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How to Eat Chinese Food Without Feeling Guilty

How many times have you ordered Chinese food since the kick off of the Summer Olympics in Beijing? I’m guilty or indulging in more than my share over the last 16 days. It’s hard not to, after all, Chinese dishes are among the most popular in the world and with all eyes on China for the last two weeks it’s no surprise that requests for regional recipes are at an all time high.

Unfortunately, not all Chinese food is prepared the same and the cuisine sometimes gets a bad rap for offering unhealthy choices–many of which are loaded with sodium. I have posted a few of my favorite Chinese recipes recently with the majority of them featuring vegetables and other ingredients I consider healthy (chicken and shrimp). It just proves that there are ways you can dine at a Chinese restaurant without feeling guilty. The key is to order healthier options and stay away from the ones that are loaded with fat and calories.

For example, high calorie Chinese dishes include: Pork Fried Rice (1500 calories per serving), Orange Crispy Beef (1500 calories per serving), Kung Pao Chicken (1400 calories per serving), Lemon Chicken (1400 calories per serving), and Sweet & Sour Pork (1300 calories per serving).

Healthier options include: Shrimp with Lobster Sauce (400 calories per serving), Buddha’s Delight (500 calories per serving), Moo Goo Gai Pan (600 calories per serving), Chicken Chow Mein (700 calories per serving) and Szechuan Shrimp (700 calories per serving).

You should also know that every cup of steamed rice is 200 calories and steamed vegetable dumplings are 67 calories each.

You can also cut down on the number of calories you ingest at a Chinese restaurant by doing the following:

· Share a dish – this reduces the amount of food eaten.

· Order extra vegetables and have them steamed or stir-fried to boost nutrients and lower calories.

· Limit rice or noodles to 1 small bowl.

· Eat with chopsticks – unless you are a pro this will slow down the pace of eating and help reduce the amount of food eaten.

· Skip dessert.

Related Articles:

Hot and Spicy Singapore Rice Noodles with Shrimp

Making an Edible Bird’s Nest

Classic Chinese Cooking-Marvelous Mu Shu

Chinese Shrimp and Noodle Salad

Valorie’s Leftover Pork Noodle Bowl

Make Your Own Chinese New Year Dishes

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About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.