The best way to go with Chinese food is steamed. So if your in a bind have steamed chicken and veggies and add your own soy sauce or get a garlic sauce on the side ;)


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I've never had a problem with the Asian food I crave. Thai (ate green curry a MINIMUM of 1 time a week when I was pregnant with my first...poor husband had to drive half an hour to get it too!) and Japanese food are my favourite styles of food out there. I had a Japanese roommate one year in college...between the two of us we went through a 50 pound bag of rice. The place my husband and I got engaged was a Japanese restaurant called Koji's (now unfortunately, that one was bought by Hooters, though there is another Koji's that my Japanese language class went to). Drat, now I'm craving spider maki and curry! :)

I haven't had Chinese is probably a year so I don't know how I react. I do know that some people are deathly allergic to MSG. Another roommate of mine had to go to the hospital on more than one occasion because of it. I avoid it like the plague, it is in so much stuff though, it can be hard to do.

It may not be just the sodium. When I eat food that isn't part of my normal diet, it makes me retain water. The food doesn't have to be particularly high in sodium, it can be anything that my body just isn't used to processing--foods that are high in fat, processed carbs, sugars, etc. All of it makes me retain water, sometimes several pounds of water, until my body flushes it out.

Food that is high in fat makes me feel especially crummy the next day, whereas food that is high in sodium doesn't make me feel bad.

There are some foods I just can't live without -- Italian food, Chinese food, Turkish food (OMG so good if you've never had it!) and Indian food; I don't think I could realistically live for the rest of my life barely eating that stuff and I don't really like to cook, so I will never come up with my own lo mein recipe so I can make Chinese food at home or anything.

I try to make the best choices available to me (like at a Chinese place, I will usually have some bean curd and veggie dish with brown rice, if I get any rice at all). I don't weigh myself very often (bc it's discouraging and doesn't reflect inches I'm losing, muscles I'm toning, etc.), but I usually wake up feeling okay after I have Chinese food -- I don't feel particularly bloated or gross. I *DO* feel pretty bad and tremendous the next morning if I have a lot of rice/noodles though. And if I have anything dessert-like a sugary, I feel TERRIBLE in the morning and sometimes for days afterwards too; I feel incredibly bloated with a mild stomach ache.

In terms of ethnic foods, I too agree that if you're gonna eat out, it's better to go to an ethnic restaurant; imo they tend to use fresher ingredients, less frying, etc. than chain places or American places.

Well, I didn't say ethnic food places were necessarily any CLEANER or more up to code than chains or American places. But, by and large, foreign cuisines do tend to be more vegetable-based than the classic American fare, so there may be more healthy options at an ethnic restaurant than at an American one.

That's so true, and kind of sad. We've gooped up our taste buds so badly we (think we) need to pile on so much unhealthy glop. :(

:lol: my hands started feeling "stiff" just thinking about it :lol: Thanks for reminding me I don't miss ordering out ;)

Doggone it, txsqlchick, now you've got me wanting Indian food! :drool:

Ghee is actually not a bad oil--as oils go--and it can be stored at room temperature indefinitely in a closed container. I make it myself sometimes (note that unsalted butter must be used). However, it truly is high in calories. And I love those terrible, fattening curries... Sigh...

And what's worse, you've got me wanting a good steak! :faint:

Jay

Global generations don't work well for choosing in a restaurant, you've got to know what's in a dish and how it's prepared. Even if a culture is known for healthy, low fat food, and almost everything on their menu is perfect for you, if you don't know what you're picking you could pick the one diet-nightmare on the menu.

You've got to become savvy so that you can recognize the best and worst dishes on any menu. Sometimes the menu can give a clue, but there's no substitute for talking to the restaurant staff, and using your own senses.