Navigating Chinese Cuisine While Dieting: A Fitness Coach's Perspective
We are excited to share this insightful op-ed from Cass Lam, a NASM and CrossFit-certified fitness & nutrition coach who works with the Shangri-La Group in Hong Kong. Cass is currently pursuing studies in Lifestyle Medicine at Harvard Medical School and serves as a Sweaty Betty Ambassador. In her thought-provoking piece "Is Too Much Chinese Food Good For Dieting?", Cass explores key aspects of eating Chinese cuisine in the context of maintaining a healthy diet, including portion sizes, eating routines, food sourcing and combining, and the role of exercise. Read on for Cass' expert perspective on navigating Chinese food while pursuing your wellness goals.
Is too much Chinese food bad for your diet?
If you had to choose one cuisine, what would it be? Growing up, I ate home-cooked Chinese food. Every morning, my mother would go to the market and buy the freshest meat and vegetables for dinner, then cooked everything from scratch. The Chinese version of Russian Borscht (cabbage potato soup), and sweet and sour pork were her specialties, while rice was an essential and compulsory part of the dining table.
Recent years, Chinese food, such as noodles, rice, dim sum, and cha siu, have become synonymous with "fat" and "too much carbs." We have been warned about staying away from carbs and meat due to misconceptions about mainstream diets, and compelled to consume mainly protein, green, and plant-based foods, regardless of individuals' health conditions and lifestyles. As a result, more people are now suffering from food intolerance, allergies, and mental health problems. In fact, carbs are the most important macronutrient for our health, followed by protein and fat. Your body needs to be given enough energy derived from carbs if you exercise five days a week and have a high level of activity.
Portion, Routine and Eating Manner:
I have Chinese food three times a week. You might wonder what dishes I include in my meal plan. The main carbohydrate source of my meals is rice, noodles or starchy vegetables such as corn, lotus, or sweet potatoes; Then I add a palm-size portion of pork, salmon, chicken or goose to fulfill my protein requirement; Finally, a thumb-size portion of good fats such as cheese and nuts. (You can replace rice with brown rice and digestible starches such as steamed squash, tofu, and sweet potatoes if rice is not an option for you. Make sure your meals contain the right amount of good carbs and calories.)
The best way to avoid hunger is to fuel up every 3-4 hours, and eat 4-5 meals within a twelve-hour eating window, with fruit, egg tarts or a hot cocktail of Hong Kong-style milk-tea as a snack. When it comes to Yum Cha, although it's hard to resist the yummy food served in the steamy bamboo basket (not to mention counting calories), try eating slowly and chewing slowly so you don't overindulge. And my portion is limited to 10 pieces. In general, I prefer high-protein meat dishes like shrimp dumplings and fish meat wrapped in bell peppers. A dipping sauce like vinegar or chili is great if you enjoy a kick in your life!
Food Source
The essence of life is food. Knowing where your food comes from is therefore very important. The stir-fry of Chinese kale and eggplant with minced pork are two of my favorite dishes. In the right amounts, stir-fry dishes cooked in avocado, olive oil, butter, and limited sodium can be perfectly healthy. Pork is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals. With slow cooking, you can pair lean pork loin or tenderloin with eggplants, which are usually less calories and juicier than pork belly.
Food Combining
Carbs + Green
Choosing your dishes wisely will optimize your digestion and leave you feeling energized after eating. Some foods pair well with each other, while others don't. To accompany rice, here are some tasty side dishes:
- Stir-Fried Cauliflower
- Choy Sum with Garlic Sauce
- Stir-Fried Mushroom & Celery
Protein + Green
Ideally, protein and non-starchy green vegetables should go together in your meal. Avoid combining protein with rice or noodles. You might want to add a bit of boiled Gailan, broccoli or Choy Sum topped with oyster sauce or salt if your plate includes steamed chicken and cha siu. Keep in mind green vegetables are a good friend with carbs and protein.
- Sweet and Sour Fish
- Tofu + Broccoli
- Stir-Fried Eggs and Tomatoes
In the case of a 5-course meal that includes soup - which I do not recommend - you should make other dish choices carefully to avoid bloating or gaining weight.
Exercises
In addition to a proper diet and behavior change, maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle requires regular exercise. Whether you aim to lose weight or gain muscle mass, you should perform moderate to high intensity training and anaerobic exercises daily three to five days a week.
Eating TOO MUCH of anything will always lead to weight gain and chronic disease development. A diet can be very stressful - whether it's the Paleo Diet or Ketogenic Diet, etc. I have tried them all. It worked for me and changed my body composition, but it is not sustainable, and it is not suitable for everyone. As long as you stick to unprocessed foods and eat the right amount of carbs, protein, and fat at each meal, you can still enjoy what you crave (in my case, Chinese food).