Chinese restaurant food is unhealthy

[Randy Whorewald]

WASHINGTON - The typical Chinese restaurant menu is a sea of nutritional no-nos, a consumer group has found.

A plate of General Tso’s chicken, for example, is loaded with about 40 percent more sodium and more than half the calories an average adult needs for an entire day.

The battered, fried chicken dish with vegetables has 1,300 calories, 3,200 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of saturated fat.
That’s before the rice (200 calories a cup). And after the egg rolls (200 calories and 400 milligrams of sodium).

”I don’t want to put all the blame on Chinese food,” said Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which did a report released Tuesday. Across the board, American restaurants need to cut back on calories and salt, and in the meantime, people should think of each meal as not one, but two, and bring home half for tomorrow,” Liebman said. The average adult needs around 2,000 calories a day and 2,300 milligrams of salt, which is about one teaspoon of salt, according to government guidelines.

In some ways, Liebman said, Italian and Mexican restaurants are worse for your health, because their food is higher in saturated fat, which can increase the risk of heart disease.

While Chinese restaurant food is bad for your waistline and blood pressure - sodium contributes to hypertension - it does offer vegetable-rich dishes and the kind of fat that’s not bad for the heart. However - and this is a big however - the veggies aren’t off the hook. A plate of stir-fried greens has 900 calories and 2,200 milligrams of sodium. And eggplant in garlic sauce has 1,000 calories and 2,000 milligrams of sodium.

http://theedge.bostonherald.com/food...9875&srvc=edge

It appears that the cooks are adding substances to otherwise healthy food that ruin whatever benefits there are.

 

[Bartdude]

Much of the "Chinese food" North Americans eat are either pseudo versions of traditional dishes that were souped up to please Western tastes, or the rich, banquet dishes that Chinese people eat only occasionally.

When you choose egg rolls, Tsao's chicken, Kung Pao, Ginger Shredded Fried Beef, sweet and sour pork, etc.....what the hell did you expect?

Let's talk a lightly stir-fried lean beef and gai lan with steamed rice, hot pot made with vegetables and bean curd, sliced chicken and snow peas, or steamed fish with soy and ginger....

....THEN you'll be talking about Chinese food.

This study is like focusing on all the richest and fattening dishes in Italian cuisine and writing a study that says Italian food is bad for you.

What a crock of shit.

 

[jimbo2006]

This study is like focusing on all the richest and fattening dishes in Italian cuisine and writing a study that says Italian food is bad for you.

either that or they're trying to put Panda express or Pickup Stix out of business

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

The poison in CHinese food is the MSG most add to it making up a huge
part of the sodium content not to mention the soy sauce some people
like to bath it in...........blechhhhh !

And yah stay away from the battered stuff or deep fried stuff.
Not good for ya.

I found when doing stir fry avoid oils like vegetable oil or peanut oil.
I use grape seed oil which is much more nutritious although a certain
amount of peanut oil is healthy as well but not to much.

For flavour, yah, pour on the garlic and ginger with what ever dish it suits
to your taste. Also chopped dried chilli peppers will give it that face
sweating zing. Wooooo.. hot stuff baby !

Oh yah almost forgot, put the oil in the pan with garlic and chopped
chilli peppers heat and stir that up so the flavours infuse into the oil.
Then throw in your veggies and sliced chicken or whatever you like.
Usually I do the meat portions first this way and then the veggies and
mix them together afterwards.

Anyone hungry?!


............QM'r

 

[fastmustang]

The poison in CHinese food is the MSG most add to it making up a huge
part of the sodium content not to mention the soy sauce some people
like to bath it in...........blechhhhh !

And yah stay away from the battered stuff or deep fried stuff.
Not good for ya.

I found when doing stir fry avoid oils like vegetable oil or peanut oil.
I use grape seed oil which is much more nutritious although a certain
amount of peanut oil is healthy as well but not to much.

For flavour, yah, pour on the garlic and ginger with what ever dish it suits
to your taste. Also chopped dried chilli peppers will give it that face
sweating zing. Wooooo.. hot stuff baby !

Oh yah almost forgot, put the oil in the pan with garlic and chopped
chilli peppers heat and stir that up so the flavours infuse into the oil.
Then throw in your veggies and sliced chicken or whatever you like.
Usually I do the meat portions first this way and then the veggies and
mix them together afterwards.

Anyone hungry?!


............QM'r

Thanks for the tips Martha No MSG checked. No Soy Sauce checked. No peanut oil checked. Lots of garlic and pepper checked.

Hmmm, Italian anyone?

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

Martha !

Good one fast, but I've never had stir fried Italian.
Have we discovered a new craze here?


...........QM'r

 

[SFMIKE]

Most of the Chinese food in the US is so far removed from what I have found in Vancouver.

There are two ways for me to find a good restaurant, go with a Chinese friend or wald around an area about 9 or 10 PM and look for restaurants which are crowded with Cinese people. They know, for sure.

 

[bbbjluver]

Stupid study

What a crock o BS. I own a chinese restaurant and they are totally picking on the fatty items. You could do a study on how bad McD;s is and just pick out French Fires Chicken Nuggets and Ice Cream, they leave out the salads and muffins etc...

Like most stated Sweet and sour pork is not even chicnese food I HATE that stuff. Steamed Garlic King Crab anyone? Steamed soya sauce fish. A plate full of veggies. Now that is chinese food. Now seriously when is the last time you walked down the road and saw an overly obese chinaperson? I am 6 ft 19 lbs and I am overweight for a asian guy.

Seriously some studies are just a waste of time. And YES 9 to 11 pm and a restaurant full of asin people is THE best sign of a good chinese food place in Vancouver. Oh and in case your wondering my restaurant is not in Vancouver I live on the island.

 

[fastmustang]

Martha !

Good one fast, but I've never had stir fried Italian.
Have we discovered a new craze here?


...........QM'r

asian fusion?

 

[Lounge Lizard]

VANCOUVER - The typical American is a stupid moronic fuck.

A nutritional director named Bonnie Liebman, for example, at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says Chinese food is loaded with about 40 percent more sodium and more than half the calories an average adult needs for an entire day.

The example she gives is a battered, fried chicken dish with vegetables, which has 1,300 calories, 3,200 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of saturated fat. She is so ignorant of the fact that this is not even traditional Chinese food, and rather an invention made to suit Caucasian taste pallets, that she also neglects to make comparisons to McDonalds, McDonalds, and McDonalds.

”I don’t want to put all the blame on Ms. Liebman,” said Lounge Lizard, a ranting Chinese Canadian on https://perb.cc. "Across the board, Americans need to understand other cultures more, and in the meantime, don`t put the blame on a particular race simply because they made food catered to American tastes.” The average adult only needs to open their eyes and observe what all those Chinese people are ordering at the diners, or ask the Chinese waiter who is actually more educated than you but because his overseas academics aren`t recognized in this country he can`t find a better job, according to smarter-than-average people.

In some ways, Liebman is just a fucking retard, which can increase the risk of being a dumbass.

While McDonalds is bad for your waistline and blood pressure, Americans will continue to blame other races for their problems. America, fuck yeah!

 

[SFMIKE]

Thanks, almost, I guess. 9 to 11 PM is the best time and you confirmed it for me.

However, you are hardly overweight at 6' tall, and 19 #. You might need to eat more fries, nuggets and ice cream, or perhaps add a digit to your weight. I believe you meant to write 190# .

What a crock o BS. I own a chinese restaurant and they are totally picking on the fatty items. You could do a study on how bad McD;s is and just pick out French Fires Chicken Nuggets and Ice Cream, they leave out the salads and muffins etc...

Like most stated Sweet and sour pork is not even chicnese food I HATE that stuff. Steamed Garlic King Crab anyone? Steamed soya sauce fish. A plate full of veggies. Now that is chinese food. Now seriously when is the last time you walked down the road and saw an overly obese chinaperson? I am 6 ft 19 lbs and I am overweight for a asian guy.

Seriously some studies are just a waste of time. And YES 9 to 11 pm and a restaurant full of asin people is THE best sign of a good chinese food place in Vancouver. Oh and in case your wondering my restaurant is not in Vancouver I live on the island.

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

VANCOUVER - The typical American is a stupid moronic fuck.

A nutritional director named Bonnie Liebman, for example, at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says Chinese food is loaded with about 40 percent more sodium and more than half the calories an average adult needs for an entire day.

The example she gives is a battered, fried chicken dish with vegetables, which has 1,300 calories, 3,200 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of saturated fat. She is so ignorant of the fact that this is not even traditional Chinese food, and rather an invention made to suit Caucasian taste pallets, that she also neglects to make comparisons to McDonalds, McDonalds, and McDonalds.

”I don’t want to put all the blame on Ms. Liebman,” said Lounge Lizard, a ranting Chinese Canadian on https://perb.cc. "Across the board, Americans need to understand other cultures more, and in the meantime, don`t put the blame on a particular race simply because they made food catered to American tastes.” The average adult only needs to open their eyes and observe what all those Chinese people are ordering at the diners, or ask the Chinese waiter who is actually more educated than you but because his overseas academics aren`t recognized in this country he can`t find a better job, according to smarter-than-average people.

In some ways, Liebman is just a fucking retard, which can increase the risk of being a dumbass.

While McDonalds is bad for your waistline and blood pressure, Americans will continue to blame other races for their problems. America, fuck yeah!

So typical eh LL, for her to report on something other than "traditional"
Chinese food. Maybe they don`t have that in her area and needs an
eye opener to what good food really is.
Is this Center of science located in the Bronx or someplace by chance.........Geeeez lady get your head outta the egg rolls
for christ sake.

Who knows, maybe Mcpukes paid her to do that report !
Politics buddy...........simply politics.
Now that makes me puke!

............QM`r

 

[DavidLin]

If they really want to point the finger somewhere, they should figure out where all these obese, heart problem prone, cholesterol clogged Americans are eating and write an article about that. I'll bet anyone one an all expense paid session with one of the foxes that it was the combo of the many Mcdonalds, Carls Jr., Burger Kings etc..etc.. fast food joints that did it to them and not chinese food.

 

[teejay69]

American Chinese vs. Traditional Chinese cuisine

See article below as taken from Wikipedia - personally - I have never seen General Tso's Chicken on a menu and nor would I order it. You can add lemon chicken - chop suey and creme of some young guy kung pao whatever to that list.

There are plenty of great vegetarian dishes that the survey neglects. Also - the Americans invented the Chinese Buffet . . . traditional Chinese cuisine is served family style with everyone sharing the dishes. Next time you are at dim sum or at dinner (at a nice place - not a greasy chopsticks venue) - notice how all the tables are round - easier to share - easier to speak with everyone at the table.

American Chinese food typically treats vegetables as garnish while authentic styles emphasize vegetables. This can be seen in the use of carrots and tomatoes. Authentic Chinese cuisine makes frequent use of Asian leafy vegetables like bok choy and gai-lan and puts a greater emphasis on fresh meat and live seafood. As a result, American Chinese food is usually less pungent than authentic cuisine.

A Chinese buffet restaurant in the U.S.American Chinese food tends to be cooked very quickly with lots of oil and salt. Many dishes are quickly and easily prepared, and require inexpensive ingredients. Stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying tend to be the most common cooking techniques which are all easily done using a wok. The food also has a reputation for high levels of MSG to enhance the flavor. The symptoms of MSG sensitivity have been dubbed "Chinese restaurant syndrome" or "Chinese food syndrome". While there is heated scientific debate over whether or not MSG is harmful, market forces and customer demand have encouraged many restaurants to offer "MSG Free" or "No MSG" menus.

Most American Chinese establishments cater to non-Chinese customers with menus written in English or containing pictures. If separate Chinese menus are available, they typically feature delicacies like liver or chicken feet that might deter Western customers

 

[littlejimbigher]

There are two ways for me to find a good restaurant, go with a Chinese friend or wald around an area about 9 or 10 PM and look for restaurants which are crowded with Cinese people. They know, for sure.

I agree. When I am one of the only white guys in a crowded Chinese restaurant I know the food is going to be good.

 

[SFMIKE]

Many Americans are overweight for the exact same reason that many Vancouver pooners go to MM's. Fast food is cheap food and it will not be a healthy choice.

Lounge Lizzard: Your statement about the "typical American is a stupid moronic f..." is very offensive and a very naieve generalization.

Frankly, I am shocked that nobody here has called you out on this. And, I am disappointed that none of the local guys has mentioned this yet. Do all of you believe this, has all the respect gone out of this board?

It is rude, ignorant statements like yours that have caused others to leave this board for what they consider to be friendlier, greener pastures. Don't believe me: Look for some of the usual names posting and you will find that some of the best are no longer with. And, the numbers are growing.

 

[Sonny]

Lounge Lizzard: Your statement about the "typical American is a stupid moronic f..." is very offensive and a very naieve generalization.

Frankly, I am shocked that nobody here has called you out on this. And, I am disappointed that none of the local guys has mentioned this yet. Do all of you believe this, has all the respect gone out of this board?

I am Canadian and I have many, many American friends, none of whom remotely resemble LL's prejorative description. While Canadians and Americans are somewhat different on societal values, the similarities among the two are broad. It may be that GWB fits LL's diatribe (and a number of politicians on both sides of the border), but certainly the average American does not.

Sorry to be late arriving with my opinion, SFMIKE, but I just started to follow this thread today.

 

[wilde]

See article below as taken from Wikipedia - personally - I have never seen General Tso's Chicken on a menu and nor would I order it. You can add lemon chicken - chop suey and creme of some young guy kung pao whatever to that list.

There are plenty of great vegetarian dishes that the survey neglects. Also - the Americans invented the Chinese Buffet . . . traditional Chinese cuisine is served family style with everyone sharing the dishes. Next time you are at dim sum or at dinner (at a nice place - not a greasy chopsticks venue) - notice how all the tables are round - easier to share - easier to speak with everyone at the table.

American Chinese food typically treats vegetables as garnish while authentic styles emphasize vegetables. This can be seen in the use of carrots and tomatoes. Authentic Chinese cuisine makes frequent use of Asian leafy vegetables like bok choy and gai-lan and puts a greater emphasis on fresh meat and live seafood. As a result, American Chinese food is usually less pungent than authentic cuisine.

A Chinese buffet restaurant in the U.S.American Chinese food tends to be cooked very quickly with lots of oil and salt. Many dishes are quickly and easily prepared, and require inexpensive ingredients. Stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying tend to be the most common cooking techniques which are all easily done using a wok. The food also has a reputation for high levels of MSG to enhance the flavor. The symptoms of MSG sensitivity have been dubbed "Chinese restaurant syndrome" or "Chinese food syndrome". While there is heated scientific debate over whether or not MSG is harmful, market forces and customer demand have encouraged many restaurants to offer "MSG Free" or "No MSG" menus.

Most American Chinese establishments cater to non-Chinese customers with menus written in English or containing pictures. If separate Chinese menus are available, they typically feature delicacies like liver or chicken feet that might deter Western customers

I couldn't have said it much better myself and I'm Chinese. So thank you very much.

To the non-Chinese people in this thread, the crap that you've been eating is not Chinese food. It might be labeled as such but it is not. It would be like a Chinese person bitching about Canadian food after sampling poutine at Burger King. Pretty damn ignorant if you ask me.

.

 

[fastmustang]

Many Americans are overweight for the exact same reason that many Vancouver pooners go to MM's. Fast food is cheap food and it will not be a healthy choice.

Lounge Lizzard: Your statement about the "typical American is a stupid moronic f..." is very offensive and a very naieve generalization.

Frankly, I am shocked that nobody here has called you out on this. And, I am disappointed that none of the local guys has mentioned this yet. Do all of you believe this, has all the respect gone out of this board?

It is rude, ignorant statements like yours that have caused others to leave this board for what they consider to be friendlier, greener pastures. Don't believe me: Look for some of the usual names posting and you will find that some of the best are no longer with. And, the numbers are growing.

Sorry SFMIKE, American bashing is our other Canadian national pass time. It has always been this way which IMO is unfortunate.

 

[Lounge Lizard]

SFMike, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Americans. If my attempts at jest and sarcasm have escaped some readers, than I am truly sorry. The fact that my post was a generalization made against Americans, and a generalization of those who make generalizations about Americans, was meant to illustrate the stupidity of the article written in the reputable Boston Herald. I basically took "Chinese Food" and replaced it with "American", then took their "inadequate findings", and replaced it with "offensive remarks".

If what I said irked and offended some readers, then I have made my point about that article... which is that it was an ill-researched and/or ill-reported report. It would offend not just anyone Chinese, but anyone of another ethnic background, because someone decides to give a report that gives the impression that: not only is some ethnic restaurant food (in this case Chinese) is bad for you, but all ethnic restaurant food is bad for you. Imagine what a Chinese person thinks when they read that article, and how offended they would be about it. When we (Chinese people) order that kind of stuff, the only way I can think of describing it is that we order it "for cuteness' sake". Something like that is not part of our typical palate, as I doubt hamburgers and poutine (thanks for the example wilde) would be considered a typical "Canadian" palate. Imagine what anyone of another ethnic background other than "American" would think? "Pfft, what do these Americans know about other cultures anyway???" This is the kind of generalization their article gives it's readers.

It's bad enough that in their report they characterize this sort of food as Chinese food; they probably think sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken, chop suey and fortune cookies are all a part of authentic Chinese culture. And how ill-informed and ignorant they would be! And how offensive to us it would be! Granted the food the researcher mentions is "bad" for you, but I'm inclined to believe that the average American who read that article would tend to not only take the article for word, but generalize all Chinese food as being bad, until some Chinese friend of theirs pointed it out otherwise.

Quite frankly, I'm offended that some "educated scientist" (American or not) would presume to educate others about what's not healthy in my culture, when it turns out to be the least representative thing of all about my culture. The fact that I used "American" as my banter was out of the convenience that she is an American representing an American study for an American agency for print to an American readership. As I said, I honestly have nothing against Americans, and my offensive remarks were made only to illustrate a point. Once again if I have offended some, then I am truly sorry, but I hope you now realize the stupidity of the original research article, and I stand by the method which I chose to present my argument.