Is chinese food really good for you

Discussion in Food & Drink started by mansawalta • May 19, 2013.

  1. mansawalta

    mansawaltaMember

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    Someone recently took me to a chinese restaurant and they were convinced that chinese food is the best out there in terms of how healthy it is......what do you guys say?
     
  2. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    Maybe if you were over there eating the real deal, but you're on the worst side of the planet when it comes to food. No, not this way it isn't.
     
  3. Blossom

    BlossomActive Member

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    I've heard that Chinese food has a lot of MSG in it, which is very unhealthy. I'm usually very bloated after eating Chinese food, so that is probably an indication that it is a bit unhealthy.
     
  4. ozadin

    ozadinActive Member

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    Chinese food is great to eat once in a while. There has been several cases of which people found things in their food that shouldn't be there though, so I would always check to see just to be on the safe side. I don't think they are the healthiest, since there are many other foods that are healthier.
     
  5. blowx3

    blowx3New Member

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    It depends what it is and where its from and yes United States is full of unhealthy places so probably from here... its not unless you make your own then maybe. A lot of it is healthy, its not like they coat everything with sugar like here. So it pretty much depends.
     
  6. littledipster

    littledipsterNew Member

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    I think the biggest problem with Chinese food in the United States is that they use a ton of salt and normally fry most of the food. Your friend may be correct that in China, the food they actually eat may be healthiest, but I doubt many people in China eat the kind of things that we eat here in Chinese restaurants; at least not on a regular basis!
     
  7. limcid

    limcidActive Member

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    The "Chinese" food in America is really mostly junk food to the Chinese. I once saw one of the employees (family member, more than likely) in a Chinese restaurant taking a quick break to eat something, and it was just plain rice! I've never seen a Chinese person eat any of the meals served at these types of restaurants.

    I'll tell you one thing, though, dang if my mouth isn't watering while I type this! :)
     
  8. Esperahol

    EsperaholActive Member

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    Depends doesn't it. For one thing over in China where Capitalism is on the rise they are including things like American blue-collar beer and lots more red meat in their diets. Then again the average person consumes a lot rice and meats like chicken. Not that that would be considered healthy depending on who you talked to or that such a diet would differ from what many Americans live off of so... It depends on what you consider "healthy".

    On the other hand in America what you are eating is more often then not "festival" food and shouldn't be considered normal fare although it isn't really unhealthy for you. It's veggies, meat, and a delicious sauce that may or may not contain MSG which should not be ingested in huge quantities.
     
  9. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I think that the reason why some people consider Chinese food to be healthy and "best" is because they aren't oily as compared to most foods. But to be honest, there are a lot more better tasting foods than Chinese foods.
     
  10. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    If you're able to find a restaurant that doesn't use MSG, then yes, it can be very healthy. Although, I doubt it being the healthiest, to be honest. For that, I'd put in my vote towards Japanese dishes way before I would look to Chinese ones. Still, they do serve a relatively balanced meal with every dish, so it's at least not as unhealthy as most other cuisines.
     
  11. ReishiSpore

    ReishiSporeMember

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    It really depends on what you are eating. Chinese food tends to have a lot of Soy sauce glugged on it, especially during cooking and this is really bad for you as the sodium levels are far too high. I think every now and then Chinese food is good to eat, just remember everything in moderation and you will be fine.
     
  12. Anna Blush

    Anna BlushActive Member

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    Too much Chinese food isn't healthy but then again it depends on what you eat.
    If you eat everything in small portions such as rice and broccoli and other vegetables then of course it is very healthy if you know your limit. In other cases if you go to one of those all you can eat buffets then this will show on your health in a negative way in the long run.
     
  13. maddie

    maddieActive Member

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    I think Chinese food is healthy. I mean authentic Chinese food has a good deal of vegies, less oil and are quickly and simply cooked. The range of vegetables used is what I love the most. The MSG is what we add here anywhere out of China. I don't care too much for the noodles.. but do love their veggies. The stir fries and momos are yummy and healthy.
     
  14. vpresson

    vpressonWell-Known Member

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    I think some things are really good for you and healthy but I don't think it is all healthy.
     
  15. iRichard

    iRichardMember

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    No, Chinese food isn't healthy. They mostly fry their foods and they have a lot of salt. I can't eat Chinese food it hurts my stomach. When I was younger I could eat it, but not now.
     
  16. BlackSolaris

    BlackSolarisActive Member

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    It's like fast food (okay, maybe a little less, but you get the idea), it's not that good as if it was cooked by you, but it's really good from time to time, at least the place i use to go.
     
  17. AnonaMoss

    AnonaMossActive Member

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    Maybe authentic Chinese cuisine is healthy, but definitely not the Americanized version. I see Chinese food in America more as street vendor food. The cuisine is usually pretty greasy and deep-fried. I'm going to say that your friend is just psyching himself up. It's just like saying icecream is healthy because it has milk in it. We all know that isn't true. Any type of food is fine in moderation, though.
     
  18. Soliloquy

    SoliloquyMember

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    My uncle likes to tell the story of how he'd have business dinners with both Chinese and American people at Chinese restaurants, and the difference was clear. The Chinese would load up their plates with rice topped with a little meat and sauce. The Americans would put a little rice on the plate, smother it with the meat, then complain that Chinese food was too fattening. :)
     
  19. ChanellG

    ChanellGActive Member

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    Has it ever occurred to anyone that Chinese food is just food in China? That it incorporates many of the same ingredients and preparations as food from everywhere else on the planet? Unless you are Chinese and eating home cooked food that is not too much of something that could be considered bad for you, chances are you are not really eating "Chinese" food anyway.

    To address the original question though, Chinese food is not unhealthy. In general many if not most Asian food dishes are more healthy because of the amount of vegetables used and the way the foods are prepared. (Steaming, eaten raw, etc.)
     
  20. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    It can certainly be healthy, depending on what you order and how they prepare it for you. Obviously the stuff that's all been fried, and coated in neon orange sauce and loaded with salt and MSG is not good, but some Chinese restaurants also offer healthy options. One near me in particular has several items on their menu that are cooked with no added salt, MSG or oil. They're really good too, one of them is steamed shrimp and veggies over steamed rice served with their home made garlic sauce. Plus many Chinese dishes load up on the veggies and go easy on the meat, which is also better for you.