Can we eat Chinese food and still maintain a low fat, heart-healthy diet?
Most certainly, we can. Keep in mind, Americans do not eat Oriental food in the same fashion that the Chinese do. Americans consume more meat and less rice when they eat Chinese entrees. Consequently, Americans eat more fat. Try the following to reduce fat when consuming Chinese foods: 1. Order a bowl of hot, steaming low-fat soup such as hot and sour soup, Chinese vegetable soup, or rice soup with chicken or shrimp. Eating soup prior to a meal may decrease any tendency to overeat when the main dishes arrive. 2. Limit the deep fried appetizers like egg rolls, crab rangoon and wontons. These items are loaded with fat. In addition to its fat content, crab rangoon is an American invention. You will not find crab rangoon on an Asian menu. 3. Skip the peanuts on the Cashew Chicken and Kung Pao Chicken. One ounce of peanuts contains about 14 grams of fat. (14 grams of fat times 9 calories per gram of fat equals 126 calories from fat). 4. Ask if your entree can be stir fried with less oil. 5.
