Help! Chinese buffet!

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ReBeccaO1993
ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Help! I’m going to a work lunch at a Chinese Buffet tomorrow. I know this type of food is very unhealthy and loaded in sodium... Does anyone have ANY tips on what might be the “healthiest” or rather “less unhealthy” items on the menu at a traditional Chinese Buffet?

What should I avoid and what should I mainly consume to limit calories, fat and sodium?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thank you!
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Replies

  • AmyC2288
    AmyC2288 Posts: 386 Member
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    Personally I wouldn't be worried about the fat and sodium as much as just keeping the calories in check. Avoid things with breading (egg rolls and crab rangoons) and sweet sauces (General Tso, Sesame Chicken...). Look for steamed options and lots of veggies. I would go for chicken & broccoli, egg drop soup, shrimp & greens beans... They also typically have fresh fruit options so I would likely get some of that. Also, right before leaving maybe eat a small healthy snack and have a glass of water so you aren't SO hungry when you get there.

    Hope this helps!

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If you've been counting calories for a while, you may already be developing a sense of which foods are higher calorie and which are lower calorie. If I want to do lower calorie at a buffet, I will tend towards non-fried items and be mindful of my portions of calorie dense foods like noodles, rice, and sauces (at least sweet ones). Vegetable dishes are sometimes lower calorie (depending on preparation) and you may also be able to find a broth-based soup that is lower in calories as well. Sodium is likely to be higher no matter what you choose, that's just the nature of restaurant food in general (and lots of Chinese buffet food in particular).

  • ReBeccaO1993
    ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you've been counting calories for a while, you may already be developing a sense of which foods are higher calorie and which are lower calorie. If I want to do lower calorie at a buffet, I will tend towards non-fried items and be mindful of my portions of calorie dense foods like noodles, rice, and sauces (at least sweet ones). Vegetable dishes are sometimes lower calorie (depending on preparation) and you may also be able to find a broth-based soup that is lower in calories as well. Sodium is likely to be higher no matter what you choose, that's just the nature of restaurant food in general (and lots of Chinese buffet food in particular).

    Thank you SO MUCH! I’ve only just started counting calories on Monday, so I’m still very new to this and unknowledgeable sadly. I will steer clear of noodles and rice and aim for veggies and soups! 😃

    Do you think wings and chicken balls would be a “good” choice since it’s meat and likely high protein?
  • ReBeccaO1993
    ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
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    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Personally I wouldn't be worried about the fat and sodium as much as just keeping the calories in check. Avoid things with breading (egg rolls and crab rangoons) and sweet sauces (General Tso, Sesame Chicken...). Look for steamed options and lots of veggies. I would go for chicken & broccoli, egg drop soup, shrimp & greens beans... They also typically have fresh fruit options so I would likely get some of that. Also, right before leaving maybe eat a small healthy snack and have a glass of water so you aren't SO hungry when you get there.

    Hope this helps!

    Thank you, this does help! I will load up on chicken, veggies and fruit and see if they do have egg drop soup at that location. I know they have wonton soup, I’m not sure if that would be a “good” option?

    I like the idea of partly filling prior to the lunch, I’ll definitely do that too - hadn’t even crossed my mind! Thanks again! 😄
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you've been counting calories for a while, you may already be developing a sense of which foods are higher calorie and which are lower calorie. If I want to do lower calorie at a buffet, I will tend towards non-fried items and be mindful of my portions of calorie dense foods like noodles, rice, and sauces (at least sweet ones). Vegetable dishes are sometimes lower calorie (depending on preparation) and you may also be able to find a broth-based soup that is lower in calories as well. Sodium is likely to be higher no matter what you choose, that's just the nature of restaurant food in general (and lots of Chinese buffet food in particular).

    Thank you SO MUCH! I’ve only just started counting calories on Monday, so I’m still very new to this and unknowledgeable sadly. I will steer clear of noodles and rice and aim for veggies and soups! 😃

    Do you think wings and chicken balls would be a “good” choice since it’s meat and likely high protein?

    Wings can be prepared in a lot of different ways, but they're often fried and coated in sweeter sauces. No need to avoid entirely, just be mindful of your portion size. I'm not familiar with chicken balls, but Google indicates they may be fried and battered? If so, this will add to the calories.

    You can look up generic database entries for the things you're considering and get a ballpark estimate of the calorie value before you go. This can help you figure out what size portion you'd like to have. It won't be completely accurate, but I find it to be better than going in blind.

    And the good news is, since you're just getting started, you'll only get better that this! The beginning was the hardest part for me, after a bit I got much more confident estimating what the lower calorie choices were.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
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    I go to Chinese once a week. I stick to one plate and one bowl now. Play around with MFP food database before going and look up your favorite items so you can budget your calories.

    My old menu (measurements come from learning to eyeball based on home scale): 3-5 oz Honey chicken, 5 oz butter potatoes, 4-8 sweet & sour with Ketchup, 4-6 steamed dumplings, full plate of Lo Mein, fortune cookie. Sometimes had other types of chicken, depending on hunger level.

    My new menu: 2-4 oz Honey chicken OR same amount of a different sauced chicken, 4 piece sweet & sour chicken with 1 oz (ish) ketchup, 3 dumplings, soup-cup of chow mein (healthier than lo mein), fortune cookie.

    Is it still calorie heavy compared to home cooking? Yes. But it gets me my favorites, in smaller portions, and I can always fit the amount of calories in my budget for the day.
  • AmyC2288
    AmyC2288 Posts: 386 Member
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    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Personally I wouldn't be worried about the fat and sodium as much as just keeping the calories in check. Avoid things with breading (egg rolls and crab rangoons) and sweet sauces (General Tso, Sesame Chicken...). Look for steamed options and lots of veggies. I would go for chicken & broccoli, egg drop soup, shrimp & greens beans... They also typically have fresh fruit options so I would likely get some of that. Also, right before leaving maybe eat a small healthy snack and have a glass of water so you aren't SO hungry when you get there.

    Hope this helps!

    Thank you, this does help! I will load up on chicken, veggies and fruit and see if they do have egg drop soup at that location. I know they have wonton soup, I’m not sure if that would be a “good” option?

    I like the idea of partly filling prior to the lunch, I’ll definitely do that too - hadn’t even crossed my mind! Thanks again! 😄

    You're welcome! Yes, I think wonton soup would be fine as well. A buffet is a great opportunity to try things you may not usually try since you can get a little of everything!
  • ReBeccaO1993
    ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you've been counting calories for a while, you may already be developing a sense of which foods are higher calorie and which are lower calorie. If I want to do lower calorie at a buffet, I will tend towards non-fried items and be mindful of my portions of calorie dense foods like noodles, rice, and sauces (at least sweet ones). Vegetable dishes are sometimes lower calorie (depending on preparation) and you may also be able to find a broth-based soup that is lower in calories as well. Sodium is likely to be higher no matter what you choose, that's just the nature of restaurant food in general (and lots of Chinese buffet food in particular).

    Thank you SO MUCH! I’ve only just started counting calories on Monday, so I’m still very new to this and unknowledgeable sadly. I will steer clear of noodles and rice and aim for veggies and soups! 😃

    Do you think wings and chicken balls would be a “good” choice since it’s meat and likely high protein?

    Wings can be prepared in a lot of different ways, but they're often fried and coated in sweeter sauces. No need to avoid entirely, just be mindful of your portion size. I'm not familiar with chicken balls, but Google indicates they may be fried and battered? If so, this will add to the calories.

    You can look up generic database entries for the things you're considering and get a ballpark estimate of the calorie value before you go. This can help you figure out what size portion you'd like to have. It won't be completely accurate, but I find it to be better than going in blind.

    And the good news is, since you're just getting started, you'll only get better that this! The beginning was the hardest part for me, after a bit I got much more confident estimating what the lower calorie choices were.

    Ah good point for the chicken balls that makes sense given the batter. The wings at this location don’t seem to be sauced, they’re rather “dry” but very salty hehe.

    Thanks I hadn’t thought of that, I’ll see if I can find the nutrition facts for other Chinese buffet places as that location doesn’t have anything of the sort.

    That’s inspiring, I hope it’s the case for me as well. So far I’ve been sticking to the same diet all week because I meal prep on Sundays for my entire week. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the nutritional facts for some of the items and completely traumatized by the facts for certain foods lol.

    Thank you for taking the time to help me. I appreciate it. 😊
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    edited December 2018
    Options
    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you've been counting calories for a while, you may already be developing a sense of which foods are higher calorie and which are lower calorie. If I want to do lower calorie at a buffet, I will tend towards non-fried items and be mindful of my portions of calorie dense foods like noodles, rice, and sauces (at least sweet ones). Vegetable dishes are sometimes lower calorie (depending on preparation) and you may also be able to find a broth-based soup that is lower in calories as well. Sodium is likely to be higher no matter what you choose, that's just the nature of restaurant food in general (and lots of Chinese buffet food in particular).

    Thank you SO MUCH! I’ve only just started counting calories on Monday, so I’m still very new to this and unknowledgeable sadly. I will steer clear of noodles and rice and aim for veggies and soups! 😃

    Do you think wings and chicken balls would be a “good” choice since it’s meat and likely high protein?

    No wings - or avoid as much as possible. Even the best preparation they tend to have the highest calories on the chicken due to the higher skin/meat ratio.

    The balls depends on the fillers they use.
  • ReBeccaO1993
    ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
    Options
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    I go to Chinese once a week. I stick to one plate and one bowl now. Play around with MFP food database before going and look up your favorite items so you can budget your calories.

    My old menu (measurements come from learning to eyeball based on home scale): 3-5 oz Honey chicken, 5 oz butter potatoes, 4-8 sweet & sour with Ketchup, 4-6 steamed dumplings, full plate of Lo Mein, fortune cookie. Sometimes had other types of chicken, depending on hunger level.

    My new menu: 2-4 oz Honey chicken OR same amount of a different sauced chicken, 4 piece sweet & sour chicken with 1 oz (ish) ketchup, 3 dumplings, soup-cup of chow mein (healthier than lo mein), fortune cookie.

    Is it still calorie heavy compared to home cooking? Yes. But it gets me my favorites, in smaller portions, and I can always fit the amount of calories in my budget for the day.

    Thank you so much for this info! I love the idea of having a go-to repeat serving every time! Once it’s all logged in here I’ll better know every time how to stay within my budget!

    We tend to go at the same location about once a month, so it’d be good if I came up with a set plan like yourself. Thanks 😃
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
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    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Personally I wouldn't be worried about the fat and sodium as much as just keeping the calories in check. Avoid things with breading (egg rolls and crab rangoons) and sweet sauces (General Tso, Sesame Chicken...). Look for steamed options and lots of veggies. I would go for chicken & broccoli, egg drop soup, shrimp & greens beans... They also typically have fresh fruit options so I would likely get some of that. Also, right before leaving maybe eat a small healthy snack and have a glass of water so you aren't SO hungry when you get there.

    Hope this helps!

    Thank you, this does help! I will load up on chicken, veggies and fruit and see if they do have egg drop soup at that location. I know they have wonton soup, I’m not sure if that would be a “good” option?

    I like the idea of partly filling prior to the lunch, I’ll definitely do that too - hadn’t even crossed my mind! Thanks again! 😄

    You're welcome! Yes, I think wonton soup would be fine as well. A buffet is a great opportunity to try things you may not usually try since you can get a little of everything!

    I'm a hot an sour soup man myself... :smiley:
  • ReBeccaO1993
    ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
    Options
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Personally I wouldn't be worried about the fat and sodium as much as just keeping the calories in check. Avoid things with breading (egg rolls and crab rangoons) and sweet sauces (General Tso, Sesame Chicken...). Look for steamed options and lots of veggies. I would go for chicken & broccoli, egg drop soup, shrimp & greens beans... They also typically have fresh fruit options so I would likely get some of that. Also, right before leaving maybe eat a small healthy snack and have a glass of water so you aren't SO hungry when you get there.

    Hope this helps!

    Thank you, this does help! I will load up on chicken, veggies and fruit and see if they do have egg drop soup at that location. I know they have wonton soup, I’m not sure if that would be a “good” option?

    I like the idea of partly filling prior to the lunch, I’ll definitely do that too - hadn’t even crossed my mind! Thanks again! 😄

    You're welcome! Yes, I think wonton soup would be fine as well. A buffet is a great opportunity to try things you may not usually try since you can get a little of everything!

    Oh good, thank you 😊I agree, buffets are so fun because you get to have a little of everything! I used to eat as much as I could when I went and wasn’t mindful at all of what might be healthier options. Trying to change my habits one step at a time. 🙉
  • ReBeccaO1993
    ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
    Options
    bigbandjohn wrote: »
    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you've been counting calories for a while, you may already be developing a sense of which foods are higher calorie and which are lower calorie. If I want to do lower calorie at a buffet, I will tend towards non-fried items and be mindful of my portions of calorie dense foods like noodles, rice, and sauces (at least sweet ones). Vegetable dishes are sometimes lower calorie (depending on preparation) and you may also be able to find a broth-based soup that is lower in calories as well. Sodium is likely to be higher no matter what you choose, that's just the nature of restaurant food in general (and lots of Chinese buffet food in particular).

    Thank you SO MUCH! I’ve only just started counting calories on Monday, so I’m still very new to this and unknowledgeable sadly. I will steer clear of noodles and rice and aim for veggies and soups! 😃

    Do you think wings and chicken balls would be a “good” choice since it’s meat and likely high protein?

    No wings - or avoid as much as possible. Even the best preparation they tend to have the highest calories on the chicken due to the higher skin/meat ratio.

    The balls depends on the fillers they use.

    Thanks for the tip! Didn’t know this about wings 😵
  • ReBeccaO1993
    ReBeccaO1993 Posts: 40 Member
    Options
    bigbandjohn wrote: »
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    anonymous_user1993 wrote: »
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Personally I wouldn't be worried about the fat and sodium as much as just keeping the calories in check. Avoid things with breading (egg rolls and crab rangoons) and sweet sauces (General Tso, Sesame Chicken...). Look for steamed options and lots of veggies. I would go for chicken & broccoli, egg drop soup, shrimp & greens beans... They also typically have fresh fruit options so I would likely get some of that. Also, right before leaving maybe eat a small healthy snack and have a glass of water so you aren't SO hungry when you get there.

    Hope this helps!

    Thank you, this does help! I will load up on chicken, veggies and fruit and see if they do have egg drop soup at that location. I know they have wonton soup, I’m not sure if that would be a “good” option?

    I like the idea of partly filling prior to the lunch, I’ll definitely do that too - hadn’t even crossed my mind! Thanks again! 😄

    You're welcome! Yes, I think wonton soup would be fine as well. A buffet is a great opportunity to try things you may not usually try since you can get a little of everything!

    I'm a hot an sour soup man myself... :smiley:

    I’ve never had that, never seen it at any of the locations in my area , but it sounds yummy! I love anything sweet and sour 😍
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Mandylou19912014 wrote: »
    My advice would be to eat a healthy meal before you go and just go for drinks? I can’t imagine anything being healthy there so if your not willing to make it a “cheat day” then steer away

    It's just different combinations of foods, there's nothing inherently unhealthful about it. There may be foods that are very calorie dense and some people may struggle with controlling their portions. But there is no reason it has to be limited to a "cheat day," I've eaten at Chinese buffets and still met my calorie goals for the day, I'm sure that others have as well.
  • BrettWithPKU
    BrettWithPKU Posts: 575 Member
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    Don't panic. I don't think avoiding the buffet altogether is necessary if you exercise some self-control.

    For your main entree, there should be steamed veggies, and you should be able to find meat that's not drowning in sugary sauce.
    For dessert, every buffet I've ever been to has fruit.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Things that are going to add more calories to your meal- breaded or battered fried items, things with nuts or sesame seeds, rice or noodles, sugary sauces. Lower calorie is going to be vegetable heavy, lean meats, unbattered foods, soups.
    I don't think you are going to get lower sodium options at a restaurant.

    I would eat what you want though and just watch portion sizes on the higher calorie stuff.
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
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    Although the calorie counts aren't going to be the same, maybe look at a chain restaurant like Pei Wei or P.F. Chang's that has calorie counts published. I was at Pei Wei yesterday and according to the nutrition facts dishes prepared with tofu and shrimp were the lowest calorie, chicken was in the middle and beef was the highest. Clear soups are usually good and watch your portions.
  • vscott87
    vscott87 Posts: 2 Member
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    I deal with this when dining at lunch w business colleagues. You can do it! Start with a salad. If there is sushi, I get three rolled pieces and three pieces of nigiri (the ones that just have the big chunk of raw fish on top). I take the chunk of raw fish off, add to one of the rolled pieces, and toss the extra rice. My next trip is usually green beans, the broccoli out of the broccoli/beef, and some teriyaki chicken. If there is a hibachi option, I opt for all veggies and some seafood; don’t add noodles. The sodium isn’t ideal, but I chug a nalgene of water before and after and it doesn’t make me puff as badly. Let us know how you do!

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