Traditional Chinese food varies significantly depending on what part of China you visit. Chinese food is not inherently unhealthy, but there is definitely a plethora of unhealthy options on the menu. Americanized Chinese food is quite different from the traditional cuisines of China. Oftentimes, many of American-Chinese dishes are based on fried foods with heavy sauces high in fat, sodium and sugar.
1. Crab Rangoon
Think about it. It's cream cheese and a tiny amount of crab meat (is there even any crab in there?) that is breaded and deep fried and then served with a sugar-laden sweet and sour sauce. This fan favorite is full of fat. Avoid this appetizer if you want to avoid going up a pant size.
2. Barbeque Spare Ribs
Although these hunks of fatty meat are somehow considered an "appetizer," they contain more than 600 calories per serving and more than 66 percent of your day's recommended saturated fat intake.
3. Fried Egg Rolls
A single fried egg roll can pack between 200 and 300 calories, depending on what is stuffed inside of it. This staple appetizer can easily catapult your meal into a calorie catastrophe, especially if you eat more than one egg roll.
4. Fried Rice
Huge portions of fried refined grains--yuck! One dish of fried rice houses about 75 percent of your daily caloric needs. Considering that one cup of cooked rice contains about 216 calories, and most servings of fried rice are about four to five cups of rice that are then fried in oil and generally have some sort of meat added--oftentimes fatty pork or beef--it's easy to see how the calorie count climbs. Additionally, fried rice is usually made from nutritionally-void white rice, as opposed to more nutritious brown rice, and it likely contains only a tiny amount of vegetables, if any.
5. Lo Mein
It clocks in at over 1,400 calories thanks to oil-covered noodles and fatty marbled meats. Plus, the seasoning used in this dish contains more sodium than you need in an entire day. Much like fried rice, lo mein is mainly low in beneficial nutrients, consisting mostly of large amounts of refined carbs, excessive oil and fatty cuts of meat that are added.
6. Chow Fun
Just like the lo mein, this dish is mainly fried noodles and not-so-lean meats. If you eat the entire dish, expect to take in more than 1,200 calories and more than a day's worth of sodium. Chow fun = not so fun for your waistline!
7. Sweet and Sour Chicken
Even though chicken is a lean protein, the calorie count shoots way up when you batter and deep fry it and then drown it in a sugary sauce. This dish's calorie count skyrockets to over 1,000 calories due to all of that oil-soaked batter and overly-sweetened sauce.
8. General Tso's Chicken
Much like the sweet and sour chicken, this dish is loaded with fat and calories because it's breaded, deep-fried and swimming in a heavy sauce. One serving of this popular dish racks up about 1,300 calories and more than half your day's allowance of heart-clogging saturated fat.
The Bottom Line
You can certainly find healthy options at Chinese restaurants. Opt for stir-fry dishes that are mainly vegetables rather than rice or noodles. Avoid battered, fried meats soaked in sauce. Split a meal with a friend or get half of it "to-go" to make for a more realistic portion size. If you eat rice, request brown rice rather than white rice and stick to a one-cup serving.
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Kari Hartel, RD, LD is a Registered, Licensed Dietitian and freelance writer based out of St. Louis, MO. Kari is passionate about nutrition education and the prevention of chronic disease through a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Kari holds a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Southeast Missouri State University and is committed to helping people lead healthy lives. She completed a yearlong dietetic internship at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL, where she worked with a multitude of clients and patients with complicated diagnoses. She planned, marketed, and implemented nutrition education programs and cooking demonstrations for the general public as well as for special populations, including patients with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, and school-aged children.
FAQs
“Looking for foods that aren't breaded is a good start. And you can usually find lots of vegetables, like broccoli, carrots and sugar snap peas at Chinese takeout places, too.” Other dishes on the healthier side include: Moo goo gai pan, stir-fried lean chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts, broccoli and carrots.
What is the healthiest thing to order at a Chinese restaurant? ›
“Looking for foods that aren't breaded is a good start. And you can usually find lots of vegetables, like broccoli, carrots and sugar snap peas at Chinese takeout places, too.” Other dishes on the healthier side include: Moo goo gai pan, stir-fried lean chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts, broccoli and carrots.
What is the unhealthy ingredient in Chinese food? ›
Chinese food and soups contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) as the main addictive ingredient. A sensitive individual may suffer from headache, giddiness, sweating, abdominal pain, and urticaria within a few hours of consumption of MSG.
What Chinese food is low in cholesterol? ›
Chinese takeout can be a lifesaver on busy weeknights, but choose carefully to sidestep cholesterol and sodium. Hot-and-sour soup, steamed dumplings, and entrees that are steamed or lightly stir-fried are better choices than fatty egg-drop soup, egg rolls, or deep-fried specialties.
What is the most unhealthy Chinese food dish? ›
Worst: General Tso's Chicken
Named after a Chinese war hero, this fat-laden dish won't help you win any weight loss battles. The breaded, fried chicken is smothered in a sugary sauce. One order clocks in at around 1,500 calories and 88 grams of fat, and it delivers more sodium than you should get in a day.
What is the best Chinese dish to have on a diet? ›
Steamed Fish and Vegetables
Takeout menus tend to offer a mild-tasting variety of protein-rich white fish, such as sole, and it's paired with mixed vegetables. The veggies add fiber, a key nutrient for digestion and heart health. If you have the chance to choose or add Chinese eggplant as a veggie, go for it.
What is the bad additive in Chinese food? ›
MSG is the same as Accent Flavor Enhancer (tm), a food additive that you can buy at grocery stores to add to your own cooking. Many people use it at home. Many non-Chinese restaurants use it. It's perplexing that Chinese restaurants get all the blame for using MSG.
Is MSG worse than salt? ›
Here's the good news: MSG contains two-thirds less the amount of sodium compared to table salt, so if you're looking to lower your sodium intake, reaching for MSG to flavor your food can help you eat less sodium.
Does Chick-fil-A use MSG? ›
While MSG is present in some of our menu offerings as a flavor enhancer, we also offer a variety of options that do not contain added MSG. To help our customers make informed decisions, we provide ingredient statements on the Chick-fil-A app or on your local restaurant's menu page.
What not to eat at a Chinese buffet? ›
Sweet and sour dishes
But if you're hitting up your local Chinese buffet, try to avoid anything sweet and sour. These dishes — which often contain deep-fried pieces of meat submerged in a syrup-like sauce — can be abundant in sugar and fat.
Some lean protein choices include chicken, lean ground pork and fish. These proteins are often used in Chinese main dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers. Plant-based proteins, such as tofu, are also found in Chinese dishes. Tofu may be used as a meat alternative, providing protein from soybeans.
Is there any Chinese food that is heart healthy? ›
Here are Lola Idad's tips for lowering fat and calories when you order food from a Chinese carryout restaurant. steamed dumplings or grilled fish, instead of fried dishes. have large amounts of vegetables, such as beef with broccoli. Chicken, General Tso's Chicken, Mu Shu Pork, or fried egg rolls.
Is shrimp bad for cholesterol? ›
Shrimp are notably high in cholesterol. You'll take in about 130 milligrams if you eat 12 large shrimp. But at only 2 grams of fat, shrimp are plump with B vitamins, protein, and the nutrients selenium and zinc. Check with your doctor, but you can likely enjoy them once or twice a week.
What Chinese dish is least fattening? ›
Some specific dishes that are particularly low in calories in Chinese cuisine include steamed vegetables, steamed fish, Buddha's delight (a vegetarian stir-fry), and moo goo gai pan (chicken with mushrooms and vegetables). These dishes are typically prepared with minimal oil and are packed with nutritious ingredients.
Which has more calories fried rice or chow mein? ›
Fried rice has 570 calories (extra calories are from fat) and 900mg sodium. However, chow mien has fewer calories of 400, but a huge amount of sodium 1,060mg! Another thing that you could look at would be the number of vegetables in each dish perhaps.
Is Chinese food a healthy choice? ›
Well that depends on where you are eating. If you go to a fast-food style, Americanized Chinese restaurant serving “fried everything” with MSG, then no, it's not healthy. However, many ingredients in traditional Chinese dishes are abundant in nutrients, and work to keep your health in good shape.
Is Chinese fried rice healthy? ›
Fried rice is not a nutritionally balanced meal on its own, and you should enjoy it in moderation as part of a varied and balanced diet. Adding a variety of vegetables, lean protein sources, and whole grains can help to improve the nutritional value of fried rice.
