YES, YOU CAN EAT HEALTHILY IN CHINESE RESTAURANTS!

Roast Duck, Crispy Roast Pork & Soy Sauce Chicken in London's Chinatown

Food in Chinese restaurants is so delicious it's a shame to avoid it because of worries about fat, sugar and carbs.  It's true that some menu items are deep fried before being doused in lurid sauces packed with sugar and cornstarch.  But most Chinese restaurants these days are sophisticated and in tune with the times; they are aware of customers' health demands.  So you can have your favourite treats and try out healthier choices from the menu if you want to.  Most people would rather just plan their restaurant visit on an Indulgence Day, enjoy every mouthful and return to their eating plan immediately after.  But if you are on a strict diet or just want to eat healthier, these simple tips on healthy choices may help.
PORTION CONTROL

1. Keep rice/noodles to a small bowl/generous fist full (and no more than half a serving if you can't resist); if brown rice is available go for that.  Ask for a takeaway box for the remainder of the carbs and freeze in suitable portions for use later  
2. Fill half your plate with vegetables 
3. Restrict protein to half a cup  
4. Fried Dumplings: restrict yourself to 2-3 if dumplings are filled with animal protein but if it's something like spring rolls stuffed with vegetables, a few more will be ok

EAT MORE STEAMED THAN FRIED/BREADED DISHES

1. Steamed rice is a better base for stir-fried dishes than fried rice; it allows the flavour of entrees to shine through
2. Ask if vegetables are available steamed or blanched; if you need extra flavour, dribble over a bit of chilli sauce or oyster sauce  
3. Steamed fish has fewer calories and fat, and the texture is magnificent
4. Steamed dumplings are far lower in fat and often more exquisite in flavour than deep fried 

BARBEQUED/POACHED MEATS

...such as Cha Siu Pork, Crispy Pork and Duck are usually lower in fat than fried/breaded; the fat drips off as they cook. 

BUT be aware of the layer of fat beneath the skins of duck and crispy pork. The Chinese have a long history of famine; the layer of fat in pork, for example, is considered a delicacy.  No one will mind if you cut off the fat layer to get at the silken duck skin or the crispy crunchy ever-so-moreish crispy pork layer

Soy Sauce chicken is poached in a broth containing soy sauce, ginger and garlic leaving a succulent flesh infused with delicate flavour.  Dieters, avoid the chicken skin; those with blood pressure issues, stick to the breast and consume sparingly.

Tofu Noodle Bowl (Stock Photo)
 Courtesy of GETTY IMAGES and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

GO HEAVY ON THE VEG

1. Vegetables should make up at least half your plate
2. Non-starchy veg cuts carbs  
3. Dim Sun: choose one-third vegetarian; they are are surprisingly tasty and you don't miss the meat 
4. Starting a meal with a broth-based soup prevents over-eating   
5. Shards of protein - egg, tofu, prawns - in low-calorie mainly vegetable dishes enhance the eating experience flavour and satisfy longer 

HOLD THE SAUCE

1. Avoid gloopy sugar-laden usually luridly coloured sauces
2. Don't have a tablespoon of sauce when a teaspoon will do; sauces should  enhance not smother flavour
3. Ask if the sauce can be served separately

TAKE CONTROL

1. Check out the menu online before you get to the restaurant
2. Ask the waiter to help you choose healthier dishes
3. Drink plenty of tea or water during the meal to counteract the soy sauce 

A FEW HEALTHIER MENU CHOICES 

• Wonton or Hot & Sour soup
• Fish or chicken (not deep-fried or breaded) with vegetables
• Moo Goo Gai Pan– chicken, mushrooms and lots of other vegetables.
• Monks' Vegetables with Tofu (also called Buddha’s Delight)
• Broccoli sautéed with garlic and oil
• Steamed Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce 
• Singapore Noodles: made from green bean starch; flavoured with chilli and curry spices (ask the waiter to go easy on the chillis if you want the flavour but not the heat) and shards of chicken, pork and prawns; vegetarian versions are available

                                            Third Party Sources:  http://www.eatthis.com by Daisy Melamed 

B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided