Love Chinese Food? Think twice before you order!
Posted: Friday, June 29, 2007
by George Louris
GetFit Inc.
Love eating Chinese food? Most of us do, but don't get fooled into thinking that anything and everything on the Chinese food menu is good for you. In fact, most people look to Chinese cuisine as a healthy alternative to fast food, but the truth is that there are a bunch of pitfalls on the menu, including high sodium and fat contents across several different foods across the typical Chinese menu…
- Rice: Almost everyone loves having rice as part of their Chinese menu. The problem is that many people confuse “fried rice" with the much healthier brown rice. “Fried rice" is really white rice that’s brown via soy sauce and oil. It’s also high in fat and sodium. Stay away from the fried rice!
- Noodles: Never, ever, ever a good choice! Did I mention that they’re not a good choice? The amounts of oil used to cook this stuff is almost enough for your next oil change!
- Sauces: Regardless of where or what you’re eating, you should ALWAYS order your sauce on the side. Restaurants almost always pour on much more than you typically would and ordering on the side lets you control your portions. These sauces are also typically high in fat and sodium. Soy sauce for example, a staple of Chinese cuisine, has up to FOUR times the recommended daily allowance of salt in just ONE tablespoon!!!
- Meat: If you can’t recognize what’s on your plate it probably means you should skip it. You’re always better off ordering steamed entrees. That way you not only could recognize what you’re eating, but you'll be skipping the digestion of meat that’s covered in fat-soaked breading (think General Tso’s chicken!!!).
Your best bet is to really take advantage of ALL the healthy options and order a little of everything, focusing mostly on vegetables and steamed dishes. You could still enjoy your Chinese food, but don’t derail all you hard work by making the wrong choices.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great article!
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