I love Asian food so much. In fact, traveling to Asia is my favorite place to explore. Some cultures, like Thai or Vietnamese, usually keep their cooking pretty light. Chinese food, on the other hand, is traditionally on the heavy side so I’ve never been a huge fan of it. Most of the meats are fried and all the noodles and rice dishes are drenched in heavy oils. The good news is that Chinese restaurants contain so many types of protein and vegetables. With a few simple hacks, you can easily enjoy some delicious Chinese food while keeping it light and healthy!
Starters
Unfortunately, we are going to have to skip the rangoons and spring rolls. Anything that is in crispy egg skin we are going to pass. The good news? We can still enjoy some potstickers! You’re going to want to order them steamed and not pan fried. Skip the pork options as these meats are typically very high in fat content. You can also opt for a wonton or hot and sour soup.
Entrees
When it comes to your main dishes, we are going to go for some simple proteins. Look for chicken dishes that do not contain fried chicken(stay away from that honey chicken!) or sauces that sound sweet like pineapple glazes or orange beef. You instead want to spot things like chicken stir fry, grilled salmon, boiled or grilled beef. Here are a few classics that would be ok:
-Beef/Chicken with snow peas or broccoli
-Chicken with cashew nuts
-Chicken with garlic sauce
-Shrimp with vegetables
-Ginger Chicken/Fish
There are two main things you want to do when ordering your entree: Ask for the meat and vegetables to be steamed AND ask for the sauce on the side. These are key to keeping those cals down.
Side Dishes
Sorry guys– no noodles or fried rice here. They contain high levels of butter and oil. Opt for plain steamed white rice instead.
With these hacks, you’ll definitely satisfy your Chinese food craving without feeling guilty and heavy. Hope this helps!