How Many Calories Are in Beef Chow Mein

How Many Calories Are in Your Favorite Chinese Food

Chinese cuisine has some of the best variety of foods you can ever have. The good thing with these appetizing foods is the ease with which you can get them, coupled with the fast prep time required. Some foods can get ready in as little as five minutes. While the ease of getting the food is remarkable, it is a cause of concern more so to the food lovers who have just discovered there is something known as healthy living.

Healthy Living by Monitoring Caloric Content

We are all in a race- the race to lead healthy lives and possibly loose weight. If you are not, then I won't comment on your case, except by mentioning that you will be left behind. The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of healthy living is watching what you eat. Closely tied to that, is the calories. So, there is the million-dollar question, what are the calories in Chinese food?

The significance of caloric content of any food is vital especially for those who are watching their weight. There are several foods that are calorie dense, and they inevitably lead to weight gain. On the other hand, some foods have low caloric content, and at times are classified as zero calorie foods, and drinks. A classic example of this is black tea. It is therefore imperative for you to strike a balance between the calories you consume in comparison with the daily caloric content.

black tea

Worth mentioning is the fact that most junk foods have high calories, and are commonly referred to as empty calories. That is because most of them do not have any notable nutritional benefits, and the calories are mainly because of the high caloric fat content.

For one reason or another, you may be interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It begins with dieting. However, you do not have to worry because in this article, I am going to brief you on calories in Chinese foods, and by that, I mean the common foods you prepare at home or can order in a restaurant. Let's get started.

Appetizers

Fried noodles are one of the best appetizers there is. The ease with which even those with the least appetite can down the plate is usually astounding. However, the next time you go beige feasting with the fried noodles, you need to remember that you are unknowingly packing in a lot of calories.

Spring Rolls

When it comes to appetizers, your go to option should be soups such as wonton or hot and sour soup since they are less caloric dense. Other plausible options for those who are dieting include steamed spring rolls, vegetable dumpling or in your cheat day, taking an eggroll can be admissible. The caloric content of these dishes are as follows:

• 1 eggroll has 300 calories
• 1 mini spring roll- 165 calories
• 1 vegetable dumpling (steamed)- 25 calories
• Hot and sour wonton soup- 1 cup

Drinks

Water is life. This is not a refutable fact. For that reason, it is the first and the best option when it comes to drink, especially if you are conscious of the calories in Chinese food you are taking. Once ancient secret is taking water before an actual meal, since it effectively reduces the quantity of food that one can eat. Another reason why you should take plenty of water with Chinese foods is because the foods usually have high sodium content, which often cause unpleasant bloating.The caloric content of other drinks are as follows:

• 12 Oz soft drink- 150 calories
• 3 Oz milk shake- 115 calories
• Hot tea- 0 calories
• Diet soft drink- 0 calories.

You can see that besides tea, other good alternatives when watching your caloric intake are hot tea and diet soft drink. Remember, a regular soft drink contains very high sugar content, and therefore, it is calorie dense.

Drinks

Main Entrees

Chinese main dishes are usually packed with vitamins and proteins, thanks to the assortment of vegetables and meat options that form the base of the main dishes. If you are watching for calories in Chinese foods, then you should consider main entrees consisting of vegetables and leaner meat alternatives rather than those immersed in sauce. The calories contained in some of the main dishes include:

• 1 cup crispy fried chicken – 485 calories
• 1 cup beef chow mein – 430 calories
• 1 cup sweet and sour pork- 316 calories
• 1 cup sweet and sour chicken -305 calories
• 1 cup chicken and broccoli- 280 calories

As a rule of thumb, Calories in Chinese foods prepared by steaming or boiling have the least calories. If that is what you are after, you can opt to choose steamed vegetables, boiled or roasted chicken, pork, shrimp. Alternatively, you can enjoy a plate of Chow Mein.

Chinese main dishes

Take not of foods whose description include the terms crispy, coated, battered or twice cooked since they contain high fat content and therefore, their calorie count is on the higher end.

Sides and Desserts

When it comes to Chinese food, it is almost impossible to create a complete meal plan without including rice, be it the plain white rice, fried rice or even brown rice. It is unfortunate that rice is usually very light and it is easy to get carried away while eating, forgetting that it has quite high caloric content, particularly that which is fried. The average caloric content of different kinds of rice is as follows:

• 1 cup fried rice- 250-350 calories
• 1 cup white rice- 150 calories

white rice

Expert's Choice of Order

This is just but an example of two similar orders with distinctive caloric content that can show you the significant difference calories in Chinese food can make:

Option 1: Normal Dish

• 1 cup crispy fried chicken – 485 calories
• 1 cup fried rice – 350 calories
• 1 egg roll – 300-350 calories
• 3 oz milk shake- 115 calories

Option 2: Alternative Light version of the dish

• 1 cup chicken with broccoli -280 calories
• 1 cup white rice- 150 calories
• 1 mini-spring roll- 165 calories
• Hot tea/diet soda/water- o calories

A quick evaluation of the two alternatives show that the calories in some Chinese foods are less, and by making good choices, you can have a wholesome and a delicious meal whose caloric content is in the range of 500 calories.

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Source: https://misschinesefood.com/calories-in-chinese-food/

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