Nutrition in Entree for Chinese Food Chicken Beef and Shrimp With Lomein
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Whether you're burning the midnight oil at the office or can't muster enough energy to whip up a quick dinner at home, Chinese takeout is just a few Seamless clicks away.
The problem is most dishes are loaded with artery-clogging oils and sugary sauces—not to mention a flavor enhancer called monosodium glutamate (MSG), which can spike your hunger. The average Chinese takeout dish can easily pack in more than a day's worth of calories, fat, and sodium. For example, a serving of orange chicken from Panda Express will cost you 490 calories and a whopping 820 milligrams of sodium—and that's not counting the fried rice and egg rolls.
So what can you do to slim down your order and ensure you're getting a balanced meal? We asked Keri Glassman, MS, RDN, CDN, founder of Nutritious Life, to break down the best and worst Chinese food options out there. Here are her tips for navigating the takeout menu.
How to order healthy Chinese food
Protein and produce is best! "Stick to ordering simple meals like meat and veggies. Order sauces on the side to control the amount that is put on the food and ask for extra veggies," says Glassman.
Most Chinese dishes have skyrocketing amounts of sodium—like sweet and sour chicken and fried wontons—so if you know you're ordering in for dinner, eat less sodium throughout the day. The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 2,3000 milligrams of sodium a day with an ideal limit of 1,500 milligrams. Be sure to also drink plenty of water with your meal to help reduce the salt onslaught.
The healthiest Chinese food takeout options
Skip this: Egg rolls
Order this: Shrimp spring rolls
Egg rolls might pack some veggies, but it's not enough to forgive the processed meats and deep-fried shell—plus the sweet dipping sauce. Instead, Glassman suggests ordering shrimp spring rolls made with rice paper wrappers. They're often filled with carrots, lettuce, and bean sprouts, making a low-calorie and nutrient-dense side. "Eat your food as is when it arrives and avoid soy or hoisin sauce," Glassman says. These sauces tack on unnecessary calories and can hike up your daily sodium count.
Skip this: Pork dumplings
Order this: Steamed vegetable dumplings
These doughy pot stickers are usually small orders, but their calorie and sodium counts say otherwise. Take, P.F. Chang's four-piece pork dumplings. Just a serving has 330 calories and 720 milligrams of sodium—that's enough for a meal, not an appetizer. Plus, it's not just the deep-fried dough that's the issue. The fillings call for a variety of ground meat, including pork, beef, and chicken, that's been doused in everything from sesame oil to oyster sauce.
A better pick is to go for steamed veggie dumplings, which have bok choy, red pepper, garlic, mushrooms, scallions, and fresh ginger. Consider splitting the dish with your significant other or a friend, so you can save your calories for the main dish.
Skip this: General Tso's chicken
Order this: Honey garlic chicken
Ever wonder what makes General Tso's chicken addictive? It's a mysterious combination of cornstarch, orange juice, and rice vinegar, and sugar—the recipe for a diabetic coma. To get your salty, sweet fix, Glassman says an order of honey garlic chicken is the way to go. It's slightly healthier with fewer additional calorie-laden sauces.
Skip this: Beef and broccoli
Order this: Shrimp with brown rice and veggies
A simple order of beef and broccoli might seem like a good choice, but the salty black bean sauce alone might be a day's worth of sodium. P.F. Chang's beef and broccoli dish, for instance, has 770 calories, 33 grams of fat, and 2,110 milligrams of sodium. Oh, and 33 grams of sugar. Yikes!
For a healthier alternative, Glassman recommends ordering shrimp with veggies and brown rice (instead of white or fried rice) and having the black bean sauce on the side. "Add one to two tablespoons of the black bean sauce to the shrimp in a mixing bowl. You'll see you really don't need much more than this to get the same flavor," she says. "You get lean protein from the shrimp and lots of antioxidants, fiber, and even a bit of water from the veggies."
Skip this: Chicken lo mein
Order this: Chicken chop suey
While it's tasty and super filling, a cup of chicken lo mein can easily cost you a 1,000 calories of refined carbs, unhealthy oils, and blood sugar-raising sauces. Glassman says chicken chop suey is a much safer bet because it includes plenty of stir-fried veggies that'll keep you satiated. "Order brown rice and portion out a few tablespoons into the veggies and chicken versus the veggies and protein sitting on top of a plate of rice," Glassman adds.
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Source: https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/a20438311/worst-chinese-takeout-dishes/
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