Eating at a fast food Chinese place like a Panda Express or Manchu Wok is great mainly because of convenience. You get scoops of food instead of having to order full plates like with traditional sit down meals at your favorite Chinese restaurant. As well, you can get your food to-go then dash off and eat in your office, your car, or at the park.
In the picture above, I had lunch with my dad at Manchu Wok and I ordered the grilled chicken, beef and green beans, and steamed rice.
Convenience, however, doesn't always equal healthy especially when it comes to fast food. Here's 5 ways to help you make some healthier choices the next time you're getting that lunch special.
- Get plain rice versus fried rice or chow mein: By getting plain rice you will be cutting down on sodium, fats, and even sugars as some sauces are made with sugar. Plain rice has 0g of fat and 0mg of sodium if cooked without any salt. At Manchu Wok (nutritional guide), one serving of fried rice has 13g of fat and 1160mg of sodium. Big difference.
- Rule of 3: For your combo meal, order no more than 2 items with your rice. Better yet, just get one item with steamed rice. There are combo meals where you can get 3-4 items along with rice, which at the time looks really good, but that additional item is only going to give you extra calories, fat, sodium, carbs, and more, you don't really need. Yes, you may want, but you do not need. Two items will give you enough variety where you can get different meats or veggies.
- Get your food in a to-go container even if you plan on eating in the restaurant: This is more of a mental thing. When you see a full plate of food, odds are you will just keep eating until you finish the plate instead of eating until you start to feel full. Why?
Because many of us don't want to throw away food. If you get your food in a to-go container, you can eat until your satisfied and then take the rest home. Mentally, nothing is wasted, and even if you do throw away the container at home, it's in the privacy of your house versus out in public. Some people can have a thing about others seeing them throw food away, so they'd rather overeat than feel social discomfort.
- Stick with grilled or sauteed over breaded meats: I know. I know. If you're like me, the tastiest of the dishes are Sweet & Sour pork or chicken, Sesame chicken, or Orange chicken as they are sweet and crunchy. Heavenly indeed, but not really going to help you much in your effort to eat healthier. As an example, using Manchu Wok again, one serving of Sesame chicken has 46g of carbs and 29g of sugars. The Chicken & mushrooms has 8g of carbs and 4g of sugars. Significant difference. But before you sigh...
- Compromise to satisfy both your want and need: I don't believe in total deprivation because when that happens, eventually your psyche will rebel, and you can end up going hog wild consuming everything in sight. I believe that's one of the fundamental reason diets don't work, it's filled with deprivation and the illusion of eating perfection.
If it's your free day or you've had a really great workout and want a little cheat, get the Sesame chicken, and get steamed vegetables as the second item along with steamed rice. With this compromise, you get a small portion of the less optimal food, the Sesame chicken, as well as something healthier. Your psyche will feel the win/win.
What are some other ways the help you make healthier choices at the mall Chinese place?
