What Chinese food is good for high blood pressure?

Stick with veggie-rich and stir fried shrimp and chicken dishes . Ask for extra broccoli, snow peas and other vegetables. Steer away from entrees that are basically deep-fried meat or chicken in sauce.

What Chinese food can a type 2 diabetic eat?

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.

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 Chinese dish is heart healthy?

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.

What do Japanese people eat to lower blood pressure?

Natto is traditionally consumed at breakfast and has a beneficial effect on the gut and supports blood clotting. The Japanese also consume a wide variety of land and sea vegetables including seaweed , which is packed full of health-boosting minerals, and may help to reduce blood pressure.

What Chinese food is low in sugar?

Steamed veggies are almost always a good option for low-GI meals. They don't impact blood sugar unless you top them with a sugar-dense sauce. Select your favorite Chinese restaurant vegetables like broccoli, carrots, green beans, and spinach.

What Chinese food is low glycemic?

Your best bets for lower-glycemic Chinese meals are egg drop soup, tofu with vegetables, curry tofu or chicken, dim sum (chicken or fish with vegetables), barbequed pork with mustard and seeds, chicken or scallops with vegetables, stir-fried chicken, shrimp, or tofu with vegetables, Moo Goo Gai Pan, and shrimp and snow ...

What is a soft Chinese food for the elderly?

Vegetable soup and congee are soft Chinese foods that are easy to digest and provide a variety of nutrients. You can also add meatballs or mashed potato to the soup to make it more filling. Double boiled soups are also a great option as they are easy to prepare and packed with flavour.

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 Chinese food sauce is healthiest?

Thicker, stickier sauces like sweet and sour and sesame are going to be very calorie-dense, so limit those as much as possible. Stir fry sauce , however, is largely made up of soy sauce, making it a much lower-calorie option. Speaking of soy sauce, if you are adding some to a dish, choose the lower-sodium option.

How to eat healthy at a Chinese buffet?

For instance, although they may be tempting, it's better to avoid dishes like crab Rangoon, fried noodles and veggies, fried meat, or any other similar choices . If you have the option, consider selecting food items that don't come with sauce or choosing a dish where you can pair a small amount of sauce on the side.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (2024)

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (1)

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on March 06, 2024

Written by Sharon Liao

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (2)

Worst: Egg Rolls

1/15

Sure, there are veggies in the filling. But egg rolls are anything but healthy. They’re wrapped in dough and deep-fried. The result is an appetizer that packs more than 220 calories and 10 grams of fat in each one. And that doesn’t include the sweet dipping sauce. A few dunks in that can add more than 2 teaspoons of sugar.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (3)

Best: Vegetable Dumplings

2/15

Sneak in some cabbage or leafy greens with this starter. Just be sure to have them steamed and not fried. Dip them in chili sauce instead of soy, and you’ll cut back on sodium, too. Share them with someone to keep your portion size in check.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (4)

Worst: Crab Rangoon

3/15

Crab serves up lean protein. But this appetizer has only a little meat. It’s mostly cream cheese, wrapped in dough and deep-fried to create bite-sized calorie bombs. Because they're small, it’s easy to eat more than one. Finish an order of 4, and you’re likely to get more than half the calories and fat you should have in an entire meal.

Best: Soups

4/15

Wonton, egg drop, or hot and sour? Take your pick. Each typically has fewer than 100 calories per cup. Plus, the broth helps fill you up, so you won’t eat as much of the heavier dishes. One study found that people who started their lunch with broth-based soup ate 20% less than those who didn’t. Hold off on the crispy wonton topping, though. That tacks on extra calories and fat.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (6)

Worst: General Tso’s Chicken

5/15

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. Other fried dishes to watch out for: sesame, orange, and sweet and sour chicken.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (7)

Best: Stir-Fries

6/15

Shrimp and broccoli. Chicken with snow peas. Pairing a lean protein with a fiber-rich vegetable sets the stage for a nutritious and filling meal. But stir-fries are often drowned in a sauce that’s loaded with salt, sugar, and oil. Ask if the kitchen can make yourswith half the sauce , or ask for it on the side and drizzle a small amount on top.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (8)

Worst: Barbecue Spare Ribs

7/15

No bones about it, these are a high-fat choice. At Chinese restaurants, they’re coated in a salty-sweet barbecue sauce. One order can pack in 1.5 times the sodium you should get in a day, along with 64 grams of fat. They also can have more sugar than a can of soda.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (9)

Best: Kung Pao Chicken

8/15

In the mood for something spicy? This entree mixes chili peppers with diced chicken and veggies. Have half an order with a cup of brown rice (about the size of your fist), and you’ll keep your meal under 600 calories. Peanuts also give the dish a nutrient boost. They have heart-healthy fiber, unsaturated fat, and antioxidants. But, like many Chinese dishes, this one's high in sodium, so watch how much you have the rest of the day.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (10)

Worst: Fried Rice

9/15

The main ingredient is white rice, so it doesn’t offer much fiber. That can leave you feeling hungry. And the rice is fried in oil and tossed with salty soy sauce. Order the brown rice instead. Research shows that swapping brown for white rice may help protect you against type 2 diabetes.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (11)

Best: Buddha’s Delight

10/15

This dish is made with an assortment of vegetables, like mushrooms, cabbage, water chestnuts, and carrots. They deliver fiber and a variety of vitamins. There’s also protein-rich tofu, which can help you stay full and eat less. This mixture is usually stir-fried in a soy, garlic, and ginger sauce. For a lighter dish, you can ask for the steamed version with the sauce on the side.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (12)

Worst: Sweet and Sour Pork

11/15

There’s a reason the word “sweet” is in the name of this dish. It typically serves up 16 teaspoons of sugar, about the same amount in 3 chocolate bars. If that isn’t bad enough, the syrupy sauce coats chunks of deep-fried pork. Even if you split this entree with someone, you’re still likely to get more than 800 calories and 48 grams of fat.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (13)

Best: Ma-Po Tofu

12/15

Made from soybeans, tofu is packed with protein: Half a cup has 11 grams. It’s also high in iron and calcium. In this dish, it’s cooked in a bean-based sauce that gets its spicy flavor from chili instead of sodium. Bonus: Chili peppers have vitamins, including A and C. Note that some restaurants also add pork. Ask for the vegetarian version to save calories.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (14)

Worst: Orange Beef

13/15

Take fatty beef, fry it in oil, then douse it with a sugary sauce. That’s the recipe for a dish that has more calories than 7 fast-food hamburgers. If you’re in the mood for meat, order a beef-and-veggie stir-fry.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (15)

Best: Chop Suey

14/15

This classic Chinese-American dish gives vegetables a starring role. It’s usually made with cabbage, water chestnuts, and bean sprouts and served with a meat and rice or fried noodles. Order your dish with chicken or shrimp and brown rice. Bonus: Cabbage has antioxidants that may help protect you against cancer.

15 Best and Worst Chinese Dishes for Your Health (16)

Worst: Lo Mein

15/15

This mound of noodles has about half the carbohydrates you need all day. The noodles are made from white flour, which raises your blood sugar faster than fiber-rich whole grains. Plus, they’re cooked with oil and soy sauce, so you get extra fat and sodium. Can’t pass it up? Order the vegetable version, and only have half the order.