What Chinese Food Has The Lowest Sodium?
Stir-fried veggies in a huge pan. Image Credit: kazoka30/iStock/Getty Images Dishes that are considered to be “classics” in Chinese cuisine, such as beef and broccoli, fried rice, and wonton soup, are favorites of many diners. Unfortuitously, a significant number of the most popular Chinese dishes are quite high in salt content.
- If you suffer from hypertension or just wish to reduce the amount of sodium you consume in your diet, you will be relieved to learn that a number of nutritious Chinese dishes that are low in sodium are available for you to select from.
- Vegetables prepared in this manner are a fundamental component of Chinese cuisine.
Because less sauce is used in the production of stir-fried vegetables than is used in the preparation of many other Chinese meals, stir-fried vegetables tend to have a sodium content that is lower than that of many other Chinese cuisines. When you place your order for veggies, make sure to tell the chef that you want them prepared with either a minimal amount of soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce.
Vegetables that are frequently used in Chinese cooking, such as broccoli and bell peppers, are also excellent sources of the mineral potassium due to their high potassium content. Consuming foods that are high in potassium as part of a diet that is good for the heart can help lower blood pressure. When compared to other starchy Chinese foods, such as fried rice or fried noodles, steamed rice has a significantly reduced salt content.
According to the USDA Nutrient Database, a serving of white rice that is steamed includes just 4 milligrams of sodium. This is less than one percent of the daily salt intake that is advised, which is 2400 milligrams. When making steamed rice, use whole-grain brown rice rather than white rice since brown rice has a substantially higher concentration of nutritional fiber and vitamins than white rice does.
- Tofu that has been steamed rather than pan-fried or stir-fried contains a lot less salt and is a traditional dish in Cantonese cuisine.
- If you want to keep the salt content of this meal low, don’t dip it in the soy sauce that is typically served alongside it at Chinese restaurants.
- Tofu is a source of complete protein that is naturally low in fat and is vegetarian.
According to the United Soybean Board, ingesting soy products on a regular basis like tofu can help lower blood pressure and considerably raise the amount of “good” high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the body. A delightfully chewy appetizer option, dumplings have a substantially lower salt content than their fried wonton counterparts.
How do I eat low sodium at a Chinese restaurant?
The following advice, which she has compiled, is as follows: – It would appear that Chinese cuisine and sodium go hand in hand. If you’re trying to reduce the amount of salt and sodium you take in, this sort of restaurant can be the first one you exclude from consideration.
- For a long time, people have linked Chinese cuisine with salty dishes and MSG-laden sauces.
- Because of the increased attention paid to nutrition, some Asian dining establishments have entirely removed all instances of MSG from their dishes’ recipes and are consulting with professionals in the field of nutrition in order to reduce the amount of salt found in their food.
This is wonderful news for every single person! However, it is not where it has to come to an end. For those of us who are looking for more methods to take control of the salt in our meals, the following suggestions can help lessen the sodium content of Chinese food: If the information about the food’s nutrition is accessible, read it so that you may make the greatest decision for your overall health.
Options that appear to have a “low salt” content are not always true. Request sauce on the side. The majority of the salt in Chinese cuisine comes from the various sauces. If you ask for the sauce to be served on the side, you’ll have complete control over how much of it you put on your food. Reduce the amount of soy sauce you use, even if it is reduced sodium soy sauce, or do away with it entirely.
Even a little amount can result in an increase of hundreds of milligrams of sodium. Do not order the soup. Most soups have a rather high amount of salt. To reduce the amount of salt in your diet, select an appetizer that is loaded with vegetables, such as spring rolls, lettuce wraps, or steamed dumplings.
- If you want to reduce your salt intake, go for steamed foods rather than fried ones.
- Items that are breaded and batter-fried, in instance, tend to have a greater salt content.
- Remember to indicate that there should be no extra salt even for the steaming options.
- You don’t have to give up your favorite meals if you employ the advice of a nutritionist, like the advice given above, to help you include such foods into a healthy lifestyle.
Following these guidelines can help you enjoy a dinner at a Chinese restaurant with less salt. The Sodium Savvy dishes that are highlighted on HealthyDiningFinder remove the element of surprise when it comes to selecting the healthiest options available while dining out.
Can you order low sodium Chinese food?
When eating out, make these menu substitutions for a healthier heart – In general, Asian cuisine has a lot of things that are good for your heart. However, the preparation could contain a lot of fat and certain additives that aren’t great for your health.
- Consider the following suggestions before making your selections: Choose steamed dumplings instead of egg rolls and fried dumplings if you want to save some calories.
- Steer clear of meat dinners that are fried or breaded.
- In its place, go for protein sources that may be baked, grilled, broiled, or sautéed, such as chicken, fish, shellfish, lean cattle, or pig.
Fill your dish with a variety of cooked vegetables, such as those that have been boiled, grilled, steamed, or stir-fried briefly (e.g., chop suey with steamed rice). If you want to steer clear of the high levels of salt, MSG, calories, and fats that are included in fried rice, opt for steamed rice instead.
Does all Chinese food have a lot of sodium?
Takeout from a Chinese restaurant 97% of the dishes had an amount of salt that was equal to or more than 2 grams (one-third of a teaspoon).58% of the dishes had a salt content that was greater than 3 grams (or one half teaspoon). If you combine all of the toppings and sides, you will exceed the maximum amount of salt that an adult should consume in a day, which is 6 grams, or over 1 teaspoon.
What Chinese food has the most sodium?
Dishes that are High in Sodium The Food and Drug Administration of the United States suggests reviewing the nutrition information label while trying to limit the amount of sodium in one’s diet. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers a meal to have a high salt level if it has a percentage of daily value that is twenty or higher.
- It is recommended by the American Heart Association that you consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt per day; however, this amount should be reduced if you have certain health issues.
- According to the USDA, a serving of wonton soup that is one cup has 905 milligrams of sodium, whereas a serving of egg drop soup that is one cup contains 892 milligrams of sodium.
According to the USDA, one order of General Tso’s chicken, which equals around 2.3 cups, has 2,327 mg of sodium, which is the recommended daily allowance for sodium consumption. Even while vegetables tend to have a lower salt level than other meals, selecting a vegetarian dish is not a foolproof approach to ensure that you will be able to cut down on the amount of sodium you consume throughout your meal.
Is Chinese rice high in sodium?
There are 1,140 mg of salt in one cup of chicken fried rice that is ordered from a Chinese takeout restaurant, which is more than 50 percent of the daily limit. According to the recommendations of the American Heart Association, the amount of salt that healthy persons consume on a daily basis should not exceed 2,300 milligrams.
Why is Chinese food so high in sodium?
The results showed that the median amount of salt that was contained in restaurant foods was 2543.7 mg per serving, 3.4 mg per kcal, and 487.3 mg per 100 grams. In terms of a single serving, 74.9% of the meals surpassed the daily appropriate intake of salt for Chinese adults (AI, which is set at 1500 mg per day), and 62.6% of the dishes above the prescribed intake for the prevention of non-communicable chronic illnesses (PI, which is set at 2000 mg per day).