How to eat healthier and lower-calorie meals in Hong Kong while eating out

If you eat out often, you may have realised that it can be quite challenging to have a balanced and calorie-controlled meal in Hong. More than often, meals are loaded with carbohydrates, such as rice, noodles and pasta, then topped off with a few pieces of meat which contain more skin and bone than meat.

Luckily, there are ways to manage your calorie budget a bit better and get a nutritious meal on the go.

1.       Order a side of veggies

Most Chinese eateries will have the option of blanched veggies as a side dish. While some mains come with two pieces of vegetables, that’s often not enough to meet your daily fibre needs.

Where possible, try to get blanched veggies, because vegetables are quite good at absorbing the cooking oil, making stir-fried vegetables much higher in calories.

2.      Ask for sauce on the side

Sauces can contain a lot of calories, especially those made with oil (e.g. mayonnaise, cream sauce and caesar dressing). However, there are ways to take charge of how many calories you add on to your meal.

One method is to ask for no sauce or sauce on the side. Usually, restaurants will be more than happy to do so.

3.      Choose a protein-based meal

Protein is easily neglected when eating out, as high-carb low-protein dishes are usually cheaper. This is why paying a little extra attention to protein can be useful.

Try going for a dish that has at least a palm-sized serving of high-quality protein, such as meat, fish, egg, tofu and seafood. Examples of higher protein dishes may include steamed or soy-braised chicken rice with the skin off, pan-fried pork chop with rice, and chicken leg with vermicelli in soup.

4.      Choose dishes using lower-calorie cooking methods

You may have noticed in the above points that most suggestions include steamed or blanched food items. This is because these cooking methods use less oil and are therefore lower in calories.

Where possible, try to opt for steamed, soy-braised, pan-fried or oven-baked options over stir-fried or fried options.

5.      Ask for less rice

Another way to achieve a better balance of carbs and protein is to reduce the serving of rice. As calorie and carbohydrate requirements vary by individual, this may not be necessary for everyone. However, if you have a smaller stature, are trying to lose weight and/or are inactive most of the time, reducing the serving of rice or noodles can be helpful.

And there you have it, five key points to keep in mind when eating out. Hope this has been helpful, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below!