Chinese Food

Healthier Chinese Food

If there is one thing that I love to have for a treat it is Chinese food. I realize that this is not something that is good for me, and it is also something that is more American than it is Chinese.

With a few notable exceptions, the food that you get is Americanized, for a lack of a better word. That does not mean it is not good, however, and that you have to think of it as anything other than Chinese. What you should know is that it can be bad for you if you eat too much, or if you don’t know how to make better choices when you order.

Though some have talked about the MSG that is in a lot of Chinese food dishes, that is not a huge problem any longer. Some still use it, but others have lowered the amounts that they use substantially so that it is no longer an issue.

If you are not sure, ask where you normally get your Chinese food to see what they say about this food additive. What your main concern should be, after finding out about MSG levels, the true calorie count for the meals that you order on a regular basis. The food is good, but it comes with a price.

On average, your typical order of Chinese food will contain more than a thousand calories. For someone who may be dieting, this can be the bulk of the calories that they should be eating each day.

That means this is not something they should have very often, if at all. On top of that, most of the calories are fat and carbs, both of which can be off limits, or should be limited, on many types of diets. When ordering, you have to think for more healthy dishes than beef and broccoli or General Tso’s chicken.

Instead, look for Chinese foods that are steamed rather than fried, and for ones that have very little sauce of which to speak. The sauces are often the biggest culprits when it comes to calories and fat.

You can find steamed veggies, and things like shrimp and other leaner meats and seafoods that are included in these meals. You may not think of these types of healthier meals as traditional Chinese food, but it may be closer to the real thing that they other dishes that you have been getting in the past.