Instead, choose a veggie-filled appetizer, like spring rolls, lettuce wraps, or steamed dumplings, to keep sodium down. Stick to steamed instead of fried choices to keep sodium levels down. Breaded and batter-fried items, in particular, are often higher in sodium.
Most dishes are heavy on sodium, so there's no need to add more. Avoid adding soy sauce at the table (1,000 mg of sodium per tablespoon), use only a little dipping sauce, and ask that dishes be prepared without MSG (monosodium glutamate). Skipping the soup course will also cut plenty of sodium from your meal.
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.
Conclusions: The sodium levels in Chinese restaurant dishes are extremely high and variable. In addition to cooking salt, other salted condiments/seasonings also contribute a large proportion of sodium.
Eating a modified version of traditional Chinese food containing half the amount of sodium may significantly lower blood pressure for Chinese adults in just a few weeks, new research shows.
Chinese takeaway meals
97% of dishes contained 2g (1/3 of a teaspoon) or more of salt per dish. 58% contained more than 3g (1/2 teaspoon) of salt per dish. Combining side dishes on top would provide over 6g (over 1 teaspoon – the maximum daily allowance for adults) salt per day.
1 cup of fried rice contains 460 mg of sodium, which is ¼ of your maximum salt intake for the day - it's a lot! Restaurant chefs tend to toss extra soy sauce into the dish because people tend to love the taste of salt.
Try these tips for health-conscious ordering: Opt for steamed dumplings instead of ordering egg rolls and fried dumplings. Sidestep fried or breaded meat entrees. Instead, choose baked, broiled, grilled, sautéed protein sources-chicken, fish, shellfish, lean beef or pork.
Acupuncture. Acupuncture is considered an ancient practice of TCM that began thousands of years ago. It has been reported to have potential effectiveness for treating cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, with few reported adverse effects [67, 68].
Omelets, peanut butter, and chicken stir-fry may be our new weapons against high blood pressure.
Chinese food is known for its variety of noodles, meats and vegetables. However, it also contains a high content of sodium due to added salt, flavor enhancers, spice mixes, marinades and sauces.
If you are working with a stir-fry or other “drier” dish, you will want to try to add a little acidity and sugar to help balance the salt. Add lemon juice, vinegar and some sugar. Remember, add only a little at a time until the flavors have balanced, you don't want to over-acidify or sweeten.
Drink Plenty of Water
This is because water helps the body flush out excess sodium. Not only is hydration important for managing sodium levels, but it is also important for overall health. When you drink plenty of water, your body can flush the excess sodium in your body.
MSG is often an important ingredient for people on a low-sodium diet, because it improves the flavor of a dish while reducing the need for salt. In fact, when MSG is added (increasing the level of glutamate) to meals and recipes, sodium levels can be lowered by up to 40 percent while maintaining the desired flavor.
Vegetables and Fruits
Any fresh fruits, like apples, oranges, or bananas. Any fresh vegetables, like spinach, carrots, or broccoli. Frozen vegetables without added butter or sauce. Canned vegetables that are low in sodium or have no salt added — you can rinse them off to remove some of the sodium.
Stir-fries look healthy, but with soy sauce and other salt-laden ingredients, the sodium content in one serving often contains all of a 2,300-milligram healthful daily limit. You don't have to eliminate stir-fries from your diet, though.
Of course white rice is much healthier. White rice is cooked with no oil, no other spices, just water.
Pick a variety of main dishes. Choose from the dishes that have been cooked without battering and frying. Beef and broccoli, cashew chicken and steamed green beans are all healthy choices. Avoid dishes with sticky or sweet sauces, such as sweet and sour preparations or General Tsao's chicken.
Basmati Is A “Super Grain”
In addition to containing all eight essential amino acids and folic acid, it's very low in sodium and cholesterol-free.
Fiber: 0.7 grams. Sodium: 399 mg. Folate: 24% of the Daily Value (DV)
People in China have used salt to prepare and preserve food for thousands of years. But consuming lots of salt raises blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Among women and men, average sodium intake exceeded healthy levels in almost all countries, researchers said. Kazakhstan had the highest average intake at 6,000 mg per day, followed by Mauritius and Uzbekistan at just less than 6,000 mg per day. Kenya and Malawi had the lowest average intake at about 2,000 mg per day.