Is Chinese or Asian food better for you than American food?

Question

I once heard that it is cooked healthier (if that makes any sense) and its fresher. What should I know?

Answer 1

i think that Chinese food is better that American food

Answer 2

Asian food is da bomb!!

i like curry!! and eggrolls!! and sushi!! and rice( lots of rice) and nnoodles, and pork, and duck, and goat

Answer 3

it all depends on how it's cooked or what it's cook in

Asian dishes tend to have more veggies than American dishes.

Answer 4

Asian food is definitely a healthier choice.  It's fresh, flavorful, and has much less fat.  People know how to use different kind of fresh and dried herbs, not just to enhance flavor but they are used by means of medicine as well.  

If you have visited any countries in Asia, you will never see anyone with the real obesity... plus statistic of patients with cancer are way much less than in US.

Answer 5

It all depends on which food. There aren't many soley American foods, but fast food does become a staple. Things like red meat, salads, burgers, pizza, etc, have become staples in American eating habits.

I am not sure about Chinese food (un-Americanized) but I AM knowledgable about Japanese food. It is much healthier. I went to Japan for three months and lost weight. The country is different, though. More bike-riding and walking.

But traditional breakfasts consist of plain rice, miso soup, veggies and salmon. Sometimes I had one egg and brocolli with delicious sauces. Lunch was small but also had many plates with it-- a bowl of rice, a small piece of meat or fish, or a noodle dish.  Dinner was usually fish, miso soup, many vegetables and rice.

The difference isn't always the way it's cooked (since tenpura is fried and tonkatsu is also fried) but it's also the AMOUNT. There is a small portion of meat to a big portion of rice and veggies.

From what I know about Chinese food, it's the same way. And Korean. Lots of cabbage, other veggies, spice, and rices.

The veggies are fresh, as you've stated. We never ate canned veggies or vegetables frozen in a bag.

So yes, I do believe Asian cultures eat healthier but it's combined with a lifestyle that calls for more action.

Answer 6

On the point of freshness, Chinese food wins hands down. I lived in Hong Kong for several years, and observed that my neighbors shopped for vegetables and fish twice a day!

They buy veggies fresh off the farm, with roots still attached. And the fish is almost always alive.

Cooking procedures vary, and therefore some Chinese dishes could be a bit more greasy thatn some American food.

Those sweet-and-sour sauced meats and seafood, for example. They are often battered and deep-fried before being combined with the sauce.

But there are many healthy dishes, expecially the soups and the steamed fish and vegetables.

Another aspect of Chinese food that's good is the way a small amount of meat or fish could be combined with vegetables and noodles to feed a lot of people. This is so unlike Amerocam cooking that's too heavy on the meats.

Answer 7

i dont know but asian food has more salt but not as fried

Answer 8

If you go with the 'more rice' plan (mimicking Asian cuisines), try to stick with brown rice (except for sushi rolls, potentially).  It is a whole grain and, therefore, much better for moving things through your intestines and colon which can stave off colon cancer, etc.  

It also makes you feel full, longer.  The added benefits of eating whole grains with a healthy diet is weight loss/maintenance.

Oh yeah, Americanized Asian food is not the same as eating like the locals of the countries.  Watch out for the monosodium glutamate, also called MSG (or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which contains MSG).  Critics say in its purified form it can be a potent neurotoxin, causing nerve cells literally to excite themselves to death.

An alleged example of this is "Chinese restaurant syndrome." A half hour after eating MSG-laden soup, once a staple of budget Chinese cuisine, some people say they experience headaches, tightness of the chest, and a burning sensation.

Researchers have had difficulty reproducing this in the lab, but the feds got so many complaints from the field they've issued tougher label requirements for MSG in meat and poultry and are thinking of doing the same for other foods.

Just something else to think about.

Answer 9

Asian food is better but it depends were u get from.if it's home cooked, than it's healthier but if it's from some crappy restaurant than I'd think twice about eating there.

Answer 10

It sure tastes better. I love Japanese food and Chinese food a lot. I'm sure its healthier than left over meat parts to make hot dogs and burgers filled with hormones.

Answer 11

fresher is your judgment,,.

but just for the food...

what is going to make any difference,,,

MY crock pot soup /stew...

onions, celery, carrots, squash, cabbage,pasta,,some meat

Chow Mien >>

onions, celery, carrots, bok choy, peas. some meat..  some cooked rice..???

Nonsense.... more freaky food psychotics..

what should you know ????

In light of what YOU cook,,,, a wide variety is the most WHOLESOME   ... forget healthier nonsense..

you NEED no more than simple vegetables and tasty meat...