Takeout food can be notoriously high in fat, sodium and calories. However, this doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to eat healthy while getting a Chinese takeout meal. Learning which are the most nutritious options can help people make healthy choices when ordering Chinese Take out in Los Angeles.
Soups and Salads
Broth based soups and salads with the dressing on the side tend to be the best way to start a meal. They’re typically low in calories per gram, or energy density, which means they fill people up without a lot of calories. This helps people eat less of the higher-calorie entrees they order. Wonton soup, hot and sour soup and egg drop soup all make good choices.
Other Appetizers
Skip the chicken wings, egg rolls and crispy wontons, and choose steamed edamame or vegetable spring rolls instead. Fried appetizers are high in both fat and calories, making them bad choices for those who are watching their diet. Steamed wontons or potstickers are better options than fried versions of these dishes.
Main Dishes
When ordering Chinese Take out in Los Angeles, browse around this website and look for entrees described as steamed, broiled, boiled or lightly stir-fried, and avoid those that are breaded and deep-fried. Choose dishes containing mainly vegetables, rather than those that are mainly meat. Opt for chicken, tofu or seafood instead of duck, beef or pork. Some of the more nutritious options include spicy Thai green beans, moo goo gai pan, shrimp with lobster sauce and chicken chow mein. Get steamed brown rice if it’s available, otherwise stick with the white rice. Fried rice is very high in fat and calories, and noodle dishes also tend to be high in calories and fat. Ask for the sauce on the side so you can control how much winds up on your food, as sauces tend to be high in sugar or salt.
The best beverage choices are those that don’t provide extra calories, such as water, tea or diet soda. Regular soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages provide a lot of empty calories without any redeeming nutritional value. Fruit juices provide some nutrients, but can be just as high in calories as soda.
