverages and Dessert |
| for meal starters such as Won Ton Soup or Hot | | | | |
| Sour Soup. | | | | - Drink tea with meal instead of soda. If |
| | | | possible order green tea which is highest in |
| - Pick the low cal and lower fat spring roll | | | | antioxidants. |
| over egg roll. | | | | |
| | | | - For Dessert opt for the low calorie fortune |
| Meals | | | | cookie. |
| | | | |
| - Swap out fried rice for steamed rice. If | | | | - For Dessert opt for the low calorie fortune |
| offered by the restaurant, order brown rice | | | | cookie. |
| over white. | | | | |
| | | | Chinese food can be one of the healthiest |
| - Avoid crispy noodles or pan fried noodles | | | | ethnic foods to consume. I like to order |
| if possible. | | | | Chinese food as well as prepare it at home |
| | | | using my wok. One of the best attributes of |
| - Reduce food quantity. For some reason it is | | | | Chinese dishes is the varieties and quantity |
| easy to go wild and order four to five | | | | of vegetables that you can blend together in |
| different items on a Chinese menu. Keep it | | | | a stir fry. I like to incorporate such |
| simple and order one dish/one soup. | | | | vegetables as bok choy, spinach, carrot, |
| | | | shitake mushrooms, etc. I blend these dishes |
| - Choose items on the menu that will be | | | | together using some great sauces such as |
| preferably steamed rather than fried. | | | | hoisin, soy, peanut, etc. I serve the |
| | | | finished product over brown rice and end up |
| - Split your meal into two meals. No need to | | | | with a satisfying meal. Let me emphasize that |
| finish it all in one sitting. Most serving | | | | I add these sauces sparingly. Cooking via |
| sizes sold are actually two servings. Take | | | | stir fry or through steaming methods can have |
| home the white box and have a second meal. | | | | enormous health benefits and there is a great |
| This will cut down the calorie count. | | | | Chinese cookbook available that can offers |
| | | | several different ways to prepare this |
| - Many popular dishes range from 1300 to 1500 | | | | fantastic food. The cookbook is called Real |
| calories per order (e.g. Lemon Chicken and | | | | and Healthy Chinese Cooking by Nicholas Zhou. |
| General Tso). Pick a healthier alternative. | | | | Mr. Zhou's five hundred and forty three page |
| Several can be found in Cantonese dishes | | | | cookbook cover Mandarin, Szechwan, Cantonese, |
| (e.g. Moo Goo Gai Pan) | | | | and Hunan dishes. These recipes are authentic |
| | | | Chinese and are healthy recipes that cater to |
| - If offered pick shrimp or fish over meat. | | | | most diets. |