Anything orange or lemon flavored. Their fruity names might imply good nutrition, but in fact, these types of dishes usually involve fried meats covered in a citrus-flavored sauce, which may also contain oil.

Anything stir-fried. The name says it all. "And they're not using a tablespoon of oil like you're careful to do at home," cautions Robin L. Goldberg, R.D., a consulting nutritionist based in Beverly Hills, California. Aside from the oil, these dishes are usually fairly nutritious; so ask if the chef will sauté the ingredients instead of stir-frying them.

Sweet and sour. And breaded and fried.

Pot stickers. What makes them stick to the pot? Oil. Steamed dumplings are a more healthful choice, says Goldberg.

Fried rice. Aside from the obvious, this dish also contains a lot of egg. If you crave a change from regular steamed, try sticky rice; it's made with water and rice vinegar.

Oriental salad with the works. You're already aware of what fat-filled minefields salad dressings can be. Oriental dressing is no exception. A mere three tablespoons can add up to 35 grams of fat.

The crispy things they put on the table. Whether it's colorful shrimp toast or crunchy Chinese noodles, they've all been fried.

Sizzling rice soup. Guess why they named it "sizzling"? That's what oil does to the rice before they toss it into the broth.

General Tsao or Kung Pao chicken. These may sound regal, but in reality, whether it's beef or chicken, it's just breaded and fried.

Egg rolls or spring rolls. No big surprise, the crispy shells are high in fat. Request them steamed.

Bookmark:

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed