Many people love to dine at all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. Unfortunately, many of the choices which are offered at Chinese buffets are very unhealthy. While it may be okay to eat unhealthy food from an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet every once in awhile, you should try to avoid doing it every time that you eat at one. Here are just some of the things that you should know if you are trying to eat healthy at a Chinese buffet.
White Rice Vs. Fried Rice
Whenever possible, you will want to try to choose steamed or brown rice. However, there are a lot of Chinese buffets that do not offer these choices as options, mainly because most people tend to choose either white rice or fried rice. So, which type of rice should you select? The best bet for your waist, and calorie intake, is to opt for white rice instead of fried. The reason is because fried rice IS white rice – after it has been fried.
Forget About the Lo Mein
While Lo Mein may be very delicious, it is also incredibly unhealthy. The main reason is because of the high percentage of sodium which can be found in this Chinese dish. While it may not seem like it, there is more sodium in a serving of Lo Mein than there is in an entire pizza from Dominoe’s. If that’s not bad enough, most people tend to eat other foods with Lo Mein when they eat at a Chinese buffet. If you aren’t trying to break your diet, the best thing that you can do is forget about this unhealthy Chinese cuisine.
Opt For Steamed Vegetables
If you want to make Chinese eating healthy, it is important to make sure that you opt for dishes with steamed vegetables, such as Chicken or Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables. Even when they are cooked in a type of sauce, steamed vegetables are still very healthy. Steamed vegetables are a great way to get all of the essential vitamins and fiber that the body needs.
Avoid High Fat Meat Dishes
Chinese food is well known for some high fat meat dishes. Some of these include General Tsao’s Chicken and Mu Shoo Pork. Beef dishes are also known to be very high in fat. If you are going to eat meat, it is best to eat non-fried chicken, such as the type that you would find in Chicken With Mixed Vegetables or Chicken Chow Mein.
Skip the Chinese Donuts
Most Chinese all-you-can-eat buffets offer Chinese donuts, ice cream or fried ice cream as dessert options. Although you may think that Chinese donuts have got to be a much healthier option than ice cream, this really is not the case. Chinese donuts are deep fried and covered in sugar. Not only is this popular Chinese dessert significantly high in calories, but it’s also very high in trans fat.
Limit Yourself
If you want to eat healthy at a Chinese buffet, there are so many different things that you should avoid eating, ranging from Fried Rice to General Tsao’s Chicken. However, if you like these Chinese foods, it would not be fair to deprive yourself of them every time that you go out for Chinese. The best thing that you can do is eat sensible amounts of the foods that you enjoy. Eating foods in moderation, even when you are at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, is the best way to satisfy your cravings, but not eat terribly unhealthy.
