Lose Weight and Enjoy Chinese Takeout: A Guide to Making Smarter Choices at Your Favorite Restaurant

Check out some of the options below if you are having trouble navigating the take out menu at your favorite Chinese restaurant. These options have different calorie ranges, but nearly all will keep you on track with meeting your produce and protein goals. Remember to visualize myplate when making selections while dining out. 

Beef and Broccoli

When ordering take out from a Chinese restaurant, this dish will likely come with the beef and broccoli in one container and rice in the other. This is ideal for being able to portion out your protein, vegetable, and grain to best fit the MyPlate method. You can consider choosing brown rice instead of white if you are looking to add extra fiber to your meal. 

Image Credit: Omnivores Cook Book

Lettuce Wraps

You can’t convince us there is anything better on a Chinese take out menu than lettuce wraps. They are packed with flavor and provide a good “crunch,” which we all love. Plus, you are getting lots of protein and a decent amount of produce when you consider the wrap being made with layers of lettuce. If you are needing a lower calorie meal option, this may be a good option for you. 

Image Credit: Red House Spice

Mixed Vegetables with Tofu

One of the great things about Chinese restaurants is there are always a lot of dishes with tofu if you are vegetarian or vegan. Selecting one of their mixed vegetable dishes with tofu will surely have you meeting your protein and produce needs. This dish can be a bit lighter, so if you find it's not enough we recommend adding edamame or miso soup as an appetizer. 

Chicken with Mushrooms

This simple chicken and mushroom dish is available on most Chinese take out menus. Not a mushroom fan? No worries, you will likely find something similar that contains chicken and another veggie like broccoli or peppers. This dish often comes in large quantities and with rice, so you may consider breaking the meal into two servings. Pro tip: ask for the rice on the side so you can be in control of your portions. 

Image Credit: Sprinkles and Sprouts

Sauteed Vegetables + A la Carte Protein 

One of our favorite things to do at a Chinese restaurant is to order from the vegetarian menu and add one of the a la carte protein options. You are almost guaranteed to end up with a full plate of veggies, ensuring you’ll meet your produce goal and a full portion of protein to help with your protein goal. Another great thing about ordering from the a la carte menu is you can mix and match to create your own meal. 

Image Credit: DInner at the Zoo

About the Author

Hannah Abdulla BS, RD 

Contributing Writer 

Hannah is a Raleigh, NC-based Registered Dietitian and is currently working towards her MS in Nutrition Science from Meredith College. 

She enjoys writing about fad diets and adding fun recipes to the blog. If she’s not studying or keeping up with her family, she’s trying out new local restaurants downtown. Catch more of her on The Millennial Nutritionist Podcast.