One of the popular choices for take-out and delivery is Chinese food. And what makes it even greater is that these Chinese cuisines can be found almost anywhere and leave you with a wide variety of extremely appetizing dishes to choose from. However, some of Chinese food restaurants are notorious for their battered and deep-fried recipes flavoured with salty or sugary sauces while a lot of other scrumptious dishes have hefty mounts of oily noodles or fatty meats. Hence, sans extra care and awareness, many of these unhealthy contents can make a negative, significant impact on your health. On the other note, if you are keeping an eye on your weight or eating healthy is your current mantra, fortunately there are still Chinese food that are not necessarily off limits and the good news is that you can make it work to your advantage. Below are some healthy options in a Chinese food restaurant that are crafted with an aim of satisfying your cravings and keeping you healthy at the same time:
- Veggie Spring Rolls – This dish is a great choice if you want a light appetizer. Say bye to fried egg rolls. Rather, choose the healthy kind of spring roll through this veggie spring roll that only contains around 80 calories per piece on an average.
- Hot & Sour Soup or Wonton Soup – It won’t harm your diet regime if you quench your thirst and hunger with a cup of these savoury starters. A cup only has 80 to 100 calories and is not going to significantly affect your diet. In fact, it has been backed up by a particular research that once you eat a broth-based soup before a meal, you will end up eating less food in total. That’s a good news, right?
- The Buddha’s Delight – This delightfully low-calorie dish will have you enjoy steamed veggies and tofu that is packed with protein while taking off around 200 calories from your imposed daily calorie intake.
- Steamed Vegetable Dumplings – This dish is probably the most favourite of every health enthusiast. With only 40 calories per dumpling, steamed vegetable dumplings is surely going to be one fun appetizer.
- Moo Goo Gai Pan – Have a taste of this super-tasty Chinese food which is made from lightly sautéed vegetables, sliced chicken, button mushrooms, and spices. A lot of Chinese food restaurants are having this on their menu all because of its ability to stuff super hungry diners without having to intake as much calorie count. Imagine a full-packed meal that originally has 550 calories? You will enjoy as much food for only 275 calories. What an incredible steal.
- Chicken With Broccoli – A cup of this goodness has about only 280 calories. You can even reduce it by cutting down the side sauce. Chicken with Broccoli is said to be one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat at any Chinese food restaurant. Enjoy this recipe and say hello to vitamin C, A, calcium, antioxidants, and fibres.
- Shrimp with Garlic Sauce or Lobster Sauce – If you opt for the garlic sauce, a full order of the dish will have you take in about 700 calories but of course, you can share it with a friend if you are watching on your diet. Shrimp with garlic sauce is known to be real satisfying because of all the fibre from the vegetables on top of the shellfish’s lean protein. On the other hand, should you choose to have shrimps with lobster sauce, an entire dish contains only 450 calories that is really not too shabby for you.
- Any Steamed Vegetables and Lean Protein – Nobody can ever go wrong with steamed vegetables and lean protein. Even if it has sauce on the side, it is still low in terms of calorie count but can stuff you up nonetheless.
At the end of the day, whatever kind of cuisine you desire, it is not always a diet disaster unless you lose control and choose the wrong dishes to fill you up with.