Meeting the in laws for Chinese tonight

emom3boys
emom3boys Posts: 84 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know what I want to order tonight, but that really isn't an option since I don't want to regret it tomorrow morning.

What do you eat at a Chinese restaurant and not feel guilty the next day? How do you go about figuring out the calories for your meal when it's a plate of this/that at a Chinese restaurant.

Thanks!

Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Choose the freshest items possible. Limit your sauces. Lots of veggies, less meat, rice, and noodles.

    Do they have a Mongolian grill there? If so, you can make your own meal that's healthier than anything from a buffet.
  • cheesy_blasters
    cheesy_blasters Posts: 283 Member
    Tofu is another good option.

    Is this an authentic Chinese restaurant or a North American type Chinese food? I find authentic food tends to have more tofu and fish then fried stuff like chicken balls. Check for steamed options. When I was in Hong Kong you could order a big bamboo steamer filled with veggies and dumplings. SO GOOD. Sometimes Chinese restaurants also have other Asian dishes so miso soup is nice too. Sodium might be high depending but you can drink extra water to balance. Drink tea instead of soft drinks.
    Maybe even doing Dim Sum? It might be easier to limit portion sizes that way.

    I personally would order a giant plate of veggies and tofu and my treat would be a stuffed bun.

    I really want Chinese food now.
  • stellaskies
    stellaskies Posts: 161 Member
    I only treat myself to Chinese food every other month so that I can eat whatever I want, because lets be real, you know you want some noodles, a spring roll or two and ya know you want some duck sauce and that little fortune cookie. Why don't you eat what you want tonight and cut calories tomorrow? A little zig zagging is good.

    Or get plain veggies and brown rice.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,282 Member
    My favorite Chinese place has a section of the menu with lower fat and calorie suggestions. Maybe the place you go will have the same.
  • LilLolo22
    LilLolo22 Posts: 229 Member
    Chinese food is delicious, but notorious for being super high in sodium. Your best bet is to find a veggie/seafood option that either has no sauce or is very light on the sauce. And I don't think that eating a serving of steamed white rice does any harm.
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
    Chicken with green beans
  • allnamesgone
    allnamesgone Posts: 19 Member
    The last few times I've gone to a Chinese place, I've asked for chicken breast with a ton of vegetables and they didn't even blink. It wasn't on the menu but the seemed to know exactly what I wanted. One place had brown rice which made it even better. The other served steamed white rice.
  • emom3boys
    emom3boys Posts: 84 Member
    Well I made it through dinner. I ordered the prawns with snow peas, and then proceeded to eat mainly all veggies. I did check the scale this morning and it was up a pound, but I figure it's mainly just sodium. Thanks for all the advice!

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