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How to Order Chinese Food without Blowing Your Diet. Some Chinese dishes that sound
healthy are surprisingly fat-laden. These tips will help you avoid diet land mines.
You will need Knowledge of Chinese menu items Chopsticks and restraint. Step 1. Order the
spring roll over the egg roll; it's often half the calories. Step 2. Use chopsticks
if you normally eat with a fork and knife. It may take you longer to eat, giving your
brain time to tell your tummy you're full before you clean your plate. Put less sauce
on your plate by using a fork or a chopstick to transfer food from a platter instead of
the serving spoon. Step 3. Consider a shrimp dish: They're usually the best bet because
the dish is apt to be mostly vegetables. Just make sure the shrimp isn't breaded and deep-fried.
Steamed chicken or whole fish is also a smart choice. Step 4. When ordering anything with
sauce, ask for it on the side. Step 5. Avoid dishes with the word "combo" or "house" in
the name, which are usually more caloric than a plate with one main ingredient in the title.
Step 6. Avoid entrees with "lemon" and "orange" in the names, like lemon chicken and orange
beef. They may sound healthy, but the meat is usually breaded and deep-fried. The same
goes for "sweet and sour" dishes. Avoid General Tso's chicken and kung pao chicken; both are
loaded with fat and calories. And chow fun is anything but when it comes to your waistline!
Step 7. Don’t assume the vegetarian plates are low-cal: Eggplant with garlic sauce and
deep-fried tofu are loaded with fat and calories. To ensure a healthy vegetable entree, make
sure it's steamed. Step 8. Dine like the Chinese, who eat one portion of the entree to three
portions of steamed – not fried – rice. Take the leftovers home or order fewer dishes
than the number of people you're dining with. While brown rice has the same number of calories
as white rice, it offers four times the fiber. Step 9. Save your pasta fix for Italian night,
when you can cover it in nutritious tomato sauce. Chinese restaurant dishes made with
noodles, like lo mein, generally offer little but empty calories. Did you know An order
of spare ribs has as many calories as two large servings of pork chops.