Cuisine in China: Perfect for your Waistline!

By: Denise Mose

Dr. D is here: Your Chinese Couture Columnist!!!

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I have seen the light my dears. Yours truly is forever changed. I mean, moving to China for a year will certainly have an effect on you. The biggest change in me has been my waistline; which is due in part to the ridiculous healthy way that the Chinese cook their cuisine. It’s no surprise that our friends in the East are better at consumption than here in the West. Perhaps I should explain the reason. Grab some tea and let’s chat:

✓ Ingredients: The Chinese focus on vegetables or tofu and use only a very small amount of meat. Unfortunately, the Westernized versions of Chinese food are often very oily, salty and contain huge amounts of mono-sodium glutamate, to which many people are allergic. However, it is certainly possible to cook wholesome Chinese food at home because you are completely in control of the ingredients. In general, steamed, poached, grilled, barbecued, roasted or stir fried are good and deep fried, battered and breaded are bad. Sorry Dad, I know you love your fried fish.

✓ Seafood: If your local Chinese restaurant offers prawn crackers on arrival, don’t eat them. Better still ask for them to be taken away so that you won’t be tempted because these will have been deep fried. Which although tasty, will surely affect those skinny jeans you love so much.

✓ Fried Food: For starters, avoid spring rolls, wontons or seaweed (fried) and spare ribs (fatty and in a sticky sauce). A good option is soup as it will help to fill you up. Choose hot and sour or chicken and vegetable and you can’t go wrong.

✓ Skip the Meat: For your main course, choose a steamed, poached or stir fried dish which features lots of vegetables. Something with prawns, fish or chicken will be less calorie-laden than duck, pork or beef. Of course, you could just have vegetables as these will be varied and crunchy.

✓ Chopsticks: Keeping your waist lean and mean is this very useful device: chopsticks. So any chance you get, use them! Chances are that you will fill up more quickly by eating slowly and you can’t devour as much with a knife and fork. Avoid like the plague sweet and sour dishes which, depending on the restaurant, may be balls of greasy batter with a tiny piece of meat inside, covered in sticky sweet sauce. Opt for steamed rice rather fried. As all stir fried dishes are freshly cooked, you can also request that the chef uses a minimal amount of oil and halves the amount of sauce on your choice.

See! It can be done! Enjoy your next meal…steamed!

Dr. D is here: Your Chinese Couture Columnist!!!