Eating out is a fun and easy way to socialize with others and relax at the same time. Chinese food is a favorite in the United States because there are so many flavorful dishes. Unfortunately, many of the foods at Chinese restaurants are cooked with dark meats and a lot of oil, so they are loaded with calories, fat, sodium and even sugar. It's possible to eat healthy, yet still palatable foods while dining at a Chinese restaurant, provided that you know what keywords to look for on the menu.
Step 1
Start out with a soup as an appetizer before your meal comes. Chinese soups made with clear broths such as wonton soup and hot and sour soup are generally low in calories, yet filling. Soups make you feel full because they have a large water content, which fills your stomach up. If you eat a soup before your main meal at a Chinese restaurant, you may eat less of the main meal, which will save you calories and fat. It will even save you money if you split your main meal in half and ask for a to-go box as soon as the meal arrives.
Step 2
Pick a meal off of the menu that says "steamed" rather than "fried." Chinese foods that are steamed have fewer calories and less fat than those that are fried because steaming uses only water, which has no calories, while fried foods soak up calorie-dense oil. Steamed dumplings, for example, are a better choice than fried wontons in a Chinese restaurant.
Step 3
Choose a vegetarian dish instead of a dish prepared with meat. Meats such as duck, pork and beef are high in fat. Chicken is a good source of protein, but the dark meat of a chicken, which has a lot of fat and calories, is used more often in Chinese restaurants than the white meat. A vegetarian dish such as tofu and steamed vegetables or Buddha's Feast, which is a vegetable dish, usually contains fewer calories and less sodium than dishes made with meat.
Step 4
Ask the cook to prepare something specially made for you. Ask the chef to use less oil when preparing your dish at a Chinese restaurant. This will save you calories and fat that you don't need. You can also ask the chef to use less salt, or to leave out the food additive MSG completely when preparing your meal.
Member Comments