Dining Out? Know What is on The Menu! Part Two

Dining Out? Know What is on The Menu! Part I

Dining Out? Know what is on the Menu! Part 2

Thai Cuisine

Good Tom Yum Soup- the hot and sour flavor indicates that no sugar is used in the recipe. The source of the flavors comes from the non-sodium based herbs and spices such as lemongrass, lime or lemon juice and chili peppers. It also has tons of vegetables and a bit of shrimp protein in the mix.

Better shrimp pad thai good thing about this is that it has natural peanut oil. It’s delicious and nutritious besides it has a mono-unsaturated fat content similar to olive oil so it’s really healthy.

Best Pad see ew – the ultimate comfort lunch, pad see ew combines thick flat rice noodles and heaps of Chinese broccoli with egg, garlic and a little sugar. Broccoli is a wonder veggy that has been shown to ward of cancer, heart disease, ulcers and cataracts while providing calcium.

Worst Spring rolls. They’re deep fried in oil and have peanut sauce, which contains peanut butter and soy sauce. The former is high in fat while the latter is high in salt.

Chinese cuisine

Good Chop Suey full of vegetables, sautéing uses only a small amount of oil so it’s still superb. One problem is MSG. If they’ll allow it have the chef prepare it without MSG. Instead, they’ll use pan juices and other herbs to add zest.

Better steamed siomai this is an obvious choice of its cooking method: steaming.it would even be better if the filling were chicken based. Just go easy on the soy sauce.

Best shrimp and broccoli a simple stir-fry isn’t likely to have a lot if sauce which means minimal fat. Broccoli is a great source of vitamins C as well as folate and fiber while shrimps have less fat and fewer calories than chicken or beef.

Worst Spare ribs not only are the fatty part of the pork carcass, it’s also marinated in a very sweet sauce. If it’s oven roasted that’s a different story but there are some restaurants that will fry the meat first that’s why I personally don’t order it… I make my own spare ribs at home. 

Breakfast Buffets

Good Muffins are made with whole wheat flour. Go even further by choosing those made with carrots or apples.

Better Banana (or any other fruit pancakes) may be high in refined carbohydrates but restaurants that offer fruited pancakes are going in the right direction. They’re also rich in fiber and antioxidants.

Best Egg white omelets. All the fat is in the egg yolk so omelets are actually better cook this way. Egg whites are an excellent source of protein especially if you don’t want your cholesterol to go up.

Worst French toast it is indeed delicious but remembers. It’s fried bread with egg and loaded with sugar, butter, syrup and whipped cream. So steer clear. (But I really don’t. I give myself a chance to eat it once in a while because I still believe that the more you deprive yourself of something, the more you crave for it and yes that’s what I call temptation!) 

Japanese

Good Spicy tuna roll the mayonnaise adds a bit more fat and calories but like salmon tuna contains omega-3, tryptophan (which helps regulates moods) and selenium (which protects cells from free radical damage). The spicy chili pepper may reduce cholesterol. As if that’s not enough, the seaweed used in the roll provides a broad range of minerals.

Better Salmon avocado roll all the goodness of salmon and seaweed mentioned above, plus avocado. Packed with heart-healthy folate, this green giant may also help regulate blood pressure and fight cancer.

Best California roll and assorted sashimi for this I advise you asked for real crabs to make sure you are getting your omega 3s, magnesium, folate, selenium and B6 in addition to the avcado and seaweed. California rolls tend to run small and sashimi isrice-free which means lots of nutrients for extraordinarily few calories.

Worst Shrimp and tempura roll it is about as fattening as sushi gets (but yes they’re really good aren’t they? (Sad face)).