Chinese Food

lindsay03811

My man claims chinese food is a healthy option for a diet -- however, I am uncertain. What are your opinions on Chinese Food for a diet?

Melis25Fit

Lots of sodium - white rice isn't the best option either... I'd say there are definately better foods than chinese to be eating, but if you must have it, a few times a month or so won't make a huge difference.

Sherri71

Most of it is very high in fat, calories, and sodium. I stay away from it altogether, although it's easy for me as I am not a big fan of Chinese.

cindaroses

If it is steamed it would be healthy. Like the rice (not fried) with steamed vegetables and meat without sauce. Most places that that option available.

LanakilaGirl

It depends on what Chinese food it is. Some is not so bad and some you need to stay away form. A lot of it is very high in Sodium though. Do your research before you eat it, choose wisely.

brendansmom1

Well, the soups are actually not too bad...sodium is a bit high...there are some "healthiER" options....like beef or chicken with broccoli, steamed veggies, and other non-cream non sauced items...

Again....my view...moderation. If I want Chinese, I will have it...but not over do it.

Just my 2 cents for what it's worth!

whittrusty

Ummm. No. Take out Chinese food is FULL of really bad options. Pretty much anything that is fried or covered in a sugary sauce would be a bad choice. If I'm going out to eat Chinese, I usually get Chicken with vegetables. It has a lighter white sauce instead of a sugary base and it's FULL of vegetables, which makes it a better option.

But even before doing that, I would recommend making Chinese at home. You can cut down on the sodium content a lot and add more veggies to make it better for you. There are all kinds of recipes on the internet, but I would start with anything that doesn't have a lot of sugar or fried things.

polo571

If you order out its not but you can make some really good stuff if you make your own. They put alot of sodium and msg in there food and thats not good. I like to make my own. I use shrimp and turkey, pea pods and mushrooms. I go easy on the sauce and I also put some cut up squash into it too. My secret in the sauce is a little sweet baby rays hickry bbq sauce to sweetin it up. Make sure you track your portions and measure measure measure.

BrentGetsFit

Depends on what it is. Take my fave General Tso's chicken for example, breaded and fried chicken pieces in a sugary sauce= NO GOOD. Now if you can find something where the meat isn't fried and has a lot of veggies and isn't swimming in a sauce then you're probably good.

kalebsmama07

tons of sodium its crazy how much sodium is in it....makes sure u have time to drinks tons of water with that! lol

CLH00

Home made stuff can be fairly healthy. Last night I made chinese stir fry (bean sprouts, egg noodles, white cabbage, sugar snap pea, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and carrots, and quorn chicken style fillets) cooked in a light spray oil, with soy sauce. The whole thing only came to less than 500 calories.

Avoid Take-away chinese food and ready made things :laugh:

emmalunn

Chinese food is covered in MSG, apparently people who eat the same amount of calories but a lot of MSG weigh up to 30% more than people who don't

ultimategar

Home-made asian style veg stir fry etc good, chinese takeout i'd say definitely bad - high fat & high salt.
If you're doing heavy training sessions some nooodles etc are probably going to be beneficial.

lkm111

That depends - are you talking about the food that is cooked in an American Chinese restauant or the food that Chinese people cook for themselves? The two are not the same.

I think that the Chinese way of cooking can be very healthy if done correctly and with the right ingredients, which is true of just about any method of cooking (deep frying is probably the only one that would not be).

overit

Maybe if it was real chinese food but our Chinese food is very high in sodium and fat.

polo571

I would go with Sushi intead maybe a california roll with brown rice. or shashimi. Good alternatives

GorillaNJ

Take out is really tough.. I normally will get steamed shrimp and veggies with brown rice... but it is so bland it is not like really haveing Chinese food. the other one I will go for is Shrimp and Lobster sauce with brown rice... it is not fried so it is not as bad but the sodium is off the charts.

Mcctin65

I think it depends on what you order. I had chicken and broccoli the other day with no rice and hot and sour soup. I think the sauce they covered it with was probably pretty high in calories. The Chinese restaurant I go to does have a diet menu with food that is steamed and has no corn starch, no salt, no sugar and no oil. It also has no flavor! They forgot to mention that part! I am down 7 pounds and still eating Chinese food. Personally, I just avoid the rice and the fried items like General Tso's and Sweet and Sour Chicken and the fried egg rolls and feel that I am ahead of the game. It has to be better than eating at McDonalds, right?
Good luck!

stellcorb

It definately depends on the dish but the sauces are pretty high in calories and sodium. Stick to steamed veggies and chicken (no sauce) and steamed rice (just a little and brown if they have it). I would say Japenese food is a bit better especially if you like sushimi just be careful of mercury. Oh yeah, and Vietnemese is good too, there are non-fried spring rolls w/ tofu and stuff that taste awesome (just keep the peanut sauce to a minimum) and Pha is awesome. It's filling and low in calories and you can add your own stuff.

binary_jester

If he can convince me that chicken lo mein and sweet and sour pork is healthy...he will get my eternal respect.

lessertess

It can be if you're making it yourself. Double the veggies, half the meat, no msg and control the portions. Also, fried rice has a LOT of hidden calories.

However, there can be healthy chinese options, I like szechuan green beans or asparagus with steamed rice.