Chinese
Asian-inspired take out at your door
Chinese food has gotten a really bad rep when it comes to what’s healthy and what’s…well just plain junk food! However, not all take out Chinese foods that you can have delivered to your door should be banned forever; many are way better than pizza! Ordering Chinese food is almost a weekly custom in many homes. Families look forward to the break that their weekly order of Chinese food brings. So don’t throw your Chinese take out menus in the trash just yet! Instead, get familiar with the healthy aspects of your Chinese delivery menu. There are items that are fresh and full of veggies on these Asian-inspired menus as well.
Unwholesome foods on your Chinese take out menu:
- Moo Shu
- Sweet-and-sour pork
- Kung pao Chicken
- General Tsao’s chicken
- Deep fried egg and spring rolls
- Deep fried butterfly shrimp
·Deep fried butterfly shrimp
It’s a rule of thumb that absolutely anything on your delivery order that’s deep fried is going to be loaded with calories, fat and MSG. There are lots of items you can choose that won’t weigh down your delivery guy or fatten up your waistline. Opt for:
- Stir-fried vegetable dishes
- Grilled shrimp dishes
- Non-breaded and battered chicken
- Any dish with Hunan or Szechuan in the name is a lighter choice
- Any tofu dish is likely to be lighter in calories and a vegetarian choice, to boot
- Steamed rice over fried rice dishes
- Steamed or sautéed vegetables – rather than fried veggies
- Use less sauce – such as soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and plum sauce that are high in sugar and sodium
- Fresh spring rolls rather than egg rolls (which are deep fried)
Fast-facts about Chinese delivery
- The first Chinese take out restaurants in America were called "chow chows”
- Currently there are more Chinese restaurants in America than McDonald's restaurants
- The earliest Chinese food take out menus included dishes such as Steak Hollandaise, Roast chicken and French fries and gravy alongside their chicken chop suey dishes in order to appeal to the North American audience – especially finicky children
