Indian snacks v/s Chinese food -- which option is healthier?

Chinese cuisine has always been an integral part of our fast food experiences with spring rolls and noodles being favorites. Giving Chinese food a tough fight are our desi fast food items. Be it pani puri, sev puri or pao bhaji , we Indians love it all. Here's a calorie count of Chinese and Indian fast foods.

Chinese food is a not-so-healthy option for weight watchers, with a bowl of vegetable fried rice having as many as 643.7 calories. Chicken fried rice on the other hand has 653.9 calories.

Chinese fast food

Menu	No. of Calories
Veg spring rolls (1 pc)	196.4 cal
Chicken spring rolls (1 pc)	430.2 cal
Veg hakka noodles (1 bowl)	910.5 cal
Chicken hakka noodles (1 bowl)	632.4 cal
Veg fried rice (1 bowl)	643.7 cal
Chicken fried rice (1 bowl)	653.9 cal

These calories are calculated using HealthifyMe Calorie Counter, the world s first Indian nutrition tracker.

Indian fast food:

Menu	No. of Calories
Pav bhaji (2 pao)	501.5 cal
Chole bhature (1 pc)	515.5 cal
Sev puri	162 cal
Pani puri (6 pcs)	166.4 cal
Ragda pattice	126.9 cal
Samosa (1 pc)	245.9 cal
Papdi chaat (10 pcs)	224.9 cal
Veg frankie (1 pc)	111.3 cal
Paneer frankie (1 pc)	198.6 cal
Chicken frankie (1 pc)	177.5 cal
Veg sandwich (1 pc)	184.9 cal
Chicken sandwich (1 pc)	196.5 cal
Cheese sandwich (1 pc)	232 cal
Chicken kebab (2 pc)	217 cal

If you are watching your weight, however tempting and delicious it looks, Chole bhature is the least healthy of all Indian fast food. It tops the list with a massive 515.5 cal per serving of one bhatura and a bowl of chole. It is followed by the Indian favorite pav bhaji with 507.5 calories, which although is made with many vegetables, is high in calorific value due its butter content.

Healthier options:

On comparing Indian and Chinese food, it is observed that the number of calories in a bowl of veg noodles and veg fried rice far exceed the calories in a serving of pav bhaji and chole bhature.The humble Indian street chaat is not as unhealthy as it is said to be. Pani puri, sev puri, etc. have around 165 calories which is less when compared to one serving of spring rolls. On the other hand a single samosa has as many as 245.9 calories, rendering it avoidable while watching your diet.

While deciding to eat out, we are often tempted to junk foods like pizzas. Due to tough competition between giants like Pizza Hut and Domino's, choosing a healthy option becomes difficult. You may like to know about the calorie counts of various food items on their menus and choose the healthier options next time you visit them. You may also like to read about the calories counts of items on McDonald s and KFC 's menu. No outing is complete without indulging in some ice creams and pastries. Here's all you need to know about calorie counts of your favourite ice creams, pastries and smoothies.

Image source: Getty Images

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