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.”
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.
Lo Mein is a healthier option than Fried Rice for a variety of reasons. For starters, it can be a good source of protein, especially when combined with lean proteins like chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu. Protein is necessary for muscle building and repair, as well as for keeping you full for longer periods of time.
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.
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.
Fried rice is undeniably bad for you, setting you back 450 calories and 14 grams of fat. Brown rise is better, with only 215 calories and a generous 3.5 grams of fiber per cup. But even though it's trendy to avoid white rice because it's a high-glycemic carb, it's not so bad.
Steamed fish and veggies are packed with fiber and protein. While you may think of steamed dishes as the sad diet food of years' past, this style of prep is is actually a primary cooking technique that's culturally authentic to Chinese cuisine, explains Iu.
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.
For a great Post Workout meal to help with your muscle growing efforts you can't go past this quick and easy to make Fried Rice recipe. Enjoy a serving of this high protein packed Fried Rice an hour after your post protein shake.
Eating high-fat food such as fried rice could cause several digestive issues such as feeling bloated, heartburn, and slow digestion. Digesting high-fat and high-caloric food is harder at night, causing the body to store the excess calories as body fat.
The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei.' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.
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.
Fried rice syndrome is caused by a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which is present in these types of starchy foods prior to cooking. Bacillus cereus is a heat-resistant bacteria, so even recooking foods that have not been appropriately refrigerated can result in food poisoning.
Eating whole grains like brown rice has been found to be really good for weight loss, with one study finding that people who regularly ate high-carbohydrate whole grains such as brown or coloured rice had a higher resting metabolism and didn't absorb as many calories during digestion [9].
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.
Rice contains vitamins and minerals that pasta does not, including folic acid, B vitamins (unless the pasta is fortified), iron, and zinc, but Rizzo says the amounts are very small. For those following a gluten-free diet, rice is a good option.
Ultimately, there are several factors to consider when trying to decide whether rice or pasta is healthier. If you want a grain that's higher in protein and fiber, choose pasta, and if calories are your primary concern, a serving of rice will be your best bet.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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