Lightest chinese food?

I know this is too late for last night, but maybe it can help you for future reference. While high calorie does not mean unhealthy, authentic Chinese food is not particularly good for you if you are trying to lose weight. Their cooking methods involve a lot of frying and boiling so most of the nutrients are drained from the veggies and everything tends to be covered in sauces that are thickened with corn starch. Authentic food is a little better for you, steamed snow peas, bok choy, and yu choy, but even when done traditionally, they are generally covered in sesame oil or butter. Every restaurant tends to have a standard white-centric menu, but there are usually a few dishes on there that are authentic and what the staff make themselves. Virtually all meat and veggies are fried in a wok, but some regional style Chinese will have grilled lamb/ beef. Seafood options also tend to be more authentic and healthier. If they offer steamed fish, that's your best possible meat option. Best option is to be honest with your waiter and ask them what they would recommend for diet food.
That being said, in all honesty, my Chinese family and friends all switch to eating Japanese or Korean style food when we want to lose weight. There are far more fresh veggies, probiotic rich foods and low-cal options in those cuisines. Especially when looking at European or North American Chinese restaurants. A really nice North American compromise is to try Vietnamese food. Those restaurants have many of the same options, but with lighter sauce, less oil and lighter cooking methods.
Otherwise, I do what you did, when I know I am going to be having (what we jokingly call because of all the grease) "Dirty Chinese food", just set aside a good amount of calories, cut back on your rice and focus your meal around non-breaded meats and steamed veggies. Happy eating = )

Hi everyone,

I have a bit of a strange worry. I am going for chinese with my boyfriend and his friends tonight. I am asking your help so that I don't end up ordering a 1,000 calorie dinner! I'm a vegetarian so I usually just go for a veggie chow mein but after doing my research it looks like one of the worst choises!

If you eat eggs, egg foo young is pretty tits...

I always get wonton soup and sushi. I've found those are the lowest cal chinese options. Veggies are always good, just beware of the sugary sauces they cook them in. And go with white rice instead of fried, if you want rice! The biggest thing to watch out for with chinese food, as with most foods, are the sauces. Good luck!

Chinese sushi....yum.

Dont let calorie numbers scare you...Not all high numbers calories are bad. For one, having a "cheat day" after a long time of discipline will never hurt you. Also, not all calories are bad calories, if you are vegan then youa re definitely good lol. As long as there are healthy calorie easy to digest with some high quality H2O you are good to go. Never starve yourself or let calories keep you out of social events.

What kind of vegetarian are you? Lacto/ovo?

If you're really strict, stick with the steamed veggies and tofu, lightly pan fried. In a separate pan, otherwise you'll get your food deep fried in the same vat as the chicken.

Not only do a lot of the sauces and soups are high in sodium, they're made with beef/chicken stock. Even the bottled sauces have oysters, eel or sardines in them. Ask for a specific (traditional) vegetarian only menu they usually have something on hand. My mom is Buddhist and has to ask for a specific menu item that doesn't include animal stock, dairy or eggs.

And referencing back to the high calorie worry, it's one meal and a specialized one at that lol It's not like you eat it all of the time. I'm Asian, I always have to find a healthier way of eating when I visit my family. It's not an easy task lol

And someone said it best when they mentioned that a high calorie meal doesn't mean it's unhealthy and a low calorie meal doesn't mean it's a healthy meal. That's spot on.