You train hard, and occasionally you like to reward yourself with Chinese takeout. (We said occasionally.) But you don’t want to abandon all discipline and end up feeling like the love child of Jabba the Hutt and Fat Bastard. So what’s the healthier order, fried rice or lo mein? Short answer: lo mein. Yes, both dishes usually come slathered in sauce, but the rice offers the unfortunate double-whammy of being fried in oil first. “You can’t make fried rice better unless you make it on your own,” says Jennifer Agustines, a Tampa-based registered dietitian. “If you want rice at a restaurant, your best bet is to get an entrée like chicken and broccoli and steamed rice on the side.”
Lo mein, meanwhile, is typically made with egg noodles, which are a better option than traditional white pasta thanks to an extra protein boost from the yolk. Its downside is the sky-high sodium from the soy sauce that the noodles are swimming in, but that’s an easy problem to solve. “Ask for the sauce on the side so you control the amount you put on,” advises Agustines, who also suggests getting a version laced with a protein like shrimp or chicken and asking for extra veggies thrown in. “Customizing it is always a smart move.”
So what's the healthier order, fried rice or lo mein? Short answer: lo mein. Yes, both dishes usually come slathered in sauce, but the rice offers the unfortunate double-whammy of being fried in oil first.
Steamed or boiled rice is healthier for many reasons, not least because noodles tend to be cooked in sauce. Fried rice will also often contain soy sauce or other flavour enhancers, so treat with caution.
Typical side dishes like fried rice, lo mein noodles, crab rangoon, and egg rolls are high in calories — and fat. Healthier choices include steamed brown rice, sautéed or steamed vegetables, spring rolls, or soups like egg drop soup or hot and sour soup.
For lower calorie and carbohydrate content, rice comes out top. But if protein and fibre is your aim, pasta wins over rice. That said, both can play a part in a healthy diet - and as the nutritional differences are quite small, it often comes down to which you would prefer.
Named after a Chinese war hero, this fat-laden dish won't help you win any weight loss battles. The breaded, fried chicken is smothered in a sugary sauce. One order clocks in at around 1,500 calories and 88 grams of fat, and it delivers more sodium than you should get in a day.
Vermicelli noodles, also known as rice vermicelli or rice sticks, are generally considered a healthier noodle option compared to many other types of noodles. Vermicelli noodles are typically made from rice flour, making them naturally gluten-free.
Fried rice is not a nutritionally balanced meal on its own, and you should enjoy it in moderation as part of a varied and balanced diet. Adding a variety of vegetables, lean protein sources, and whole grains can help to improve the nutritional value of fried rice.
Vermicelli noodles are lower on the glycemic index than white rice, but nutritionally speaking they offer about the same. Whether or not they are healthy to eat depends on how they are prepared in terms of vegetables quantity, sauce and oils used.
If you're looking for something light that will provide energy without causing spikes in blood sugar levels or adding extra calories then go with rice; if you want something with more B vitamins then opt for pasta. Whichever one you choose just make sure to get plenty of protein along with it!
Rice also has fewer carbohydrates than pasta, making it a slightly better choice for anyone who is watching their carbs. We can see from this that pasta is higher in dietary fiber than rice, which plays a really important part in a healthy diet and the health of the body's digestive system.
Of rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread, potatoes are the healthiest of these starchy and complex carbohydrate foods. This is because potatoes are dense in nutrients, containing essential minerals, vitamins, and other micronutrients. Potatoes are also high in fiber, helping to satiate hunger and regulate blood sugar.
Vermicelli noodles are lower on the glycemic index than white rice, but nutritionally speaking they offer about the same. Whether or not they are healthy to eat depends on how they are prepared in terms of vegetables quantity, sauce and oils used.
Boiled rice is generally lower in calories, fat, and sodium than fried rice. In terms of taste and texture, fried rice and boiled rice can also differ. The frying process gives fried rice a crisp, chewy texture, while boiled rice tends to be fluffy and softer.
American fast-food chains serve consumers Western-style food products: high in saturated fat, simple carbohydrates, and sugar, with a lot of processing and little nutritional density. In contrast, a traditional rural Chinese diet features plant-based pro- tein, low cholesterol, plus some dietary fat.
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