Healthy Diet Tips for Eating in Asian Restaurants

Restaurant's are terrific convenience and dining out is an enjoyable activity. Dining is restaurants can contribute to over eating because the portion sizes are bigger than at home, and the foods are often prepared with fats and oils that you wouldn't use at home. Oriental food is often very high is sodium as well.

Far Eastern style food is typically lighter in animal fats which makes it a healthy choice. Avoid foods that are breaded and deep fried. Ask for fried food to be prepared in minimal oil. Since soy and teriyaki is high and sodium, be careful of dishes that use a lot of these soy sources of a lot of salt.

Oriental and Far Eastern restaurants prepare many dishes that use a lot of fresh vegetables and ingredients. Meals that are steamed, grilled or lightly fried can be easy on the waist line.

When possible order family style, and order less dishes then there are people at the table. Sharing dishes allows everyone to sample a little of each dish, as the plates are passed around.

The American Heart Association suggests avoiding foods that are fried and cooked in heavy oil and opting for fresh vegetables.

Following are suggestion for foods to avoid and food to consider when dining out in an Oriental or Far Eastern restaurants.

Chinese Food
Chinese food is one of the healthier restaurant foods. Choose dishes with lots of vegetables. Ask them to cook with less oil and to leave out the MSG. Since the dishes are quite large, order "family style" and divide the dishes.

Chinese Food Don't
Egg drop soup
Egg Rolls
Fried wontons
Fried entrées
Fried meats
Dishes with cashews and peanuts
Fried rice
Sauces: Lobster, Oyster, Bean and Soy.

Chinese Food Do
Wonton or hot and sour soup
Steamed dumplings
Boiled, broiled, steamed entrées
Lightly stir fried entrées
Entrées with lots of vegetables
Dishes with water chestnuts
Steamed rice
Sauces: Sweet and sour, plum, duck

Japanese Food