Fit Fare

When it comes to take-out, it ain’t easy being healthy. Whether it’s pepperoni pizza or General Tso’s Chicken, one quick dial of the phone and your diet is out the window. The folks at Self magazine recently ran a piece on how to order take-out, but still keep it light in terms of calories and fat. Today, let’s talk Chinese.

A survey of Self readers indicated that 52% ordered egg rolls (190 calories and 11 grams of fat per roll). If you eat all the filling, and only half the shell, you’ll cut the fat nearly in half, down to six grams, and the calories down to 115.

General Tso’s Chicken? Yes, please. One of my favorites, and our 4-year-old son, too. But an order with white rice will set 2 people back with 1600 calories and a whopping 59 grams of fat. Ouch. Self suggests mixing 1/4 of the chicken with 1 cup of steamed vegetables and serving it with 1/4 cup of brown rice. You’ll bring it down to 504 calories and 15 grams of fat.

Veggie Fried Rice? It packs 329 calories and 11 grams of fat per cup. Mix 1/4 cup of fried rice with 3/4 cup of brown rice, and it’s now a reasonable 246 calories and 4 grams of fat.

Three smart picks from the Chinese take-out menu:
- Hot and sour soup (110 calories, 4 grams of fat per cup)
- Hunan tofu and brown rice (206 calories, 7 grams of fat per cup)
- Mandarin chicken (364 calories and 15 grams of fat per cup)

Three eat-slim tricks:
- Stay away from the sweet-and-sour entrees as they’re usually deep-fried.
- Don’t pour the food onto your plate. If you dish it out with a fork, you’ll avoid some of that excess sauce on the bottom, thereby saving some calories and fat.
- Can you manage chopsticks? That will cut down on your speed in eating, so you’ll eat less.