Like many ethnic cuisines, the true essence of Chinese food is healthy and low-fat. However, some of the most healthful elements of Chinese food – lots of vegetables, light sauces, wok cooking – have been adjusted to accommodate American preferences. The result? Many dishes now found in Chinese restaurants are a caloric nightmare. Luckily, with a little know-how, you can enjoy the heart-friendly, healthy aspects of Chinese cuisine…

The demand for bigger portions, fried foods and fatty sauces has made Chinese food a dietary landmine. It’s a shame, because Chinese cuisine can offer delicious meals that will make any vegetarian, or flexitarian, very happy. Fortunately, new restaurants are making an effort to offer “authentic” Chinese dishes, which is bringing this food back to its heart-healthy roots. However, it’s a slow process and eating at most Chinese restaurants still presents a nutritional challenge.

Before we get to the good stuff, here are some unappetizing statistics (courtesy of the Center for Science in the Public Interest):

An order of six steamed pork dumplings has 500 calories (80 calories each). Pan-fried dumplings, which sound far worse, in fact only have 10 calories more per dumpling.
An appetizer order of BBQ Spare Ribs (4) has 600 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat and 900 mg of sodium.

One order of Eggplant in Garlic Sauce has 1,000 calories and 2,000 milligrams of sodium.
One order of Lemon Chicken has 1,400 calories and 13 grams of saturated fat. That’s the equivalent of eating three fried McChicken sandwiches plus a 32-ounce Coke at McDonald’s.
One order of Orange (or Crispy) Beef has 1,500 calories, 11 grams of saturated fat and 3,100 mg of sodium.

Choosing a Main Course Wisely
Since most Chinese food is made to order, you can often substitute tofu for the beef in an entrée or omit noodles from a stir-fry. The same cannot be said of reheated burgers, fries and other takeout food. You can also ask restaurants to lightly sauté meat and chicken instead of deep-frying it.

If you’d like to order right off the menu, the healthiest menu items are those that are vegetable-based. An order of Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables, for example, has just 500 calories. Don’t worry - you don’t have to go vegetarian to eat light; shrimp dishes are also a low-cal option. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce has just 400 calories per order.

But if your carnivorous impulses win out, there are decent options on the menu. As a general rule, avoid sauce-heavy dishes and those that include fried noodles. Some healthy entrées include: Moo Goo Gai Pan, a simple stir-fried dish of chicken, white button mushrooms and other vegetables; Moo Shi, vegetables, chicken or shrimp with fluffed eggs and vegetables, served with thin Chinese pancakes; and Yu Hsiang (chicken or shrimp), which is spicier. If you’re craving noodles, consider Lo-Mein, which uses stir-fried wheat noodles and a variety of vegetables.

When possible, ask for steamed rice, preferably brown, to accompany the meal. By eating one serving of steamed rice for every serving of your main course, you will ultimately end up consuming fewer calories, fat and sodium.

A Saucy Problem
Often, the dishes we order wouldn’t be as fattening if we didn’t sop up every last bit of sauce. With Chinese food, we are meant to lift the food (chicken, veggies, shrimp, etc.) out of the sauce and put it onto our plate. Leave the excess sauce behind.

Sauces don’t only pose a caloric hazard. They can also be laden with more sodium than our recommended daily intake. For example, that low-cal Shrimp with Lobster Sauce has a hefty 2,300 mg-3,000 mg of sodium. For adults eating 2,000 calories a day, the recommended sodium intake is 2,300 milligrams… total.

Soy sauce is a trouble-maker, as well. Whether on the side or incorporated into the dish, soy sauce can exponentially increase your sodium consumption.

Here’s how to stay on the good side of sodium:

Request low-sodium soy sauce. Many restaurants now carry it.
Ask the restaurant about healthful alternatives such as rice vinegar or tamari sauce – both are lower in sodium than soy sauce.
Aim for entrées with fewer than 800 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Less Is More

Between the fried appetizers, fried noodles and sauce-heavy dishes, it’s hard to remember that Chinese food can, in fact, be healthy. But there are many ways to enjoy your meal without paying a nutritional price:

Begin the meal with a broth-based soup, such as wonton or hot-and-sour, instead of high-fat appetizers, like egg rolls and fried wontons.
If your meal comes with an egg roll, ask the restaurant to swap in a spring roll instead – it has 100 fewer calories.
Eat family-style if you are with a group of people. Order fewer dishes than the number of people at the table and share. With the addition of brown rice, you’ll fill up faster than you think.
Aim for eating one cup of rice and one cup of steamed vegetables for every cup of your entrée. And request brown rice, rather than white.

Eat with chopsticks, which don’t allow you to scarf up large spoonfuls of food or sauce.
Don’t be afraid to custom order your dish. These days, Chinese restaurants are accustomed to patrons requesting low-fat, low-sodium alternatives.
Bypass the crispy noodles usually served before the meal. They’re high in calories and don’t take the edge off your hunger. As a reward, opt for a second fortune cookie at the end of your meal – they’re a nutritional bargain at only 50 calories each.

What’s Your Ethnic Foods IQ?
Take-out may be your middle name, but how much do you really know about your favorite ethnic foods? Sushi... Chinese... Mexican... Although most restaurants have a menu chock full of mouthwatering meals, do you stick to the same old fare because you don't know any better? Take this ethnic foods quiz to broaden your horizons and please your palate.

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