Healthy Diet for January 19 – Passport to Health—Eating Chinese Style

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Lunar New Year! Whether you eat out or in, enjoy Asian flavors and foods today, and get their good-for-you benefits.

Traditional Chinese meals have plenty of vegetables, rice, and noodles (that’s their benefit), yet they’re modest with meat, poultry, and fish. Besides their vitamins and minerals, vegetables in Chinese dishes are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and other healthful phytonutrients, or plant substances.

If you eat out, go easy on higher-fat dishes: fried versions of egg rolls, wontons, dim sum, noodles, rice, fish; breaded sweet-and-sour dishes. Some soy sauces and dips are high in sodium. If you have high blood pressure, ask for low-sodium sauce.

Cooking today? “Wok” your way to health. Rather than deep-fry, go for stir-fry (cooked in very little oil), mixing any ingredients you enjoy!

• Start chopping lots of different veggies: asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, green and red peppers, mushrooms, snow peas, spinach, sprouts—all cut in bite-size pieces.
• Add Asian flavor with chopped garlic, ginger, lemongrass, scallions, hot peppers.
• Prepare modest amounts of protein foods. Use beef, chicken, pork, seafood, or firm tofu, cut in 1/2-inch pieces. Let vegetables outweigh protein foods two or three to one.
• Heat the wok (or skillet) with 1 tablespoon of oil. When it sizzles, start cooking: irst the meat and herbs, then add veggies. Cook just until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
• Serve over brown or white rice, or Chinese noodles.