Help choosing wisely - Chinese - suggestions?

Robin_Bin
Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi. I'm going to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. It's not a chain, so while I can check their menu online, it doesn't have nutrition information. Do you have suggestions for more nutritious choices? I'm trying to keep the amount of vegetables I eat up and the calories down. I'm not worried about the protein-fat-carbohydrate balance.

Suggestions?

Replies

  • elle18287
    elle18287 Posts: 267 Member
    It all depends on how it is cooked. I always go for Broccoli in Garlic Sauce or Chicken in Garlic Sauce. Brown rice if they have it. Yummm.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    chicken wings and steamed veggies are usually what i go with.
  • belinus
    belinus Posts: 112 Member
    You can probably ballpark it using a chain's website. The real killer is how much sugar the individual place puts in theirs sauces for the American Menu. If you go with someone who can read the "real menu" (which is normally in Chinese) you can order off that.
  • wendsong
    wendsong Posts: 33 Member
    I often get shrimp with extra vegetables and brown rice. It fills you up quickly and you only eat about half of it! The seafood choices are usually a bit healthier! Enjoy your lunch!
  • ShyFeather
    ShyFeather Posts: 138 Member
    Don't be afraid to ask them whether a dish is fried or not. If they have any food that is steamed then that would be the best choice. No fried rice; stick with white or brown. Or you could have vegetable lo mein or chow mein if you like noodles. Some chinese places have soups too that are good and lower calorie. A place near me has a roasted duck soup that is really tasty. Otherwise, if you can't find anything that seems healthy, don't sweat it. It's only one meal. Enjoy it and make your next meal healthier.
  • Renae_Nae
    Renae_Nae Posts: 935 Member
    Don't be afraid to ask! There is a place here that makes "lighter" versions of their stuff if you ask!
  • gooiyw
    gooiyw Posts: 114 Member
    I eat that almost everyday. Haha. But, generally, chinese restaurants tend to splurge on their sodium, so watch out for that. In fact, try to avoid foods with a lot of sauces. Go for steamed fish, tofu and stir fried veges. And drink loads of water or tea. One thing I've noticed chinese restaurants tend to do... they deep fry first virtually every protein they intend to cook, in very hot oil. I guess it makes it tastier, but you can rest assure that short of ordering steamed proteins, it's going to be oily.

    But please enjoy the cuisine. Eat small portions but try everything. Chinese food tend to come in communal portions to be shared by an entire table, with rice as the only food individually served.
  • MamaKarrot
    MamaKarrot Posts: 15 Member
    Ask if there is an actual Chinese food menu. The menus with the fried chicken and noodles are directed toward American tastes. Often when I go to Chinese places I ask politely if they have a Chinese menu available and not Chinese-American food menu. You can end up with steamed shrimp dumplings and Chinese broccoli which are delicious and significantly healthier than the stuff many of us know to be "Chinese" food. Just an idea to try. :)
  • Puppygirl29
    Puppygirl29 Posts: 14
    Maybe try string beans in garlic sauce with chicken?
    Be aware of fried and heavily sauced items.
    Often the sauces are full of the bad stuff ( salt, sugar, etc)
    You might even request an item with the sauce on the
    side so you can control the amount. Good Luck!
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions!
    I'll use a "generic" or chain to estimate calories, and I'll look up a few before I go. I appreciate the help narrowing down the number of things I'll need to look up. I'm already aware that many of the Chinese-American dishes I like the most are probably not the best choices (fried rice, orange chicken, etc.) And the things I make at home that are Chinese inspired are pretty healthy (chicken with garlic and pineapple sauce, vegetable sautés, etc.). And thanks for the warnings about the sodium, which luckily I can eat on occasion, and fried meat, which I'll try to avoid, and I'll try asking for the Chinese menu. These suggestions will help me broaden my restaurant tastes in the right direction. Great help, thanks!
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    I eat that almost everyday. Haha.
    :wink: LOL
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    Ask if there is an actual Chinese food menu. The menus with the fried chicken and noodles are directed toward American tastes. Often when I go to Chinese places I ask politely if they have a Chinese menu available and not Chinese-American food menu. You can end up with steamed shrimp dumplings and Chinese broccoli which are delicious and significantly healthier than the stuff many of us know to be "Chinese" food. Just an idea to try. :)

    Seriously helpful post, thanks. This never even crossed my mind as a possible option.
  • Fabulocity
    Fabulocity Posts: 157 Member
    Steamed veggies and chicken is a good choice. Most chinese restaurants will prepare this dish.
  • Melanie_RS
    Melanie_RS Posts: 417 Member
    broccoli and garlic sauce and brown rice. MY FAVORITE OF ALL TIME! sodium, yeah, that'll get you. and always put half away right away! no egg rolls. do not add soy sauce. LOL! enjoy! or have a cheat day - you'll recover!
  • tmpayton
    tmpayton Posts: 148 Member
    Moo Goo Gai Pan is not a killer. Veggies, Non-fried white meat chicken in a white sauce.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    I rarely eat out, but if I desire Asian food, I visit a Vietnamese place since they tend not to fry their food as much as the Chinese do.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    My 2 cents and I've found it does help....talk to the waiter/waitress and tell them you are watching salt or calories or are on a diet, whatever gets the point across and ask what lighter food choices they offer or if they can lighten a dish up, or ask what they put in the dishes. Sometimes you might be able to get sauce on the side so you can add to taste. Also brown rice is healthier than white or fried. I've usually gotten chicken with broccoli or a shrimp dish (my fav is non spicy General Tso's chicken, or lemon chicken, both seriously fried foods)

    Good luck and post back what you ended up getting :)
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
    If you limit your servings, beef and broccoli, chicken and broccoli and peppered chicken aren't awful choices. Of course, the day I ate chinese, I worked out a ton and had 1500 calories left for dinner. I think I consumed between 600 and 700.
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
    War Wonton Soup. The "War" means packed with extra veggies and steamed shrimp. This is what I have when I take my kid out for Chinese Food. Good luck!
  • runmybunsoff
    runmybunsoff Posts: 224 Member
    Hmm...sodium is definitely not even worth being cautious about, LOL. But soups? Like hot and sour soup, or won tonsoup, because it's mostly broth..? Enjoy your meal!
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Thanks again! Lots of good suggestions!
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    It's been ages since I first posted this. One thing I found in Thai, and some Chinese, restaurants that I like is eggplant in garlic sauce. It often has some breading, but is roughly 150-200 calories per cup. Then add rice.
    Most servings are 2 or 3 meals for me. So I use a suggestion from long ago, ask for a take-away container with your meal and put away all but one serving before you begin to eat.
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,772 Member
    I ALWAYS get the menu item steamed, no oil or sauce in cooking with sauce on the side. I get mixed vegetables and bean curd (vegan) but they will steam fish, shrimp, chicken, etc. If you choose to get a regular menu item ask for "low fat" and stick to vegetable bae, not lo mien or fried rice. Nuts are great, but the peanut or cashew dishes have a big portion which ups the calories.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    Asian food is always a toss up. I made the mistake of venturing into my favorite Chinese restaurant kitchen with the owner who explained that the 8oz of peanut oil they were putting in the wok gave the fried rice a real nice mouth feel. Admittedly it was for several servings. But a cup? 2000 calories for maybe 3 or 4 servings?
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    VegjoyP wrote: »
    I ALWAYS get the menu item steamed, no oil or sauce in cooking with sauce on the side. I get mixed vegetables and bean curd (vegan) but they will steam fish, shrimp, chicken, etc. If you choose to get a regular menu item ask for "low fat" and stick to vegetable bae, not lo mien or fried rice. Nuts are great, but the peanut or cashew dishes have a big portion which ups the calories.

    This! 👆 love Chinese food... my fav place will do “barely there sauce” for me -/ which is just a taste - not dripping in sauce. Also saves a ton of sodium/ which I also watch.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,949 Member
    Just avoid anything deep fried, and be aware that some stir fry recipes require deep frying some of the ingredients before stir frying with remaining ingredients in a sauce. Di san xian (a Sichuan aubergine, potato and green pepper dish), General Tso chicken, sweet and sour pork, and lemon chicken all fall in that category. I would also avoid fried noodles and rice which absorb quite a lot of oil.

    Steamed fish with ginger and green onion with some soup and stir fried greens and steamed rice would be my choice.

    If you can choose the region, Shanghai and Beijing have relatively light cuisines with a lot of steaming and roasting. The stir fries from Szechuan and Hunan are often swimming in oil but hot pot and skewered BBQ meats are low calorie options from those regions. If you are at a Cantonese place, just avoid things that are deep fried or served in very sweet sauces.

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