One of the most popular questions asked by most Chinese food lovers is whether or not they can eat Chinese food when on a low carbohydrate diet. Well, the answer to this question is simple: You can definitely have Chinese food as a part of your low-carb diet, but you need to a bit more selective in choosing the type of Chinese food that would best suit your interests. As a matter of fact, a low carb diet does not take into account the number of calories present in a particular food group. It just restricts the content of carbohydrates in your meal so as to help you lose weight faster, stabilize your metabolism, and lower your blood sugar level.
Many experts of the Oriental cuisine believe that low carb Chinese food does not exist as almost all the popular Chinese dishes contain starch and sugar. For instance, popular Chinese foods, such as buns with a spicy, aromatic soup and reviving stews, noodles served with thick sauces, and wontons, all are rich in carbohydrates and certainly cannot be a part of a strict carb diet. But, contrary to this popular belief, there exists an innumerable variety of low carb Chinese delicacies.
Xiu Tang
Owing to different styles of cooking in different regions, the amount of carbohydrates contained in a particular dish largely depends on the restaurant where you are having it. The same dish that contains a lot of carbohydrates in one restaurant can be a low carb food in another. So, if you are on a strict carb diet and looking for Chinese food, it is advisable to compare more than two restaurants for sugar and starch level in food.
Nonetheless, following are certain Chinese foods that you should completely refrain from when on a diet:
1) Egg rolls
2) Wontons
3) Steamed or fried rice
4) Noodles
5) Breaded meats
6) Plum and orange-based sauces
7) Sweet and spicy sauces. Spicy sauces usually contain a lot of sugar for balancing taste and should be therefore avoided.
Following are some Chinese dishes that you can surely have as a part of your low-carb diet:
1) steamed meats
2) thin vegetable soups
3) Tofu
4) Black bean sauces
5) Moo Goo Gai sauces
6) Watery sauces like the one used in Schezuan prawns.
7) Any sweet sauce cooked without using cornstarch
Thus, there are a number of low carb Chinese foods that you can have in your favorite Chinese food restaurant when on a strict low carb diet.