“When ordering Chinese, focus on dishes packed full of lean proteins and vegetables with limited rice and noodles,” advises Palinski-Wade, who suggests ordering steamed chicken and broccoli with the sauce on the side.
If you're eating Chinese food, chances are there's going to be rice on your plate. And if that rice is white, be prepared for a major blood sugar spike. White rice is so troublesome that one study found that for each serving a person ate per day, their risk of developing type 2 diabetes jumped by 11%.
Watch out for sodium
Soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, black bean sauce, shrimp paste, bouillon cubes ... These flavor enhancers undoubtedly make dishes taste more delectable.
The classic stir-fry recipe is the perfect way to make a healthy, diabetes-friendly and low-carb meal from whatever you might have in the fridge or pantry. Heat up a little oil in a skillet (a wok is great, but any skillet will do), throw in some protein and vegetables, and stir.
Healthier choices include steamed brown rice, sautéed or steamed vegetables, spring rolls, or soups like egg drop soup or hot and sour soup. Veggie-based items like edamame, lettuce wraps, braised bamboo shoots, or cucumber salad are a few other great options you can try.
Chinese: Steamed Chicken and Broccoli
“When ordering Chinese, focus on dishes packed full of lean proteins and vegetables with limited rice and noodles,” advises Palinski-Wade, who suggests ordering steamed chicken and broccoli with the sauce on the side.
In addition to being quick and easy, stir-frying is also healthy. It results in tender-crisp vegetables that retain more nutrients than if they were boiled. And since stir-frying requires only a small amount of oil, the fat content is low.
Deep-fried egg rolls, fried rice, and a main dish dripping in oily sauce make this meal an unhealthy choice. The total sodium in this type of meal is more than most people with diabetes should have over 3 days. Beware the MSG (monosodium glutamate), a seasoning that sends the sodium content soaring.
Steamed vegetables
Popular examples include steamed dumplings and steamed greens. Try steaming greens like bok choy or Chinese broccoli — available at most Asian markets — with oil, salt, and pepper for a simple, low carb addition to your Chinese meal.
Soy sauce has around 1000 milligrams of sodium in one tablespoon, which can spike blood pressure levels, which may be a matter of concern for diabetics as it may lead to heart coronary diseases and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Rice noodles:
Foods that contain unprocessed carbs can benefit people with diabetes, but eating large amounts in one sitting may raise blood sugar levels. People should spread their intake throughout the day.
Upswing: Chinese Food
High-fat foods can make your blood sugar stay up for longer. The same is true for pizza, french fries, and other goodies that have a lot of carbs and fat. Check your blood sugar about 2 hours after you eat to know how a food affects you.
If you have diabetes, choose more high-fibre foods. A type of fibre called soluble fibre may help control blood sugar levels. Try these high-fibre foods: Vegetables: mushroom, bok choy, gai lan, broccoli, corn, lotus root, sweet potato, taro, water chestnuts, squash, snow peas, baby corn.
MSG intake has been found to increase the risk of insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity in studies done in rodents.
Diabetics can make healthy choices when ordering noodles away from home. Order boiled or baked noodles and avoid those that have been fried or stir-fried. The latter are cooked using a lot of oil, which increases calories and fat. Avoid pastas in cream or butter sauces and order tomato sauce instead.
Good, lower-calorie choices include: steamed, broiled or roasted chicken, beef, pork or shrimp Chow Mein, Chop Suey, Moo Goo Gai Pan, and of course, steamed veggies. Anything described as crispy, coated, marinated, twice-cooked or battered suggests higher calorie and fat contents.
The lowest carb dishes would be the BBQ and roasted meat, such as pork, chicken and duck. Another great choice would be steamed or boiled chicken, such as Hainanese chicken.
For lower calorie and carbohydrate content, rice comes out top. But if protein and fibre is your aim, pasta wins over rice.
Fried Chicken Restaurants
In general, poultry is a smart choice while following a diabetes-friendly diet—except when it's breaded or dipped in flour and fried. This version adds not just carbs but saturated fat and calories as well to menu items at restaurants like KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Popeyes.
Aside from breakfast - Yes, you can enjoy a genuine Subway sandwich if you have diabetes. You'll need to forego the white bread and instead pick the 9-grain wheat bread. Subway creates this delicious bread completely from whole wheat. If you pick a mini whole wheat sandwich, then you are looking at 27 carbs.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer often added to restaurant foods, canned vegetables, soups, deli meats and other foods.
Anything that's battered or marked as crispy on the menu means it's deep-fried, so it should be avoided. The NHS advises to watch out for starters such as prawn crackers and spring rolls, because these are generally deep-fried. Sweet and sour pork will be high in fat too.
Kelp noodles are best for a stir fry, or dishes that call for thin noodles, Vu says. If you're looking to keep calories as low as you can, use them in place of rice or ramen noodles.