How To Order Chinese Food Without Blowing Your Diet

Some Chinese dishes that sound healthy are surprisingly fat-laden. These tips will help you avoid diet land mines.

To complete this how-to, you will need:

Knowledge of Chinese menu items
Chopsticks
Restraint

Step 1: Get the spring roll

Order the spring roll over the egg roll; it's often half the calories.

Step 2: Use chopsticks

Use chopsticks if you normally eat with a fork and knife. It may take you longer to eat, giving your brain time to tell your tummy you're full before you clean your plate.

Put less sauce on your plate by using a fork or a chopstick to transfer food from a platter instead of the serving spoon.

Step 3: Order the shrimp

Consider a shrimp dish: They're usually the best bet because the dish is apt to be mostly vegetables. Just make sure the shrimp isn't breaded and deep-fried. Steamed chicken or whole fish is also a smart choice.

Step 4: Get sauce on the side

When ordering anything with sauce, ask for it on the side.

Step 5: Eschew the "combo" dishes

Avoid dishes with the word "combo" or "house" in the name, which are usually more caloric than a plate with one main ingredient in the title.

Step 6: Avoid lemons and oranges

Avoid entrees with "lemon" and "orange" in the names, like lemon chicken and orange beef. They may sound healthy, but the meat is usually breaded and deep-fried. The same goes for "sweet and sour" dishes.

Avoid General Tso's chicken and kung pao chicken; both are loaded with fat and calories. And chow fun is anything but when it comes to your waistline!

Step 7: Assume nothing

Don't assume the vegetarian plates are low-cal: Eggplant with garlic sauce and deep-fried tofu are loaded with fat and calories. To ensure a healthy vegetable entree, make sure it's steamed.

Step 8: Fill up on the rice

Dine like the Chinese, who eat one portion of the entree to three portions of steamed -- not fried -- rice. Take the leftovers home or order fewer dishes than the number of people you're dining with.

While brown rice has the same number of calories as white rice, it offers four times the fiber.

Step 9: Steer clear of noodles

Save your pasta fix for Italian night, when you can cover it in nutritious tomato sauce. Chinese restaurant dishes made with noodles, like lo mein, generally offer little but empty calories.

An order of spare ribs has as many calories as two large servings of pork chops.

Thanks for watching How To Order Chinese Food Without Blowing Your Diet! If you enjoyed this video, subscribe to the Howcast YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=howcastfooddrink

Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from howcastfooddrink and more videos in the Howto category.

You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide (at http://www.howcast.com/videos/new ), learn about producing Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmaker Program (at http://info.howcast.com/filmmakers ), or showcase your expertise in a Howcast video series (at http://info.howcast.com/experts ).

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• health
• nutrition
• dieting
• weight
• loss
• losing
• ordering
• restaurant
• eating
• out

[kawaiitiger98]

Im sorry, but most of this isnt chinese food anyway... -___- alot of chinese food nowadays is americanized... real chinese food is waaay different. most of this unhealthy food isnt chinese. its american. duh thats why its so unhealthy. americans tend to overseason things and they are the ones who use so much oil

[dominic14061995]

what if I use a chopstick better than a fork? it doesn't work that well anymore...

[tonycoolmen]

to eat chinese well, listen to this video then do everything opposite

[rocker624]

So basically...what you're saying is...Don't eat chinese food? XD

[darthrigel]

here's another very helpful one: don't hang out with sadistic sons of bitches like the guy in the video who appear to enjoy ordering all the most caloric dishes on the menu then saying: "Oh my, these honey-covered deep-fried ribs are awesome! wanna try? oh right you are on a diet, sorry... how's your steamed celery?"

[philipmarie1854]

You Chinese always... being Chinese.

[meichie1]

Treat ur tummy the nice way = =

[meichie1]

Just order la

[byronlee991017]

u know that chinese food is better with the oil. if u have a diet, just dont eat chinese food. so mean to the chinese race. oh and the way the stupid girl holds chopstics, that is offensive to elders.

[pussylumpessru]

@MarxPennsWrite I just starve anyway. All I need is self control