Healthiest Chinese Food?

seriously, there is none, unless you make it. like with any food unless you make it, there is no 100% knowing whats in it, and ho many calories. But if you must, steamed chicken and veggies. brown rice, sauce on side, but easy on the sauce

I make spicy chicken lettuce wraps. I cook the chicken, and on the side I shred up purple cabbage; carrots; daikon radish; and chopped scallions. I mix the chicken in, and add a bit of spicy szechuan sauce. Toss it, put it in a lettuce leaf, and voila!

Our local place has a healthy section on the menu with lots of steamed options and sauces on the side. I usually opt for the steamed shrimp and broccoli with the sauce being on the side I just dip my shrimp and broccoli in to it vs pouring it all over the meal and end up using very little of the sauce that they give me.

I always get something off the veggie menu, mostly because I'm a pescatarian, but also because veggies are lower in calories to start, and they usually don't drown it in soy sauce. I also skip the soup and opt for steamed rice over fried rice. Also a veggie egg roll or a cheese wonton is better than a chicken or pork egg roll!

When I was eating meat, I used to get a super low cal meal at Panda express. It's a side of veggies (instead of rice or lo mein) 2 veggie egg rolls, and mushroom chicken. It's like 250 calories or something.

Broccoli Beef or Broccoli Chicken are some decent go-to choices. Mushroom Chicken is good too. Every place makes their dishes differently and most are jam-packed with sodium, so be careful. If you're going to a chain like Panda Express, then look up the NI before you go. If you're making it at home you'll have the best options to make it healthy. If you're going to a buffet... good luck!

Chicken and veggies is usually the best. I make my own and it turns out well...

Recipe:

6 oz of chicken, diced and pan seared (with maybe some garlic and EVOO)
8 oz. broccoli
2 cups water
6 tbsp. lite soy sauce
1 tbsp. garlic
1 tbsp. EVOO
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tbsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup dry white rice
1/2 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp water

Directions:

Boil 1/2 cup water. As soon as it comes to a boil, add 1/4 cup white rice. Turn heat to low and let rice steam for 15 minutes.
While rice is cooking, cook chicken in a pan
-In same pan that you used for cooking chicken, heat EVOO and garlic til fragrant.
-Add water, soy sauce and ginger. Bring to boil.
-When liquid has come to a boil, add your broccoli and onion (or whatever veggies you like) and cover. Allow mixture to steam the veggies for 15 minutes.
-After veggies are fork tender, add chicken to the mix, and added hot sauce. If needed, add a little more water and soy sauce if too much has evaporated.
-In a separate bowl, mix equal parts cornstarch and water. Stir into your broccoli, chicken and sauce mixture until the sauce thickens (should be instant, really).
-Serve chicken and veggies over steamed rice

Rice will be about 160 calories, chicken 165, and veggies fairly negligible.

Basically, you're making a brown sauce for the chicken mixture. It's pretty darn tasty!

Of course you will never know exactly what is in your restaurant or takeaway food but there are definitely ways to fit in these treats say once a week or once a fortnight by making smarter choices.

The portion provided is often much bigger than a dinner you would cook for yourself so start by not eating all of it. Pad your meal out with extra veg, if you are getting takeaway you could heat up your own fresh or frozen veg to have with it. Try to choose things that are grilled or stirfried, avoid anything that has been battered and deepfried before the sauce was added. Try to pick sauces that aren't too high in sugar - avoid sweet and sour, plum sauce or anything that has to be sweetened excessively to taste good e.g. lemon. Also, try not to eat too much of the sauce, pick the meat and veg out and avoid mixing the remaining sauce with your rice. Choose steamed rice instead of fried. Clear soups are usually a good choice but be mindful of any particularly fatty meats that might be inside dumplings.

Hope that helps.

I always utilize the mongolian grill...lots of veggies, meats, litle rice for carbs

Mongolian grills are THE best.. that way you know exactly what sauces & how much of them are going into your meal.

I love chinese food but the sodium is a killer.
I weigh the next day and I am up !!
I have switched to Japanese once in a while
for the Sushi and Misou Soup which is healthy.
Try it you will like it.