You may not know this but eating at a Chinese restaurant can offer you various ways to maintain good health; although it can also provide you many ways to ruin it. Correct choices can result in a guilt-free, nutritious dining experience. Improper choices that you may find with typical Chinese fare are not as worse as that of standard Western dishes, but nevertheless, can still adversely affect your health.
Benefits
One of the greatest benefits of eating Chinese food is that it’s low in trans fat and saturated fat. Foods that are high in these unhealthy fats elevates blood cholesterol, which, according to the American Heart Association, can lead to heart disease. Chinese dishes are low in unhealthy fats because they have no cheese, are cooked on vegetable oil, and often contain vegetables, poultry, and seafood.
Disadvantages
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the unhealthiest thing about Chinese food is that it is usually filled with packed with calories and sodium. The culpable ingredients typically used in Chinese foods are deep-fried breading oil, salty sauces, and fried cooked noodles.
Examples
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has revealed General Tso’s chicken served in some Chinese restaurants as one of the worst Chinese foods served to the public. General Tso’s chicken is fried chicken basically with a dash of vegetables. A usual dinner meal has 3.200 grams of sodium and 1,300 calories. Fried rice contains 2.7 grams of sodium and 1,500 calories while orange beef has about 3.1 grams of sodium and 1,500 calories.
Impacts
If you eat Chinese food too often, the surfeit calories can lead to weight gain. A typical human being requires just 2,000 calories a day to live, although requirements differ. According to the Stanford Hospital and Clinics, obesity results in dangerously unhealthy side effects like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The American Heart Association advices people to limit their sodium intake to 1.5 grams a day, thus, a single Chinese food meal can easily have two days’ worth of sodium. This association has stated that diets filled with sodium lead to high blood pressure which increases the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Advices
The Committee for Science in the Public Interest recommends that instead of ordering deep-fried items when eating in Chinese restaurants, select tofu or seafood items, and chicken instead that is lightly stir-fried. A much better recommendation is to order less meat and more vegetables. Avoid the following sauces:
Soy sauce – One tablespoon of sodium contains one gram of sodium
Hoisin sauce – One tablespoon of this sauce contains 250 mg of sodium
Duck sauce – One tablespoon of duck sauce contains 100 mg of sodium
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