Ordering Chinese food? Tips to make a healthy choice

Here are tips to order a healthy Chinese meal.

If you ever go to China and expect to find the kind of Chinese food we get in India, you will be highly disappointed. Authentic Chinese food is far more bland and healthier than its Indianised version. It consists of boiled or raw veggies, broth, soups along with different kinds of meat.

Here, to suit our palate, it is made more spicy and it is quite popular as well. You can get it almost anywhere, from roadside vendors to posh restaurants. But if you are watching your calorie intake and cannot do without your weekly dose of noodles, here are some ways to make eating Chinese food healthy. Ekta Tandon, a senior nutritionist counsellor with Fitness First chain of gyms, lists out healthy options you can pick when eating at a local Chinese joint.

Appetizers

Instead of a bowl of sweet corn soup which contains about 175 kcal, opt for a bowl of clear veg soup which has only 87 kcal. In terms of side along with your rice or noodles, choose dry chicken (280 kcal) over chicken in hot garlic sauce (320 kcal). But make sure the chicken is not deep-fried. For vegetarians, mixed veg or paneer options are there to pick from.

Main course

If you are a fan of fried rice, keep in mind that a plate of vegetable or chicken fried rice is around 250 kcal. Not to forget that frying anything too much equals to a loss of its nutrients. You can instead order steamed rice which is just 90 kcal. Another switch you can make is, substituting a bowl of plain hakka noodles (400 kcal) with veg noodles (250 kcal). This will add more fibre to your body as the vegetables are a mix of onions, carrots, cabbage, capsicum, etc. The more veggies you add, the better for your health. It will also be easier to digest it.

Even non-vegetarians need to keep in mind that along with the meat, keep they need a healthy balance of veggies. This will add more fibre, crunch and flavour to their food. The more steamed food you order, the lesser the calorie intake. Opt for light sauces and soups which are clear. You can add flavour to them later by mixing a dash of vinegar, soy, etc. Stay away from shezwan sauce as it is very oily. A good tip when you order is tell the waiter to make your food less spicy and in less oil. Another one is to try and eat with chopsticks as it will make you eat slower which will result in you eating less than your usual amount.

Drinks

You may pay fine attention to your food but what you drink along with it can also add a number of calories. Switch from aerated drinks or fizzy drinks to plain water or lime water. Fizzy drinks not just add more calories but also hinder the absorption of important nutrients from the food in your body.

So the next time you feel like ordering Indianised Chinese, choose wisely. You can have a cup of green tea after your meal to soothe your stomach.

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