Chinese fast food unhealthy [Science]
2007 Mar 22
The part that was really shocking to me was that the *Nutrition Director* of the CSPI said, "We were shocked. We assumed the vegetables were all low in calories."
What on earth did this Nutrition Director think makes those yummy vegetables so shiny? Varnish?? The average person on the street shouldn't be mocked for being ignorant of a fact like this, but when your title is "Nutrition Director" one assumes there's something behind it.
I'm also a little bothered that CBC made the statement: While Chinese restaurant food is bad for your waistline and blood pressure — sodium contributes to hypertension — it does offer vegetable-rich dishes and the kind of fat that's not bad for the heart.
A blanket statement like "sodium contributes to hypertension" is a common misperception. The fact is 60% of hypertensive patients are sensitive to sodium. The other 40% aren't affected by salt.
:-)
What on earth did this Nutrition Director think makes those yummy vegetables so shiny? Varnish?? The average person on the street shouldn't be mocked for being ignorant of a fact like this, but when your title is "Nutrition Director" one assumes there's something behind it.
I'm also a little bothered that CBC made the statement: While Chinese restaurant food is bad for your waistline and blood pressure — sodium contributes to hypertension — it does offer vegetable-rich dishes and the kind of fat that's not bad for the heart.
A blanket statement like "sodium contributes to hypertension" is a common misperception. The fact is 60% of hypertensive patients are sensitive to sodium. The other 40% aren't affected by salt.
:-)
2007 Mar 25
I just thought it was all a bit silly. Did anybody seriously think that chinease fast food was healthy? If we ate 75% rice and 25% the rest (meat, veggies, tofu dishes) then it wouldn't be THAT bad calorie wise but people eat mostly the meat / fried / deep fried dishes and ignore white rice so yes, it's pretty darn unhealthy. Kind of like eating a whole bowl of dip and 2 or 3 carrots sticks instead of the opposite.
2007 Mar 25
White rice is certainly not as healthy as whole grain or brown rice, but I would stop before I called it "not healthy".
It's a still a wholesome food in my books:
Based on a 1 cup serving
WHITE RICE:
Calories: 205
Calories from fat: 4
Total fat: 1% (of daily intake)
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 11%
Fiber: 3%
Carbs: 15%
Sodium: 0%
Protien: 4.3g
BROWN RICE:
Calories: 216
Calories from fat: 16
Total fat: 3% (of daily intake)
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 5%
Fiber: 14%
Carbs: 15%
Sodium: 0%
Protien: 5g
It's a still a wholesome food in my books:
Based on a 1 cup serving
WHITE RICE:
Calories: 205
Calories from fat: 4
Total fat: 1% (of daily intake)
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 11%
Fiber: 3%
Carbs: 15%
Sodium: 0%
Protien: 4.3g
BROWN RICE:
Calories: 216
Calories from fat: 16
Total fat: 3% (of daily intake)
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 5%
Fiber: 14%
Carbs: 15%
Sodium: 0%
Protien: 5g
2007 Mar 26
The issue with white rice is how quickly it is digested: a quick 'sugar/carb' rush that passes and leaves you hungry fairly soon thereafter, which is not ideal for people who need to watch their sugar. Brown rice takes longer for the body to absorb so the sugar 'spike' is longer lived and not as 'pointy'.
2007 Mar 26
I believe it's also a "whole foods" vs "processed foods" matter. Some good reading here in this article : www.nytimes.com
It's not just about measurable nutrient count, it's about the sums of the parts being more than just the parts themselves.
The book "eat, drink and be healthy" by Walter Willett (Harvard) goes into a good deal of detail about this as well. He redraws the USDA food pyramid with a more realistic one that includes whole grains and discludes things like white rice.
I still eat my share of white rice, but I don't kid myself about it being good for me.
It's not just about measurable nutrient count, it's about the sums of the parts being more than just the parts themselves.
The book "eat, drink and be healthy" by Walter Willett (Harvard) goes into a good deal of detail about this as well. He redraws the USDA food pyramid with a more realistic one that includes whole grains and discludes things like white rice.
I still eat my share of white rice, but I don't kid myself about it being good for me.
2007 Mar 26
We'll have to agree to disagree I guess :)
My personal definition of things that are "not good" for me are things that are bad or harmful to me. White rice is certainly not the most nutritious thing and there are def. foods that are much much better for me, but putting it in perspective with the whole realm of high fat, high sodium, high sugar crap that I eat, I still consider it among the less harmful foods.
My personal definition of things that are "not good" for me are things that are bad or harmful to me. White rice is certainly not the most nutritious thing and there are def. foods that are much much better for me, but putting it in perspective with the whole realm of high fat, high sodium, high sugar crap that I eat, I still consider it among the less harmful foods.
2007 Mar 27
I've got to agree with HOT... and not just because she's more um.. photogenic than you zymurgist. (BTW, nice meeting you at the brewer's lunch at Clocktower!) It's not an either-or proposition, but one of balance. Everyone is using rice, and Asian as the comparison. What about rice with Indian? They eat a LOT of white rice in India, and can manage quite healthy diets. In fact, when food is more scarce, having a source of 'quick energy' in your diet can be a good thing. I also agree that of all the things in my diet, white rice is near the top of the pack in being 'good for me'.
2007 Mar 27
As Hot said ... we'll have to agree to disagree :-)
I will however repeat the reference to "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy", which has a lot to say about the topic at hand. www.amazon.ca/dp/0743266420
Always good to meet people who like beer :-) Hope you didn't catch my cold - I'm finally almost human again.
I will however repeat the reference to "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy", which has a lot to say about the topic at hand. www.amazon.ca/dp/0743266420
Always good to meet people who like beer :-) Hope you didn't catch my cold - I'm finally almost human again.
2007 Mar 30
I never said that white rice is particularly healthy but it certainly is less calorie, salt, saturated fat ladent than the other dishes that they serve in restaurants. It's the proportion in which people each the various dishes that is unhealthy. If you don't balance that chicken whatever with a good quantity of rice, you're going to eat a heck of a lot of meat and veggies swimming a fatty and salty sauce.
My point was about comparison and proportions, nothing more.
My point was about comparison and proportions, nothing more.
2007 Apr 4
My colleague forwarded me this email regarding how to lower the salt in Chinese cooking.
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While Chinese cooking can be a very healthy way of eating, the amount of sodium in Chinese dishes can be quite high. Here are tips to help you lower the amount of salt when you are cooking Chinese food:
How To Lower the Salt in Chinese Cooking
1. Use a sodium-reduced soy sauce, such as those offered by Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee. While the sodium levels may still be too high for persons on a reduced-sodium diet, this is an option for persons who are merely trying to reduce their salt intake.
2. Make your own soy sauce substitute. This recipe for a soy sauce substitute, with molasses, reduced-sodium beef broth and vinegar, is easy to make and has much lower sodium levels than either regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce.
3. Use dry sherry or dry white wine instead of rice cooking wine in recipes. Cooking wine, including rice wine, that is sold in food stores has been treated with salt, both to give it a longer shelf life and prevent it from being sold as alcohol.
4. Instead of relying on salt for extra flavor, increase the amount of herbs and spices in the dish. Spices such as five-spice powder, curry powder, and chili powder have loads of flavor and are salt-free.
5. When a recipe calls for chicken or beef broth, use a low-sodium broth.
6. Make your own broth. Home-made broths have more flavor than storebought. Stored in a sealed container, the broth can be frozen for up to 3 months.
7. When a recipe calls for peanuts or cashews, use unsalted nuts. Don’t avoid them altogether though - both have healthy unsaturated fats, and cashews are a good source of potassium, thought to help lower blood pressure.
8. Use fresh vegetables whenever possible.
9. Frozen vegetables are usually a better choice than canned, as many don’t contain any salt. There are a few exceptions, though – frozen peas are graded (tested for their level of tenderness and maturity) by placing them in a brine solution, so they will contain more salt than fresh peas.
10. If you are using canned vegetables that contain salt, rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove some of the sodium.
----
While Chinese cooking can be a very healthy way of eating, the amount of sodium in Chinese dishes can be quite high. Here are tips to help you lower the amount of salt when you are cooking Chinese food:
How To Lower the Salt in Chinese Cooking
1. Use a sodium-reduced soy sauce, such as those offered by Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee. While the sodium levels may still be too high for persons on a reduced-sodium diet, this is an option for persons who are merely trying to reduce their salt intake.
2. Make your own soy sauce substitute. This recipe for a soy sauce substitute, with molasses, reduced-sodium beef broth and vinegar, is easy to make and has much lower sodium levels than either regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce.
3. Use dry sherry or dry white wine instead of rice cooking wine in recipes. Cooking wine, including rice wine, that is sold in food stores has been treated with salt, both to give it a longer shelf life and prevent it from being sold as alcohol.
4. Instead of relying on salt for extra flavor, increase the amount of herbs and spices in the dish. Spices such as five-spice powder, curry powder, and chili powder have loads of flavor and are salt-free.
5. When a recipe calls for chicken or beef broth, use a low-sodium broth.
6. Make your own broth. Home-made broths have more flavor than storebought. Stored in a sealed container, the broth can be frozen for up to 3 months.
7. When a recipe calls for peanuts or cashews, use unsalted nuts. Don’t avoid them altogether though - both have healthy unsaturated fats, and cashews are a good source of potassium, thought to help lower blood pressure.
8. Use fresh vegetables whenever possible.
9. Frozen vegetables are usually a better choice than canned, as many don’t contain any salt. There are a few exceptions, though – frozen peas are graded (tested for their level of tenderness and maturity) by placing them in a brine solution, so they will contain more salt than fresh peas.
10. If you are using canned vegetables that contain salt, rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove some of the sodium.
mr. red
Better late than never!
www.cbc.ca