Turning into a fat ass - what Taiwanese food is actually healthy

I know there are probably a few threads like this, but what Taiwanese food is good if you want to lose weight.

I have gained probably close to 8kg since coming here. Part of the problem is beer, but diet is also definitely an issue.

I am struggling to find Taiwanese food that isn’t really oily and/or loaded with grease and sugar.

Do you have any suggestions of dishes that are not fattening? Or will I have to start cooking for myself.

Any other tips on losing some weight here?

Oily food doesnt make you fat BTW

Can go and eat in the buffet restaurants, they are pretty healthy if you choose the right things.

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Bingo! Full stop.

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And lay off the huge quantities of rice/noodles

Don’t try and eat like a local (if you’re genetically white European), they metabolize stuff way differently.

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Best thread title 2018.

I can confirm, eating local “healthy” food I gained a lot of weight, then with exercise + food I’m more used to (and that some people would consider less healthy) I dropped quite a few kilos.

theres plenty of healthy non greasy food. most taiwanese stuff is pretty soupy too, so you can avoid the oil. unless you add la you. wontons, beef noodles, lu rou fan, zha jiang mian, shui jiao, hot pot ect. all of these basic types of food are fine. the problem is most of them are 90% carbs. the noodles/ rice ratio to meat and veg is way out of wack if you don’t want to eat a shit load of carbs all day. of course you can go to those buffet restaurants and choose whatever you like, you can skip the rice. but those places ain’t exactly tasty.

preparing your own food is always going to be the best option if you want to be healthy though.

Exactly, even a mediocre home-cooked meal with decent ingredients will beat most stuff you can find outside when it comes to health.

Yeah for sure. Like many of us, I work long hours but also try to get my socialising in at the same time. So a trip down to the pub with mates often ends in a few beers. More than I used to back home. I’ve calmed it down a bit, but yeah as it is the primary way I socialise, I probably drink too much.

I’ll start giving the buffets more attention and/or start getting into the habit of cooking more and fitting exercise in.

I’m just so exhausted by the time I get home, I’m often too tired to both cook and exercise. Many people manage to do it, and I had no problems back home but here the long work hours have been a tough adjustment.

Sounds like it’s time to start a kaffeeklatsch. Black, no sugar, of course. Seriously…cutting down on beer made a big difference for me.

Fat won’t make you fat. But sugar (carbs) will. Sugar is the 800 lb gorilla of overweight / poor health.

Sorry to inform you that beer is mainly carbs. MillerLight is the healthiest choice with 3.2 grams carbs and 1 gram of protein per can.

So a case is like a protein meal! Great for fueling those muscles after a workout!

Seriously, whole foods, low carbs, decent amount of exertion (exercise, walking, whatnot) is all that is needed (no, 12 ounce curls do not count).

Also having just two meals a day helps. Late breakfast and early dinner.

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Yeah cutting out a meal is a great one. Haven’t eaten breakfast for years. Unless doing something strenuous like a big hike, you don’t need it at all.

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I switched from beer to whisky (at least in winter). Drinking a lot less now, at least in terms of volume. Give it a try!

Fat won’t make you fat. But sugar (carbs) will. Sugar is the 800 lb gorilla of overweight / poor health.

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/happens-unburned-carbohydrates-2461.html

This is why we avoid carbs in low carb diets - we already eat too much of them…

If you eat more calories from carbs or other sources than your body can use, the cells store the excess as fat.

… and if you don’t change this state of health, then you risk becoming diabetic later in life.

…people with diabetes or prediabetes often track the carbs they eat; eating too many carbohydrates, especially sugars and refined starches, can cause blood sugar and/or insulin to spike to potentially dangerous levels in people with diabetes.

Do you drink those sugared ice tea drinks? Those things are bad news. I think the first survival Mandarin I learned was “Bu jia tang, xie xie!”

Healthy Taiwanese food? When I want some tasty stuff that will also keep my weight under control (more or less) I go for steamed vegetarian dumplings (su jian jiao)–the ones cooked in the bamboo steamers.

Good luck figuring things out!

Guy

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It’s not just the drinks, any kind of bread, buns, sauces, gravies, mayo, etc are loaded with sugar. You may not add sugar to your tea or coffee but still consume a good amount without realizing it. Study the labels.

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