Eating Healthy Chinese Food

How to stay healthy at your favorite Chinese Restaurant

            In America, Chinese food has long had the stigma of being unhealthy, and for good reason; the majority of Chinese Restaurants offer a menu that is, overall, higher in fat and cholesterol than most other ethnic foods (like Indian, Japanese, or Mexican). What makes the reputation false, though, is that Chinese food itself is actually not to blame. The real culprit is Americanized Chinese food, which is laden with tons of saturated fat, cholesterol, and heavily processed carbohydrates. Just like most Asian foods, authentic Chinese dishes can actually be very nutritious if the right ingredients are used. When prepared in the traditional manner, most Chinese dishes are not cooked with the heavy oils, fried fatty meats, and lack of nutritious vegetables that you ordinarily find in Americanized Chinese food. However, this does not mean that you have to leave America in order to eat healthy Chinese food! Nor does it mean that you have to narrow your selection to the upscale, expensive Chinese restaurants that are lavishly dedicated to traditional methods (although that wouldn’t hurt). You can still go to your favorite local Chinese spot, you just have to know precisely what (and what not) to order… In this article you will learn the general rules of thumb when considering different dishes, as well as some specific examples of healthy menu choices.

First of all, if you have the option, go for Cantonese food. For the most part, Cantonese is the lightest and healthiest food in the realm of Chinese food. Next, if you know you’re going to eat Chinese food for dinner, try cutting back on sodium/salt during the day; one thing that nearly all Chinese places have in common is their ridiculously high sodium content.

When you’re ordering at any standard Chinese restaurant, your best bet is to order a dish that comes with a lot of vegetables and is not deep-fried. Order side dishes of vegetables or entrées that have a high ratio of vegetables to meat, like Broccoli with Beef. Some other suitable options are Moo Goo Gai Pan, Tofu Stir Fry, Shrimp Stir Fry, or Chop Suey. When it comes to how it’s prepared, ideally you want your main course to be roasted, steamed or broiled. These types of dishes are cooked with water (rather than using oil/butter or deep frying) so naturally they are substantially lower in saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. Stir-fried meals are not as bad as deep-fried; stir fried dishes usually contain a good amount of various vegetables, but on the downside, they still require quite a bit of unhealthy oil to cook.

Keep an eye out for the large portions of noodles or rice that often accompany any entree. These are highly refined carbohydrates with really fast digestion speed (slower digestion = less fattening). Eating large portions of noodles, white rice, or fried rice will cause all the calories to be quickly stored in your body as fat, as well spike your blood sugar and cut down on your natural metabolism. Its alright to eat them, but try to limit your intake to about one cup, and ideally aim to eat it after you eat a few servings of vegetables (to decrease the glycemic index). Another good method is to share your customary rice/noodle side dish with other people at the table. Fried rice is the worst one out of these; not only is it a highly refined carbohydrate, its also prepared with a ton of oil, fat, and cholesterol. If you are going for a side dish, try going for the steamed rice option (brown rice is ideal, if they have it). Sound too boring? Try drizzling in some soy sauce or lemon, or possibly mixing the rice in with the rest of your meal.

Dishes you should also try to steer clear of are those served smothered in heavy sauces, battered or floured and deep-fried. Some of these include General Tso's chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Mushu Pork, Egg Rolls, Sweet and Sour Chicken, etc. Fun fact: sweet and sour sauce is basically syrup. You might as well be eating a spoon full of sugar with each bite. In general, be wary of meals on the menu that involve words like "battered,” “crispy,” or “deep fried.”

An area of the menu you can usually count on for healthy options is the Soup Section. Ordering a large broth-based soup is a great way to curb your appetite with a filling, low-calorie starter. If you’re eyeing the Egg Rolls, try ordering an Egg Drop Soup instead - your body will be very thankful.

Then, there are the nuts…. Try to resist your temptation to order the dishes packed with peanuts, cashews, or nut sauces. These are a trap! Nuts can certainly be a healthy food, but only in moderation. A small handful of raw nuts is actually an extremely healthy snack, but a pile of noodles drenched in thick peanut sauce is definitely not the same thing. The amount of nuts that are typically served in Chinese dishes and/or used in the sauce is simply too large. Nuts are packed densely with fat and extremely caloric, especially when served in creamy sauce form. Try to steer clear of the nutty Kung Pao Chicken or the Shrimp with Peanut Sauce.

Lastly, I offer you a bit of personal advice: look for Chinese restaurants with Chinese people eating in them. This is the oldest trick in the book. Chinese people can spot authentic Chinese food (which is usually healthier and tastier) much better than Americans can. Chinese customers will be less likely to opt for the Americanized grease-pools you know so well. This is huge generalization, of course, but it’s always worked for me in the past.

Written by Max Cougar Oswald