Chinese Buffet help...

sydnisd183

I would stick to the egg drop soup, no noodles. Lean meats and protein, nothing fried, stick with the thinner sauces. Steamed veggies. Skip the rice. Thats what I do. There are some decent selections, just try and steer away from the carb heavy, sweet, or fried selections.

^^this, mostly. I've seen steamed broccoli stalks, green beans and green salad mix (albeit iceberg, but still). Also, i'd get the Egg Drop Soup. I've also seen baked chicken believe it or not. There is usually some brown sauce next to it to make it "teriyaki" but i'd skip the sauce. Jello for dessert and lots o' water. There's even a fruit section with cut up watermelon, cantaloupe, etc

can111

Haha - cute answers!
Our Chinese Buffet has peel and eat shrimp. Now there's a good low cal choice that is not too high in sodium.

kalyn_QT

yeah definitely stick with meat and veggies. a small bit of rice wont hurt. avoid soy sauce and pretty much all the sauce (very high in sodium). or just have a free day.3rd option might waste your money a bit but have a very small healthy low cal midmorning snack about one hour before the lunch so you won't eat as much as the chinese food. also drink lots of water. and last try to preplan your meal there are approximations online for certain foods.

shelley0420

As a Chinese....I can pretty much say most of the Chinese food you could get in UK are not really healthy. Steamed dumplings or vegs are easier to find in most of the Chinese restaurants. With Buffet....eat less during the day beforehand, whatever doesn't have much sauce on it would be better. But honestly...nothing can be really healthy in Chinese buffet.....they don't even have steamed rice.....Only soft tofu is healthy, because it doesn't take much oil when you cook it. If fried dry tofu (Which is the one most of the Chinese restaurant would use), it is as bad, because it takes all the cooking oil.

clamar1012

Just like what most everyone else is saying:

AVOID:
Rice, noodles & anything breaded and/or fried
Drink LOTS of water - high in sodium & msg

ENJOY:
Steamed veggies
Non breaded meats
Boiled Shrimp - LOTS of our buffetts have boiled shrimp, crab legs and/or crawfish

xristysmith

I love the feedback on this..Know your triggers.Unless you have medical issues..ie diabetes, ect.. eat what you think is right.
I love shrimp..The one I go to fixes it many ways. I stay away from breaded, fried things. Last time I went I had cheesecake. a small bit..tried different things..

THE MAIN THING IS..SO WHAT IF YOU FALL OFF THE HORSE..
IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD..YOU ARE HUMAN.
ONE DAY IS NOT GOING TO KILL.
SO THE NEXT DAY GO BACK TO YOUR BETTER EATING HABITS.

ps everbody does it. it is not a failure

cortezpj

That's a tough one. One of my best friends loves this really bad Chinese buffet restaurant and she loads up on everything fried. I try to load up on brocolli, grean beans, steamed white rice and just a little chicken. If they've got some pretty innocent chicken soup, I'll have a cup of that. And I drink lots of unsweetened iced tea to help fill me up. Not the best choices, but far from the worst.

If you totally overdo it, chalk it up to a learning experience and get right back on the wagon the next day.

Most importantly, enjoy the time with your dad.

BigBrewski

I found this online and thought it might help:

Step 1 - Go to the restaurant's website and print a copy of its nutrition guide or use a generic Chinese food guide like the one at healthyweightforum.org (see Resources). Use this to plan your meal before you arrive at the restaurant.

Step 2 - Begin with soup. Both egg drop and wonton soup are low in fat and calories and are good choices to help fill you up. Beginning with a broth-based soup is a good way to eat fewer calories at every meal.

Step 3 - Choose sushi. Sushi is low in calories and packed with vitamins, so treat yourself and indulge in a few pieces. If you're not familiar with sushi, try the vegetable-based ones at first, such as the California rolls.

Step 4 - Pick a variety of main dishes. Choose from the dishes that have been cooked without battering and frying. Beef and broccoli, cashew chicken and steamed green beans are all healthy choices. Avoid dishes with sticky or sweet sauces, such as sweet and sour preparations or General Tsao's chicken.

Step 5 - Pick brown rice and whole wheat noodles if possible. Fried rice is the worst offender, calorie-wise, so avoid that above all. Keep servings of rice and noodles to a reasonable size and don't go back for seconds.

Step 6 - Avoid fried foods. Deep fried chicken bits, egg rolls, fried noodles and crab Rangoon may be traditional parts of a Chinese buffet, but their fat and calorie counts make them very unhealthy. If you must indulge, choose one, savor it and don't go back for seconds.

Step 7 - Treat yourself to dessert. Most Chinese buffets have a variety of fruits as part of their dessert menu, so indulge yourself here. Have a large serving of your favorite fruits and add an almond cookie on the side. Don't forget to finish with a fortune cookie--they're only 35 calories for a bit of fun.

Thanks for this post. I was at a seafood buffet yesterday (chinese buffet) I didn't begin with soup (but actually I should have) The place I goto has a grill so you can build you own stir fry, i loaded up on squash, brocolli, a little onion and some mushrooms then added some shrimp. Then I had about 8 pieces of sushi, 4 pieces and a 4 piece roll. That was my plan an I stuck to it until I had to go back just for a little bit of sea food salad (they had two types) both were good but I am sure loaded with sodium and not as wise as a bowl of soup.

Ashly744

The last time we had Chinese (it had been awhile) I wanted to enjoy what we got, but I did it in small moderation. I also did a triathlon that day burning an extra 800 calories, so it helped. I had a small amount of pork lo-mien, very little chicken fried rice, w dumplings, and shrimp with black bean sauce with bell peppers. I drank lots of water with it, and was satisfied. I didn't go back for seconds. I was still under my calorie intake for the day. I also avoided having any white rice.

I would keep the rice at little to none. No fried foods. Try to get foods that are steamed, or mixed with plenty of veggies. I prefer to order chicken or shrimp.

ThriftyChica12

i'd say, go with BROWN RICE, veggies (preferably steamed with little/no sauce), lean protein (tofu or chicken--not breaded, or fried, or drowned in sauce).

i often limit myself to ONE PLATE at a buffet. just b/c the idea of buffets is to gorge, does not mean i need to do so.

one plate. tons of veggies. enjoy the company of those you are with.

amandainez08

This is what I have done - I eat out with my parents at Chinese buffets all the time. I eat what I want, but I don't log it because I know it'll look bad. But I will usually only get one plate and make sure I mix healthy stuff in with the noodles, the egg rolls, etc. Don't deny yourself anything. You're allowed to be "bad" every once in a while. If you deny yourself a food you really love, you're doomed for failure anyway. That's why all my past "diets" have failed. Now I don't "diet." I just make better choices for myself, and indulge in what I love only every now and then. (That way it doesn't mess with your weight loss!) Since I began eating healthier, I've been to a Chinese buffet twice, and it never affected my weight. You have to keep your metabolism guessing anyways, or it'll get use to only digesting so many calories per day. Then you'll stop losing weight. The longer you eat healthier, the less "bad" choices you'll make, anyway. I don't eat McDonald's anymore because it makes me sick. My advice is just eat what you want, just don't over-do it. When you're full, stop eating. It's that simple! Plus, I am usually full for the rest of the day, so I won't have dinner. Just a nice healthy snack before bed.

terryjo623

I don't know about where you are going but maybe you can order off the menu, some buffets have that and then you only eat what you ordered and can't make the numerous trips and be tempt or overwhelmed.

senyosmom

Go with steamed veggies, brown rice and either chicken and broccoli or beef and broccoli.

tmarie2715

Avoid the crispy deep fried ones, avoid a lot of sauce (most of it is full of sugar and or salt), avoid too much rice, avoid deep fried anything.

A good buffet has a decent selection of fruit and veggies, so get a lot of those your first time around to avoid temptation. Use a smaller plate so you are getting up and down a lot-- that should fool your dad.

AnitaVolpato

I only eat Moo Goo Gai Pan & Chicken Chow Mein. It's just meat and vegetables and it tastes great....

Medea81

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I tried to talk him into going to Chilli's but he is in a Chinese mood... oh well. They do have a salad bar, thankfully when I have salad, I like lettuce, carrots, small amount of cheese, and dressing on the side... I don't like all those "extras" on my salad.
I know they have chicken with broccoli, they had baked chicken last time, but not the time before that, no steamed veggies unless you count the green beans sitting in butter. And they have a really good fruit selection. I'm actually not a big fan of their food, most of it is either has pepper in it (which I'm allergic too) or is too salty. So I always just stick to my old stand by's. So I think I'll go with some soup/salad/fruit and throw some chicken w/broccoli on there so it looks like I'm eating more than soup/salad/fruit. lol