Nutritional Information

[xuechengfeng]

Sad I have never paid attention to this in my previous six trips, but since I'm moving there and attempting to stick to a low saturated fat / sodium diet, what exactly is required to be listed on food?

Are all the ingredients listed?

As a side note, is Chinese food as processed as American food, such as high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, etc.?

[Yang Rui]

There is generally very little nutritional information on food packaging, though you'll usually find a list of ingredients on items bought from the supermarket. The list will be in Chinese, of course.

Safety in food processing isn't exactly one of China's strong points, as various food scandals have shown.

The best thing to do if you're interested in controlling what you eat (as in any country) is probably to try and cook for yourself as much as possible, using relatively unprocessed foods that you have bought yourself from the market/supermarket.

If you eat in restaurants I think you would have a tough time following a low-sodium diet. The amount of salt in some Chinese food is incredible. I remember watching a friend cook and seeing him spoon in large quantities of a white powder. I asked him what it was, and was astounded when he replied, "salt". I'd never seen so much used in cooking before.

[wushijiao]

Are all the ingredients listed?

If I'm not mistaken, fat, saturated fat and sodium are all listed on packaged foods.

As a side note, is Chinese food as processed as American food, such as high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, etc.?

Yes, I think Chinese processed food is every bit as processed as American products.

I would pretty much agree with what Yang Rui said above. Cook for yourself as much as possible, eat as much fresh produce as you can, and limit restaurant meals (and when eating there, ask the wait staff if they can limit salt, MSG, and oil).

By the way, all Chinese cuisines (and Western cuisines for that matter) contain staggering amounts of sodium, but I think Beijing food beats them all: According to Beijing News (via Danwei) Beijingers eat 13.4 grams of salt per day!

[Brian US]

I think it also depends on what part of China you plan on moving to. I can definitely believe the Beijing food isn't the best. I stopped going to the cafeteria as every dish was just floating in oil. I cook for myself most of the time, but the winter in the north does not make it easy walking to a market.

[aristotle1990]

Oh, don't worry. Thanks to the contaminated soil, China's agricultural products are naturally fortified with more than twice the RDA of lead, arsenic, and cadmium -- you'll be able to eat nutritiously no matter what you eat.

[amandagmu]

Cook for yourself as the others suggested, which I did that for a few months last time I was in Dalian -- I made half my meals in the kitchen of a dormitory where I lived. I sliced fresh veggies (after a thorough washing) and then cooked them with some rice noodles or spaghetti or rice on the side. I found olive oil at Carrefour and Walmart.

I also highly recommend equipping yourself with a decent cookbook before going to China. Last year, I found myself constantly sick from high-processed foods (in the U.S. and in China) but living in Germany the last few months has been much easier on my tummy. When I stopped eating meat recently (few months back), a friend of mine got me what I swear is the greatest cookbook I have ever found: Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian." It is not just recipes, but variations, information on ingredients, and literally how to cook everything, including recipes that have limited supplies/spices/ETC (and what can be substituted and such when you can't find an ingredient). Think: all you have is some spices and chickpeas or beans and this guy tells you what you can do with them! Last night, for example, using this book I made a ginger/leek/salt/olive oil sauce I sprinkled over rice noodles and mixed in with some cooked tofu, cabbage leaves, and bean sprouts, because that's what I had around the kitchen. And I know that I'll probably be able to find those ingredients in China as well, so I'm bringing this book (or at least an electronic copy, it's kind of big) with me when I head to Beijing in a week and a half. His book even has several spring roll and jiaozi recipes that are great.

[Chinadoog]

is there something wrong with peanut oil?

[amandagmu]

Hmmm... good question. I'm going to look that up because I've heard various arguments. I know I use olive oil mainly for taste reasons (sorry, but I grew up on olive oil and love it with veggies and pasta!), and because I know it's not as bad for my health as some other cooking oils. Now, whether or not peanut oil is good for your health, I don't know. I'll research!

Edit: From a quick glance, they appear nutritionally to be about the same, with olive oil used for medium-heat stir fries, sautees, savory dishes, and salad dressing, and peanut oil used for high temperature fries but with little added taste (so you probably have to add something else for flavor). Several websites argue that olive oil provides more health benefits, even though peanut oil doesn't seem any "worse" for your health. Anyways, seems like I should stock both, depending on the dish I make!

[wushijiao]

Some experts, such as doctor Furhrman of "Eat to Live" or Caldwell Esselstyn (a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic who has over 20 years of documented scientific evidence in

, and whom Bill Clinton recently praised in helping him fix his heart), would advocate no oil of any kind, and if one is using oil, to use it very moderately.

Of course, to what extent is that doable in real life is another question. But I find it important to know that the gold standard should be no oil at all.

[Brian US]

Of course, to what extent is that doable in real life is another question.

I consider my cooking very bland but I find some water, low heat, and a non-stick pan do well without oil.

[Chinadoog]

i like peanut oil because it smells really good

[skylee]

After reading this thread I had this sudden desire to cook myself some spaghetti tonight. So I bought some pasta and a bottle of pesto sauce at a supermarket. The cooking was successful (Italian food has to be the simpliest and friendliest cuisine on earth) and it was satisfying to know that I could cook with that little equipment I had. But the taste wasn't right, the sauce was aromatic but almost tasteless. Was I supposed to add some salt (no salt at home)?

And having home-cooked spaghetti is much more expensive than having instant noodles.

PS - and how can anyone use up a whole bottle of sauce in ten days?

[Brian US]

PS - and how can anyone use up a whole bottle of sauce in ten days?

I invited a Thai friend over to make pasta last month. She brought the pasta and instead of sauce, she bought ketchup. I don't think there is enough salt to make pasta taste good with ketchup. I haven't touched the bottle of "sauce."

[xuechengfeng]

I invited a Thai friend over to make pasta last month. She brought the pasta and instead of sauce, she bought ketchup. I don't think there is enough salt to make pasta taste good with ketchup. I haven't touched the bottle of "sauce."

I had several home cooked meals in Russia and this seemed to be common. I don't mind it, but in terms of sodium content, ketchup can end up far worse relative to spaghetti sauce.

[xiaocai]

Maybe no oil is the best way to go for your heart, but how about the rest of our body? I think more researches need to be done before we set no oil as essential for a healthy diet...

Alright I admit that I love fat too much that it is impossible for me to adapt to the cooking oil free recommendation. But cooking oils are so good. Just a few drops will make a simple vegetarian salad so much more palatable. Maybe I would be able to live a few years more (I highly doubt it though) if I stuck to a fat free regimen but I would have lost so much fun in the kitchen and at the dining table.

All the ingredients are listed. But it is not compulsory to give nutritional information on the package here in China. What you find in processed food is about the same all over the world as the methods of food processing are pretty much set industrial standards. Cooking for yourself is probably the best.

As for pasta sauce, you can use tomato paste instead of ketchup. Some of them are salt free. I bought a few tubs with about 140g tomato paste in each the other day, and the ingredients listed are just concentrated tomato, no salt, no preservatives. It was surprisingly good in my 罗宋汤. I am pretty sure it would turn out just as well in pasta provided that you have a good recipe. But I always feel that pasta should be strongly flavoured. I tried some "light" pasta sauce and they just not as good as their "heavy" counterpart.

PS - and how can anyone use up a whole bottle of sauce in ten days?

How much can you eat? Normally for me a can of 350g pasta sauce is just right to make two serves. I will have one for dinner and the other for lunch at work the next day.

[gerri]

Seems like the perfect thread to throw this tidbit into: my cholesterol levels were not great during the health check I had for my Z-Visa, before coming here. Last summer, I had myself checked out again, and they were very good... after two years of living in China, largely cooking myself: lots of oil, Hunan cuisine just doesn't work without it, but also used for lots of leafy greens and other vegetables (and definitely fewer pastries...)

(Btw, peanut oil can be heated to much higher temperatures than olive oil, that's the main thing about those two. Some cheap olive oil is also not great; but I'd admit to being more concerned about non-descript "vegetable oils")

[xiaocai]

Talking about cholesterol levels, has anyone here heard about this?

"Salt, pepper and Lipitor, sir?"

[xuechengfeng]

Interesting, xiaocai.

I was at the doctor in February and had a cholesterol reading of 236. I was definitely surprised, since I'm a weight lifter and I exercise four days a week. I completely changed my diet through cutting down on saturated fats, so I'm hoping it's a bit better. I'm definitely getting anxiety about moving to China and not being in a controlled eating environment. :mellow:

[xiaocai]

236 is marginal but I suppose you are still in your twenties? It is much easier to bring it down when you are still young so do no worry. Saturated fats are indeed one major factor to elevated cholesterol levels. The food you normally get in restaurants and markets here in China is not exactly healthy but the saturated fat content may be one of the last things you will worry about. Majority of chinese dishes do not employ any cheese, butter, margarine and palm oil.

That being said, we do use a lot of salt and MSG. Personally I do not have anything against MSG, as long as that it is used in moderation without overpowering other flavours. Too much salt is proven not good for your health so sticking to recommended daily intake would be ideal. Then again, if you cook yourself I don't think it is too hard to get it under control.

[calamindos]

What about snacks? The food here is so different that I get completely lost. I went to two supermarkets at both ends of Wudaokou and they don't seem to have low fat/ low sodium biscuits or even snacks. What would be some options to satisfy winter cravings?

By the way, if some people have examples of nutrition plans adapted to Beijing or China's available ingredients, that could save a few years of foreigners' life