Eat This...Not That for Chinese food?

FunkBunny

Is there a listing out there that can steer you towards the healthier choices in take out Chinese food? I know, skip the egg roll and wontons...but what about the main dishes? Is chow mein better for you than rice? What sauces to avoid? What dishes to grab on to, and which ones should you pass by fast!

Anyone know?

mlh612

Not a clue, but I would love to know too.. I absolutely love Chinese food, but have been avoiding it like the plague b/c of the high calories!!!

sallyLunn

Pick the white rice over fried rice.

I would stay away from dishes where the meat is battered, fried and then smothered in a sweet sauce.

Dishes heavy on the veggies are good.

It all has too much salt so drink lots of water.

soze

Skip the egg roll? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Actually I love Chinese but I haven't gone to a Chinese restaurant since I started watching my weight. The one thing I miss is an egg role smothered in red sauce.

azlady7

Pick the white rice over fried rice.

I would stay away from dishes where the meat is battered, fried and then smothered in a sweet sauce.

Dishes heavy on the veggies are good.

It all has too much salt so drink lots of water.

Agreed (although i avoid any and all rice and noodles)

Clew

My favorite Chinese place has a "lite" menu, where everything's steamed and not breaded, and they give you the sauces on the side so you can control it. Maybe your place has something similar?

CraftyGirl4

If brown rice is available, get that. All those B vitamins and fiber! Also, try to choose items with lower fat proteins (chicken, shrimp, tofu) and lots of vegetables.

binary_jester

ORANGE CHICKEN! Oh wait. sorry. What was the topic?

Clew

Dammit, woman, now I want crab rangoon. :laugh:

erock522

Brown Rice is a better choice if available at your local Chinese restaurant. And as far as what dishes to avoid, anything breaded or loaded in sauce. Steamed chicken and broccoli or string beans with the sauces on the side is usually best. I personally like to get steamed chicken and broccoli and get general tso's sauce on the side and maybe some spicy mustard. Hope this was helpful.

EKarma

Chinese will usually offer steamed options. Obviously don't get the fried rice, but regular rice.. Thing about chinese is the portion size. They give you so much food and it's so delicious you can't stop eating it.. Watch portion, but chinese is filled with veggies.

FunkBunny

I usually get shrimp chow mein, no MSG. I could try and order with the sauce on the side, not a bad idea. And maybe 1/2 the noodles. That wouldn't be a bad idea at all. i don't htink they have brown rice, just white or fried or noodles. Woner if I could get sprouts instead of noodles... hmmm I'm goign to try that next time!

I give away my crab meat cheese to one of the guys here at work and keep my soup...figure (kinda) broth based w/tofu can't be completely horrible!

FunkBunny

Dammit, woman, now I want crab rangoon. :laugh:

i know...Funny, we call those crab meat cheese around here (or crabby cheese depending on where you order from) I've heard them called rangoons before though.

They are delish! Come over, we'll head out for China Palace and force them to make us something healthy!

darkheart

If I go to PF Chang's, I request that my food be "stock-velveted", which means it is cooked in a vegetable broth in the traditional Cantonese style instead of stir-fried. Obviously, certain dishes cannot be prepared that way and some dishes will lose their crispiness, but it's totally worth it when it's saving you up to almost 500 calories and nixing a ton of fat! I always get the brown rice too! I've seen a few local Chinese take-out places that have mentioned that you can request that the food be cooked with little to no oil if you want and some places are starting to offer brown rice as well. The thing you need to keep in mind is that most, if not all, Chinese dishes are prepared with a sh!tload of salt and SUGAR. That delicious, distinct Chinese food smell comes from the sugar being caramelized at such a high temp! I talked to someone who prepared Chinese food for a buffet style place and told me that he put over 5 lbs of sugar into a single batch of General Tso's chicken. Mind you, that batch can serve up to 10 people, but still! No one in their right mind needs to consume that much sugar!

poodlepaws

I'll use my splurge day for chinese food! I'm really good about watching what i eat when I do go out, but for some reason the thought of scrimping on chinese just isn't as exciting!!:bigsmile:

Clew

Dammit, woman, now I want crab rangoon. :laugh:

i know...Funny, we call those crab meat cheese around here (or crabby cheese depending on where you order from) I've heard them called rangoons before though.

They are delish! Come over, we'll head out for China Palace and force them to make us something healthy!

LET'S DO IT! My Bff calls it crab cheese too. Must be a Meeshigan thing. :glasses:

FunkBunny

:smokin:

Dammit, woman, now I want crab rangoon. :laugh:

i know...Funny, we call those crab meat cheese around here (or crabby cheese depending on where you order from) I've heard them called rangoons before though.

They are delish! Come over, we'll head out for China Palace and force them to make us something healthy!

LET'S DO IT! My Bff calls it crab cheese too. Must be a Meeshigan thing.

Hells yes! that's because us Michiganders rock it, babay! We're natrually hip.:smokin: Oh wait..I quit that... :glasses:

Alright, you coming here or am i coming to you?

naomihandler

If you go here it tells you the worst Chinese entrees from some chain restaurants and then gives you better options.

http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slide/worst-chinese-food-meal?slideshow=98441

Clew

Alright, you coming here or am i coming to you?

Either way, that'd be the shiz, sistah!

charmed2570

Ok I would also like to add a question on the same note, what about soups they have? Love the sweet and spicy soup with tofu.

ivyjbres

Red Thai Curry with Chicken! YUM!

I remember a study years and years ago that found people who ate more spicy food regularly had higher metabolic rates.... Also, its really just that good.

FORKDOWN

Ever notice how chewy and fat ladden(spelling) the chicken and beef are at Chinese restraunts. Are any of their sauces really good for you??

gambitsgurl

I ordered the steamed chicken and veggies with brown rice. That said, I really wanted General Tso's chicken and crab rangoons. Now I save chinese for a cheat day.

kennedar

If you happen to have any friends who speak mandarin or cantonese bring them with you and ask for the Traditional menu. Most decent places have a western menu and a "secret" menu. Its usually written in mandarin or cantonese, so it is only given to people who speak one of the languages. This sounds weird I know, but whenever I have gone to my favorite Chinese place with my Chinese friends, we are offered a different menu. They claim that pretty much every place does this, and so far we have not found a place that doesnt!! The food is way better for you and super yummy! It takes a little bit to get used to, but pretty much everything is steamed and there are lots of fish dishes.

The other way to try this without friends who are from China is to go to a dim sum for brunch one day. Usually there are lots of healthy options.

FunkBunny

Ever notice how chewy and fat ladden(spelling) the chicken and beef are at Chinese restraunts. Are any of their sauces really good for you??

That's why I've decided to stick to shrimp and TONS of veggies!

FunkBunny

If you happen to have any friends who speak mandarin or cantonese bring them with you and ask for the Traditional menu. Most decent places have a western menu and a "secret" menu. Its usually written in mandarin or cantonese, so it is only given to people who speak one of the languages. This sounds weird I know, but whenever I have gone to my favorite Chinese place with my Chinese friends, we are offered a different menu. They claim that pretty much every place does this, and so far we have not found a place that doesnt!! The food is way better for you and super yummy! It takes a little bit to get used to, but pretty much everything is steamed and there are lots of fish dishes.

The other way to try this without friends who are from China is to go to a dim sum for brunch one day. Usually there are lots of healthy options.

this makes me want to put out a personal add for a Mandarin speaking friend to take me to lunch.

FunkBunny

If you happen to have any friends who speak mandarin or cantonese bring them with you and ask for the Traditional menu. Most decent places have a western menu and a "secret" menu. Its usually written in mandarin or cantonese, so it is only given to people who speak one of the languages. This sounds weird I know, but whenever I have gone to my favorite Chinese place with my Chinese friends, we are offered a different menu. They claim that pretty much every place does this, and so far we have not found a place that doesnt!! The food is way better for you and super yummy! It takes a little bit to get used to, but pretty much everything is steamed and there are lots of fish dishes.

The other way to try this without friends who are from China is to go to a dim sum for brunch one day. Usually there are lots of healthy options.

this makes me want to put out a personal add for a Mandarin speaking friend to take me to lunch.

reneeslpn

there is a chinese place here in town that is called Asian one, they use all natural ingredients and have a diabetic menu using splenda instead of sugar. They also provide brown rice. Maybe there is something like that in your area. Just do a little research. Hope this helps!!

superwmn

I order a meat and veg dish and skip the rice/noodles. Transfer the dish from the container it comes in onto a plate (leaving as much sauce behind in the take-out container as possible).

Charmagne