In the United States, one of the popular cuisines is Chinese food. The taste and appearance of Chinese dishes may be strange to some Western customers like Americans but still some of these dishes have that “universal” taste that fits right their taste buds. There are a large number of restaurants throughout the country that offer a variety of Chinese food. Several items featured on Chinese restaurant menu are loaded with sodium, deep-fiend and drowned in special sauces. Nevertheless, you can find some healthy choices. Chinese restaurants typically offer the customers a variety of lean protein and vegetable dishes which will surely be enjoyed. By choosing wisely your food, you can leave a Chinese restaurant with a smile and a full stomach and absolutely, you will frequent such place. As a popular line goes, “Once Tasted, Always Wanted”.
If you plan to dine in a Chinese restaurant, there are a number of menu terms you should learn how to use. In this way, you can enable yourself to find healthier foods you want. If you want to get rid of fat and calories, you should avoid choosing and eating foods that are fried, breaded or crispy. For healthier menu choices, it is best for you to opt for words like zheng, steamed; shao, barbecued; jum, poached; and kao, roasted. Additionally, you also need to choose foods that do not have monosodium glutamate (MSG).
A Chinese restaurant experience can never be complete without trying their appetizers and soups. Mostly, Chinese crispy noodles are placed on the table for customers to snack on while they are waiting for the food. One of the least healthy choices of appetizer is the spare rib barbecues and therefore, getting rid of them will be beneficial for you. Four pieces of spare rib can give you about 14 grams of fat (saturated) and 600 calories as stated by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. There are kinds of soup that can be safe and healthy for your waistline such as egg drop, hot and sour, and wonton. If you need to watch your blood pressure, it is good to avoid sipping soup. There are at least 800mg of sodium in every serving of soup. Instead of friend wontons, it is better to opt for pork dumplings and steamed vegetables according to AHA or American Heart Association. In addition, instead of egg rolls, it is better to have spring rolls due to saturated fat and calorie content.
Since most Chinese restaurants offer noodle- based dishes, you may always find Chow Mein or Lo Mein. It is believed that these dishes are high in saturated fat, calorie and sodium. Therefore, you have to skip them if you want healthier options. Many customers that are not health- conscious opt for their favorite Chinese dishes like Lemon Chicken, Orange Beef, Sour Pork or General Tso’s Chicken. These dishes are also believed to be high in calories and saturated fat. It is better to have yourself healthier alternatives like dished that are rich in lean meat and vegetables. According to ADA or American Dietetic Association, healthy protein options that are not deep friend include fish fillets, scallops, shrimps, tofu, lean beef and chicken. You can actually have meat, poultry or fish entrees for as long as you do it with extra vegetables.
For a healthier Chinese restaurant menu experience, instead of opting for friend rice, better have yourself steamed rice to get rid of calories and fat. White and brown rice is also a good option since they are both rich in essential vitamins and fiber. As for the sauces, you should avoid ones that contain sugar, cornstarch or flour. Healthier sauce choices include oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and the like.
These are some of the dishes you can actually find on the Chinese restaurant menu. You should consider the above-mentioned tips if you want to have a healthy dine in a Chinese restaurant.