Lower-Cal Chinese Buffet Options?

Question

It's been so long since I've been to a Chinese buffet. I've been craving the food there again, but things have changed in the last year and I've been on a diet (To which I've happily lost 42 lbs. to date!)

I want to know, other than hitting up the salad/fruit bar portion of a Chinese Buffet, what are some good lower-cal options for if I want to eat the actual Chinese-y stuff in the buffet? I know a lot of it is laced with fat out the ying-yang, but I just wanted what would be a little more diet-friendly than others.

Answer 1

the healthiest things at the chinese buffet by me are probably the sushi and maybe the crab legs if you dip in lemon instead of butter.

Answer 2

Steamed veggies and rice with soy sauce.  Or just tell them to go easy on the oil because you are on a diet....tell them to hold the oil when they cook your food.

Answer 3

Yeah...most Chinese buffets in the US generally don't have much selection if you want to eat healthy.  Some bigger buffets have more to choose from, such as steam fish, crab legs (but that tends to be super salty) and sushi.  Eat steam rice instead of fried rice.  

I generally would order steam veggies and chicken and ask for a sauce on the side (instead of going to a buffet).  Therefore I can control how much sauce to put on the dish.  It doesn't taste as good as food on buffet, but that's what you get for trying to eat healthier.

Though.. I personally think it's alright to indulge in your cravings once in a while.  Just don't go overboard. and just eat small portions.

Answer 4

Here's the problem with the above answer... this is a buffet. The food is already in trays on the steamer table.

To be frank, there aren't a whole lot of low fat/low cal items on a "Chinese" buffet (at least in the US). Everything has a sauce of some sort, or is breaded, or is cooked with butter, or has something else added. Even the string beans are garlic buttered after stir frying. I've never seen steamed vegetables at a buffet. They're either part of another dish or stir fried. What's left? Steamed rice. Even the fried rice has meat and vegetables and egg and they add oil to wok it.

Answer 5

Tangy chicken, string bean chicken breast, mixed vegetables, broccoli beef, mushroom chicken and mixed veggies.  An egg roll also has under 300 calories and 10 grams of fat.

Answer 6

It's all about portion control. Sample a little bit of everything instead of going hog wild on one thing.  Chinese food in the United States is not really Chinese.  It's Chinese-American. They make it in a way that pleases the American palate which is often saucy and fatty.  Real Chinese food is full of veggies, simple sauces, and low in fat.