Yikes! Hidden calories in ethnic food

this article could have been simplified by just saying: Avoid foods that are fried, deep fried and packed w/ perservatives. Trying to engage an audience by saying which "ethnic" foods are good/bad for you is laughable because there's always going to be something on the menu that is terrible for you and there's going to be a healthier alternative, and the biggest gamble about eating out, is that you don't know everything that goes into your food and 90% of the time, you don't see them make it.
So instead of saying avoid the dragon roll & spicy tuna roll everytime, just say go for the sushi w/o the fried stuff and packaged mayo!

what the... if i have to eat a burrito w/o a tortilla, or have half a cup of brown rice instead of noodles, then i might as well not eat at all. heck i'd rather munch on a carrot or something.

now the japanese alternative sounds pretty good.

What research was done for this article? Who is making this Lo Mein you're blasting? And then, you give permission for everyone to continue choosing McD's? You don't differentiate between the benefits of fish oil v. saturated fats in red meat & fried foods. Who pays you?

Yeh, these aren't real ethnic foods.

chicken burrito = AMERICANized Mexican food
pork lo mein = AMERICANized Chinese food
modern sushi = AMERICANized Japanese sushi

None of these foods are authentic ethnic foods...the authentic variations would be far more healthy.

"sushis good if its cooked right" DUMB COMMENT,SUSHI IS NOT COOKED."" hey hypocrite, what about your comment. some sushi IS COOKED. Sashimi IS ALL RAW. you fail.

do not blame the food blame the portion and poor exercise habits. An healthy body wouldn't gorge on food - Ask any people who exercise regularly, they cannot eat heavy after a good work out, just need lots of liquid. an healthy body send strong signal when enough is enough.

women should be happy and embrace themselves no matter what.
fatty food or health.
slim or thick women.
it doesnt matter what you eat, be happy with who you are.

but at the same time lay off the fried foods ladies.
= ]

Before we become overwhelmed with talk of calories... let us entertain the fact that not all calories are alike, nor are they processed by the body in the same way. I found this article to be sensationalist and a bit insipid. I think people should stop watching food calories and start looking at change on a grander scale. Aside from the fact that the typical "American Diet" is so over processed that it barely resembles its original form, our ideas about weight loss are extraordinarily skewed.

The fact is, if you want to truly loose weight and keep it off, you first need to understand some basic biology rules.

To start, adipose tissue or "fat cells" are storage containers for lipids (fat)... when you loose weight the liquid filler of those cells is released into your blood stream and burned. However, the cells themselves continue to stick around! In fact, the fat cells (though skinnier) will maintain their status in your body until you biologically exhibit no-need for their existence.

For the most part, cellular replacement takes place every 90-120 days (depending upon your metabolism). So, it takes roughly 3-4 months for your body to be convinced that it would be more efficient to get rid of those cells than to hang on to them. This is why it is VERY easy to regain all your weight back in just a couple of binges. The cells are still there, with the same chemical memory of your previous "fatter self"... there's nothing evil about it, just a physiological survival attempt to maintain a homeostatic balance in your body.

So, worrying about calories of individual meals is only a concern if you are a yo-yo dieter with a bingeing tendency. It may help to look at HOW you eat rather than WHAT you eat. Behavior plays a greater role in weight gain than actual calories. I sense our culture seeks comfort through food. The physical process of eating and digestion possibly prevents us from noticing the feeling/sensing emotions that manifest on a visceral level. When you get nervous, where do you feel it? In your brain or in your gut? Furthermore, if "nervousness" is a feeling you don't like, perhaps distracting the body with eating will aid you in avoiding an uncomfortable emotional process.

Food for thought: Enjoy what you eat. Enjoy the process of eating. Be moderate. Listen internally.

Lastly, Japanese cuisine is as beautiful to eat as it is to look at... comparing the calories of a dragon roll to a tablespoon of butter is an inane comparison. The novel realization that a particular food is rich in calories is NOT illumination about why you have gained weight.

ok this the first time that i hear , that a chicken burrito have sour cream.that way too much calories .
mexican food is based on fresh ingridients and the meats are always grilled not fried .
A real mexican burrito does not have cheese or sour cream.

Real burritos do not supposed to be load with sour cream and lot of melting cheese that is basically fat. And lets remember that beans do not mean just calories but a good source of protein. We can enjoy a good burrito just avoid lot of cream/cheese, and sodium. Any type of food could be prepared in a healthy way if not 100% at least with less calories comming from saturated fats.

"problem with you gringos??" Racist comment. The reason you lose weight in Mexico is because you are on the toilet with Montezuma's Revenge.

Article written by a Registered Dietician. It seems like a RD's sole job is to count calories and not look at any other aspect. If people just ate in moderation and got enough exercise/activity, then all would be ok. I think that our Amercanized diet is a problem, but not as much as laziness. Just look at all the construction workers...eat junk food from roach coaches constantly, but in great physical shape. Your diet should reflect your lifestyle.

to all this people that critizises foods from other countries about the calories,
please stick to you garbage french fries and disgusting hamburguers and don't eat our delicius foods no one is putting a gun to you fat heads, for you to try our foods.

I think most ppl are missing the point of the article. It doesn't matter that the foods mentioned are not real ethnic foods. The foods mentioned are foods that offered up to the public on a daily basis, so it doesn't matter that you will not find real Italian food at Olive Garden or find anything that even remotely resembles Mexican food at Taco Bell or that someone from Japan would not recognize what Americans call sushi. The point is there are healthy choices and some not so healthy choices among our favorite cuisines.

But what makes food healthy or not healthy is much much more than the fat and calorie content. You also have to consider the overall nutritional value of the food. Sure anything made with avocado will be high in fat and calories but the oil in avocado is a heart healthy fat and good for you. So you should not avoid the avocado; you should limit the fried chips, duh!!! One of the reasons why diets fail is ppl count calories and forget about nutrition.

While I understand the point of the article, it does a disservice to its readers as it is not balanced. It was probably edited by a simpleton.

um,this article is so pointless.isn't this stuff kind of obvious already?what's with the title anyway?did anyone ever say that ethnic food has less calories?mostly everything out there,has a lot of calories,so it isn't that surprising to find out that these foods have calories too.And also,they shouldn't refer this to "ethnic food" seeing as they're americanized.Real sushi in Japan is different;they never put mayo in it,and it's considered a health food over there.And seriously,it all depends on where you're eating it from and who's cooking it.if you actually eat the real stuff,you'll see that they're VERY different.

This author is part of the Rodale cult of magazines. Dont subscribe, its very difficult to terminate your subscription.

Those aren't ethnic food, they are americanized food, i.e still considered as American food!

The calorie count for the sushi list 12 pieces, but most orders I have ever had only had 6 to 8 pieces which means the calorie count is double what a normal order would be?

Mexican food are more than burritos & tortillas chips. Try fish, shrimp or grilled chicken tacos on soft corn tortillas, add some fresh green or pico de gallo salsa and a side of whole beans. That is filling, delicious, low in calories & high in nutrition (high lean protein, low fat, high fiber, low carb).
Also try the ceviche or shrimp salad. It is basically shrimp or fish with lime juice & salsa. It tastes great & its very low in calories:)

BTW burritos are not Mexican food. I know our food is not that healthy with all the fried stuff, but we have plenty of healthy delicious options.

-.- GAAH Thats stupid... chinese food has waaaaay less calories then american food everyone knows that.... and eating american rolls instead of spicy tuna that is just scrap!!!! and americans just drink soo much soda so it adds up... taht americans have more