Health study scorns food from Chinese restaurants

WASHINGTON -- The typical Chinese restaurant menu is a sea of nutritional no-nos, a consumer group has found.

A plate of General Tso's chicken, for example, is loaded with about 40 percent more sodium and more than half the calories an average adult needs for an entire day.

The battered, fried chicken dish with vegetables has 1,300 calories, 3,200 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of saturated fat.

That's before the rice (200 calories a cup). And after the egg rolls (200 calories and 400 milligrams of sodium).

"I don't want to put all the blame on Chinese food," said Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which did a report released Tuesday.

"Across the board, American restaurants need to cut back on calories and salt, and in the meantime, people should think of each meal as not one, but two, and bring home half for tomorrow," Liebman said.

The average adult needs about 2,000 calories a day and 2,300 milligrams of salt, which is about 1 teaspoon of salt, according to government guidelines.

In some ways, Liebman said, Italian and Mexican restaurants are worse for your health, because their food is higher in saturated fat, which can increase the risk of heart disease.

The group found that not much has changed since it examined Chinese food 15 years ago.

It says there is no safe harbor from sodium on the Chinese restaurant menu, but it offers several tips for making a meal healthier:

Look for dishes that feature vegetables instead of meat or noodles.

Ask for extra broccoli, snow peas, or other veggies.

Steer clear of deep-fried meat, seafood, or tofu. Order it stir-fried or braised.

Avoid salt, which means steering clear of the duck sauce, hot mustard, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.

For more information, go to cspinet.org