I'm not a calorie counter, but I learned some new things about choices. Sometimes, you're just going to have to ask. Call before if you want.
Japanese
Bad News
Ask if they make their own Dashi. If it's from a pre-made mix, it has sugar in it.
Oh dear - sushi rice is made with sugar.
Panko bread crumbs are made with sugar.
Teryaki Sauce has sugar.
"Katsu" means cutlet, but it's panko breaded and fried.
Surimi, or imitation crab has added sugar.
Sweet egg or Tamago is made with sugar.
Tempura: 1 out of 5 packaged Tempura mixes have sugar, none of the recipes for home made
Tempura batter have sugar. Ask.
Same with Panko bread crumbs.
Tokoroten - Jelly like noodles of agar that has sugar added.
High levels of mercury: Swordfish, Shark, King Mackeral.
1 tablespoon of soy sauce has 920 milligrams of sodium.
Tonkatsu: Panko breaded pork chop deep fried twice.
The Japanese double the vegetables if eating deep fried.
Japanese
Good News
Seaweed
Sashimi Yes, eat this tuna or salmon or even geoduck.
Geoduck (Gooey duck) is from Washington and it scared me as a child
when we dug them out of the sand.
Miso noodle soup
Seaweed Salad
Crispy soba tofu
Notes on Noodles
Wheat
Udon Noodles in Udon Bowls
Ramen: Had too much of this in college...
Sōmen noodles
Hiyamugi
Buckwheat
Soba noodles - Buckwheat & Wheat Flour
Shirataki - plant based noodle
Harusame - potato starch clear noodle
Okonomiyaki - Japanese Savory Pancakes - usually made from white flour - but oh my yums.
OMAKASE means "I'll leave it up to you." and the Chef surprises you - so I'll leave this up to you.
Big Huge TunaI like how I feel after eating Japanese food, but you decide.
Chinese
Not Good
Most Chinese food uses
Fish Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Rice Wine Vinegar,
Rice Vinegar, and Rice Wine.
Sugar is the #1 or #2 ingredient in all of the above.
After 20 old favorite dishes were examined, I only found 5 things without sugar!
Egg Drop Soup is flavored with sesame oil,
which has no sugar.
Ask for Brown Rice - white rice spikes blood sugar.
Egg Foo Young is just an omelette - but Americans serve it with gravy.
Chinese noodles are made of everything but white flour, so you're good there.
Fried alert:
Fried wontons
Fried rice
Crispy noodles
Mexican
Good Choices
Black beans
Pozole soup
Ceviche - instead of deep fried chips
Pico de Gallo
Fajitas
Enchiladas
Rice and Beans
Not Good
Mole sauce contains sugar.
If you order a salad that comes in a fried taco shell,
you should add about 420 calories and
30 grams of fat to your meal total.
Nachos - they deep fry the chips.
Chimichangas
Quesadillas (deep fried in restaurants)
Enchiladas (beef, cheese, or any other kind)
Chiles rellenos
Refried beans contains lard
Anything “grande”
Italian
Better for you
Neapolitan-Style Mussels
Grilled Vegetables
Antipasti plate
Minestrone Soup
Spaghetti Marinara
Maiale Saltimboca
Pasta Primavera
Pappardelle Bolognese
Cannelloni I had them in a restaurant by
the Spanish Steps in Rome, and haven't found a replacement since.
Caprese Salad
Chicken Cacciatore
Grilled Calamari
Italian
Bad for You
Fettuccine Alfredo: Alfredo sauce is made from heavy cream, parmesan cheese,
and lots of butter.
Spaghetti Carbonara:
Four egg yolks, a cup of cheese, olive oil,
half a pound of bacon is added to the pasta.
Parmesan Risotto:
Arborio rice, oil, butter, and parmesan cheese.
Granitas are half sugar.
Eggplant Parmesan
It's a vegetable, but they load it with flour and breadcrumbs.
Stuffed Shells
It's got three different kinds of fat-filled cheese,
and giant shells of pasta for plenty of carbs.
Fried Calamari
Squid is good for you until they fry it in a vat of oil.
French
Good choices
Ratatouille
Soup Au Pistou (Pesto Vegetable Soup)
Tuna au Poivre
Coquilles St.-Jacques - Scallops
Broth-based soups would be better than cream soups, yet French Onion soup has 582 calories.
Avoid cream or cheese sauces: au gratin, hollandaise, béarnaise, and béchamel.
Choose mustard sauces without cream, avoid pate.
Don't eat every day
Cassoulet with its duck, bacon, sausage
Seared Foie Gras has 20% of daily allowance of cholesterol per serving. Here's some at Maximillian's in The Market in Seattle.
Indian Food
Good Choices
Dishes With Dal
In Hindi, “dal” means lentils.
Choose dal in tomato-based sauces over creamy ones to keep down the fat.
Tandoori Chicken is a good choice.
Chana Masala
Its main ingredient is chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans.
Your call:
Navratan Korma means “nine gems” in Hindi for nine vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
If you order it in a restaurant, it’s often finished with half and half but if they use yogurt or coconut milk - you're good.
Chutney is ok unless it says "sweet." "Jaggery" is fermented palm sugar and is used in Sweet Chutney.
Kebabs are a good choice.
Aloo Gobi:
Potatoes & Cauliflower
Indian Food
Bad Choices
Deceptive Samosas are filled with veggies -- but in a carb-heavy pastry shell or wonton skin,
then deep fried in bubbling fat.
Saag Paneer -
your eye settles on 'spinach' and deems it healthy. The problem is the cubes of paneer,
or Indian cheese fried in ghee, or clarified butter.
I used to make Chicken Tikka Masala
but it contains brown sugar and has about 90 grams of fat.
You have to have Naan in an Indian restaurant, don't you?
No, Naan is like American french fries - no nutritional value.
Naan is white flour, sugar, and oil.
Pappadam is deep fried, as are Pakoras (fried vegetables).
Skip: Lamb Rogan Josh
Thai food
is all sugar. I know of not one dish without it. Even salads are chock full of sugar.
Creole
Jambalaya has no sugar Turtle Soup has 50% cholesterol on its nutrition info. Blackened seasoning usually has brown or white sugar
Étouffée has no sugar but a lot of butter. Gumbo is about 50% cholesterol.
Steakhouse
Avoid the rib-eye, which has the highest fat and saturated fat content.
Bloomin’ Onion appetizer from Outback Steakhouse is pretty terrible for you. It clocks in at 1950 calories,
155 grams of fat and 56 grams of saturated fat, and 3,840 milligrams of sodium.
Oil and Vinegar salad dressing will not have sugar.
Vietnamese
Pho has sugar in it. Rice and fish sauce is a staple - fish sauce has sugar.
Pork Hum Bao has a lot of sugar.
American
There is a lot of good fish where I'm from especially salmon.
Fresh vegetables from locals is always the way to go.
I'm not going to mention obvious unhealthy fast food offerings like there could be sugar in the hamburger bun and
all bbq has sugar in the sauce, etc.
