Diet & Fitness Blog
Healthy Chinese Food? 5 Best, 5 Worst
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Chinese-American food is unlike healthy Chinese food served in China, where the focus is on vegetables and rice, tofu (soy protein) and occasionally small portions of beef, pork, poultry and fish.
In the U.S., Chinese fast food is often drenched in oil and/or deep-fried and you'll see more pork and beef dishes on most Chinese menus than soy and fish. At airports, I've even seen eggs, bacon and home fries in Chinese fast food.
A restaurant dining experience is a safer choice than fast food. The good news is, in any restaurant, you're the boss. Politely but firmly tell the waiter what you want. Make smart, healthy Chinese food choices, and you can maintain your weight and dine out anywhere.
Worst of Chinese
1. Crispy: Avoid dishes called "crispy" because they are deep-fried and have more fat and calories. Go for stir-fried or steamed instead.
2. Egg rolls: Egg rolls and the Chinese noodles they give you for free are deep-fried and fat-saturated. Try this: Wrap an egg roll in a paper napkin, and wait five minutes. See the fat saturate napkin. Throw away.
3. Spare ribs: There's nothing "spare" about fatty pork ribs slathered with sauce. If you're in the mood for pork, order pork.
4. Sweet and sour: No matter what the mystery meat, it's covered in the sickening-sweet sauce. By the way, the meat is fried before dunked in the sauce.
5. Fried rice: White rice is bad enough. Stripped of most nutrients, with a few added back, white rice has a high glycemic index, because it's ultra-refined and basically just starch. It's one of those foods, like white bread, that adds nothing but calories to your diet. Fried rice is simply fried white rice, making it fatty, with added bits of pork and sodium -- it's really the worst.
Best of Chinese
1. Soup: Researchers continue to rave about the "soup strategy" to control your weight. A cup of soup prior to your meal takes the edge off your appetite. Try a cup of hot and sour, egg drop, or chicken and vegetable soup. By the way, as soon as you sit down, ask the waiter to remove the fried noodles and avoid temptation.
2. Chinese vegetables: Chinese restaurants are a great place for a different vegetable experience. Here's your opportunity to try bean sprouts, bok choy, Chinese broccoli and cabbage, long beans, eggplant and more. All are powerful sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
3. Dim sum: A more substantial but calorie-wise choice is steamed dim sum, or dumplings. Available with different fillings, including vegetable with tofu and chicken. Avoid fried dim sum.
4. Get steamed! Request steamed chicken, fish, shellfish or tofu, with vegetables. You can eat a lot more of a healthier preparation and still feel great about your diet. I always ask for red pepper or hot mustard and spice it up.
5. Stir-fry: The same as above, ask for lots of veggies with shrimp, chicken, tofu, or occasionally, beef in a stir-fry. When ordering stir-fried items, stress "light on the oil" or ask the chef to stir-fry your meal in broth.
For dessert, opt for pineapple or other fresh fruit. And munch on your fortune cookie, which has 50 calories and no fat!
Remember, you don't have to order off the menu. Just explain to the waiter or waitress that it's important that the chef or cook make it your way. Ninety-nine times out of a 100, you'll get what you ask for.
eDiets members can get great information, recipes and tips every day by logging in for their weekly menus. If you'd like more information about losing weight with eDiets, please see the report cards of some of our most popular diets: The Glycemic Impact Plan, eDiets Meal Delivery and the eDiets Weight-Loss Plan.
Continue to these related posts:
-- Your Complete Weight-Loss Checklist
-- Fast Food Healthy Choices: 400-Calorie Lunches
-- Healthy Meals for One (recipe included!)
Nutritionist Susan L. Burke is a registered and licensed dietitian and a certified diabetes educator who specializes in both general and diabetes-related weight management.
Labels: Asian, Chinese, diet, food, healthy, healthy-food, healthy-living, nutrition
Comment by 
said... - Wednesday, October 01, 2008 3:39:00 PM
i might as well eat at home its not that i eat chinese food every. for me this is only once in a while treat.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, October 01, 2008 7:04:00 PM
Coming from a person who orders Chinese Food for her husband almost twice a week, WOOW!!!! I tend to TRY to eat the most healthiest items that they have. Key word try. I really like the eggs rolls and crispy noodles but knowing that are are just full of fat. I'm Straight!! Thank you for this articule, it is going to give me a better insight on what I really could have/eat with out my husband talking junk.
Good lookin
Comment by said... - Wednesday, October 01, 2008 8:02:00 PM
anything eaten once in a great while (once or twice a year) and in treat-sized portion (1/2 cup or less) should be an OK thing - - The idea of healthy eating should make fatty/high glycemic index items a rare indulgence, not forbidden - - - when we feel deprived, we are more likely to fall off the wagon - -
Just a thought!!
Comment by Connie said... - Saturday, October 04, 2008 4:25:00 AM
You say, "Fried rice is simply fried white rice, making it fatty, with added bits of pork and sodium -- it's really the worst."
If that's all you know about fried rice, then you don't know fried rice at all. Poor you.
Comment by RonJ said... - Saturday, October 04, 2008 10:12:00 AM
Regarding the "you don't have to order off the menu" comment:
Coming from someone who's worked in the restaurant industry, if you're going to not order off the menu, be EXTREMELY nice, polite and generous to your server. Tip them better than "average", even if the service isn't perfect. The reason for this is, it's probably going to annoy the server AND the cook if they have to make special orders since most of these meals are prep'd before hand and the restaurant workers need to do extra work to make them. So for your sake, be VERY nice.
Comment by said... - Sunday, October 05, 2008 11:14:00 PM
Very Useful and Practical tips on Chinese Foods, that I can even use for our patients with weight issues...Thanks Seema Gupta
Comment by said... - Sunday, October 05, 2008 11:29:00 PM
I have a chinese friend and she told me how to make this easy and delish dish of steamed fish. The recipe is really not recipe at all because she always adds ingredients based on her liking. I went home and tried it.. it was yummy and not forgetting healthy.
You'll need:
One Sea bass (800gm avg) it can feed about 3-4 or more people depending on how much you like your fish!
Ginger shredded (to your liking)
Red chilies (one or more)
Cilantro (1/2 cup or to your liking)
Finely chopped Garlic (to your liking)
Salt
Black or white pepper (or both)
Dark soy sauce
Light soy sauce
Sesame oil (1 teaspoon)
Oilve oil (1-2 teaspoon)
Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine) or white wine.
DIRECTIONS:
Clean and remove scales and guts from the sea bass ( get the fish monger to do it for you)
Make a few scores on both sides of the fish to ensure even cooking and seasoning to penetrate fish.
Rub fish with good light olive oil and salt, add salt and pepper.
Put ginger, garlic, half of the chilies and cilantro inside the fish. (the aromatics)
In a seperate bowl put your light soy sauce (1 tablespoon) ,a few dashes of dark soy sauce, sugar to taste and sesame oil.
Add a splash of shaoxing wine or white wine and a splash of water and some pepper again and mix well.
Depending on how much "gravy you want" and how salty or sweet, adjust the amount of the ingredients according..always remember to taste as you go along.
Steam fish in a dish for 7 mins, after 7 mins add your soy mixture (gravy) to the dish and continue steaming for about 3 more minutes.
Just before serving garnish with remaining sliced red chilies and cilantro.
Squeeze some lemon juice over fish.
Bon Appetit!
Comment by said... - Sunday, October 05, 2008 11:38:00 PM
I saw the comment regarding fried rice, well nothing beats making it yourself as you'll have total control of the ingredients. Fried rice can be very healthy and balanced meal in one.
Instead of just using white rice, mix in a bit of brown unpolished rice.
Go crazy on the vege's.. vegetables shredded carrot.. peas..celery.. corn..goes well with fried rice..
As you fry the rice, it can get dry sometimes.. instead of adding more oil.. add a little chicken or beef stock.. its healthy and adds flavour to your meal.
For protein, whisk and egg in and add lean chicken meat or pork and even beef.
You can substitute the rice with egg noodles and use the same ingredients as abv or more like tofu and bean sprouts.
At the end of the day, if you really need to take out.. like the blog entry mentioned.. just make a request to have less oil and more vegetables in your food.
= )
Comment by said... - Tuesday, October 07, 2008 3:12:00 PM
Good tips, thanks. By the way, not to be picky, but Sayonara in your intro link is Japanese, NOT Chinese!
Comment by said... - Sunday, October 19, 2008 11:27:00 PM
Good article
Ron & Connie are made for each other.
What a bunch of whiners.
Now, where is that cheese?
Ron, my friend, be lucky that you even HAVE a job...be very lucky.
L
Semper Fidelis
1970-1981 USMC
2001-2004 California Army National Guard
Ps.....I love Kung Pao
Comment by said... - Tuesday, December 02, 2008 2:19:00 PM
Chinese food is just plain BAD for you. And I'm sorry, but your idea of what food is like in China is completely wrong. That's what it used to be like fifty years ago, but not anymore. I used to live in China, so I know.... Chinese food in China is still bad for you, with grease, tons of carbs, and fatty meat.
Comment by Dental Thousand Oaks said... - Tuesday, October 27, 2009 4:20:00 AM
I like Chinese food and yes, they have lots of "fried" dishes, but if you know how to balance your meal, then it's just right.
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