Is Char Siu Healthy? (3 Tips for Weight Loss)

Bright red, thinly sliced, and beautifully glazed, Char Siu pork slices are an instantaneously recognizable dish.

As a popular Cantonese dish, several different Asian countries, such as Japan, China, Indonesia, and even Hawaii, have taken on this incredibly delicious meat.

Even though we know that Char Siu is a super good dish, you are probably wondering: Is Char Siu Healthy? 

Char Siu is a relatively healthy food to consume when trying to lose weight because it is high in protein and low in fat. However, some dishes that contain Char Siu may be detrimental for weight loss because the extra sauce and ingredients add a lot of additional calories.

Although there are leaner cuts of meat, Char Siu is a great option to eat when you are trying to lose weight! 

In this article, we will be discussing three great tips that will help you understand more about the nutrition behind Char Siu and how to enjoy these pork slices while still losing weight:

Tip 1: Understand the Nutrition Behind Char Siu

Tip 2: Understand which Char Siu is Best to Eat When Losing Weight

Tip 3: Understand How to Fit Char Siu Into Your Diet

Let’s get started!

Tip 1: Understand the Nutrition Behind Char Siu

When trying to lose weight, one of the first things to learn about is how to read and interpret nutrition labels.

The essential information to understand is the calories and macronutrients, fat, carbohydrates, and protein.

In this section, we will be analyzing the nutritional information of Char Siu and explain what it means. 

For every serving of Char Siu, which is around 4 ounces, there are a total of 220 calories with 8 grams of carbohydrates, 24 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fat.

Char Siu is a relatively healthy food to eat when you are trying to lose weight. Since it is high in protein and low in fat, this makes this the ideal balance.

Char Siu is lower in fat than other more fatty meats because Char Siu is made up of pork shoulder, or pork butt, which makes the meat a lot leaner and contains a lot less fat.

Other slices of pork, like pork belly, have a lot more fat, making them a lot higher in calories. 

As you can see, this dish is very high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat, which is what we are aiming for when we are trying to lose weight.

We want to eat more protein because this is the essential macronutrient that we need to consume to build and retain muscle. 

If you are trying to figure out how much protein you should be eating, try aiming for around 1.4 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

This is the recommended amount for active individuals, and I highly recommend looking at NASM’s website to understand better how much protein you should be consuming daily. 

The most important way to lose weight is to make sure you are in a calorie deficit or burn more calories than your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE.

That means that eating “healthy” or “clean” food while remaining in a calorie surplus will ultimately lead to weight gain.

We should avoid unhealthy junk food because they tend to be higher in calories and often don’t make you extraordinarily full or energized.

You may now be wondering, how do you figure out your TDEE? This is very simple!

All you have to do is go onto any credible fitness website, like Bodybuilding.com or NASM, and find their calorie calculator.

By putting in your sex, height, weight, and activity level, this calculator can help you generate an approximate number that is your TDEE. 

Once you know your TDEE, to be in a calorie deficit, aim to eat around 300-500 calories less than your TDEE every single day.

Although you may not see results in the first couple of days, or maybe even the first week, it’s essential to trust the process and stay consistent.

Weigh yourself every single day, at the same time to get the most accurate results. 

My favorite way to track how many calories I am eating every day is by using MyFitnessPal, which allows you to easily input your food into a journal and help you calculate how many calories you are eating throughout the day. 

Remember that everyone’s body is unique, and the TDEE calculator is simply an estimate.

If you still do not see any results within around two weeks, try lowering your calorie intake by around 100-200 calories and observe the results.

Drink plenty of water throughout the process, and fill your diet with low-calorie options and high protein foods!

Tip 2: Understand which Char Siu is Best to Eat When Losing Weight

As mentioned earlier, there are several ways to prepare Char Siu, and it can be paired with different types of foods to create a delicious and hearty Cantonese meal.

In this section, we will go over three popular Char Siu dishes and their specific nutritional information. 

Char Siu Bao

Growing up, out of all the variations of different baos that my grandma made, I always wanted to eat Char Siu Bao because it was a perfect mixture of sweet and salty. The fluffy white exterior perfectly complements the chopped up and juicy pork glazed with sweet honey. 

For one Char Siu Bao, there are around 200 calories, with 4 grams of fat, 21 grams of carbohydrates, and 19 grams of protein.

This is not too bad of a dish at all! If you are craving a Char Siu Bao for a snack, fitting this high protein and low-fat bao into your daily intake will most likely not throw you off track.

Just be sure not to eat too many because this can instantly put you over 400-600 calories. 

Char Siu Wonton Noodles 

Filled with other exciting and delicious ingredients, Char Siu Wonton Noodles is a brightly colored Malaysian dish that contains wontons, noodles, vegetables, and of course, char siu. Served either in soup or dry, Char Siu Wonton Noodles is a yummy dish worth trying. 

One medium bowl of Char Siu Wonton Noodles has around 550 calories with 29 grams of fat, 152 grams of carbohydrates, and 41 grams of protein.

This is a calorically dense dish high in carbohydrates and fats, so I recommend eating these noodles in moderation.

Since the noodles and wontons add many additional calories to the dish, you can make this dish lower in calories if you take out the wontons and replace it with vegetables. 

Char Siu Rice Bowl

Char Siu Rice is a perfect way to pair your Char Siu pork slices and is also one of the quickest and easiest ways to make a meal for you and your family.

By quickly steaming some rice and boiling some bok choy, you can easily pair your Char Siu Rice with these two simple ingredients.

For one bowl of Char Siu Rice, there is around 410 calories with 6 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbohydrates, and 41 grams of protein.

This is a relatively balanced meal that is perfect for lunch or dinner.

High in protein and low in fat, Char Siu Rice has an excellent macronutrient distribution low in calories and can keep you full and energized throughout the day.

Now that you know the nutritional information behind some popular Char Siu dishes, you can go into your diet with full confidence of approximately how many calories you are consuming whenever you are craving one of these meals. 

Tip 3: Understand How to Fit Char Siu Into Your Diet

If you know you are going out to eat Chinese takeout with some friends or family, the most important thing to keep in mind is planning and adjusting to a big meal.

By preparing ahead of time, you can enjoy some time with your friends while still managing a calorie deficit.

This last section will give you some simple tips on how you can enjoy eating Chinese food, such as Char Siu, while still staying on track with your goals.

Skip Breakfast

Despite the common saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, if you know you will be eating a lot for lunch, I recommend skipping breakfast to give you more breathing room for when you eat out.

Think of your calories as a budget, and the more you save now, the more you can eat later. 

If you simply can not stand skipping breakfast, try eating a lighter breakfast lower in carbohydrates and higher protein. Foods such as egg whites, vegetables, or turkey ham are some great options. 

Eat Plenty of Vegetables

When pairing your Char Siu, don’t be afraid to eat plenty of vegetables.

Vegetables are extremely low in calories, high in fiber and protein, and can make you very full.

Instead of eating simple carbohydrates like rice, noodles, or bread, swap half the portion size for a big bowl of vegetables. 

Vegetables give you the illusion that you are eating a lot for minimal calories and can keep you full for a more extended period.

Remember, when you are dieting, it is very easy to get hungry, so by filling up your diet with the right foods, you will find yourself snacking less because you are properly fueling your body. 

Don’t Suppress Your Cravings

You shouldn’t suppress your cravings when you are trying to lose weight because this is not a sustainable method.

If you feel like you can only sustain this diet for a short time, then that means you are most likely going to gain your lost weight back. 

Instead of eliminating your favorite foods, it’s more about portion sizing, making smart choices, and planning ahead of time.

Dieting does not have to be a painful and restrictive process where you limit yourself to bland and tasteless food. Instead, enjoy your favorite foods, but in moderation. 

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Conclusion 

Remember, although nutrition is a huge factor that influences weight loss, it is important to pair this journey with exercise as well.

Especially strength training. Several years of research on the benefits of weight training have shown that individuals that do some sort of consistent resistance training at least 3-5 times a week have shown not only a great amount of weight loss but are also able to keep the weight off! 

The secret to this phenomena is that strength training leads to a build-up of muscle.

Not only does your body recomposition into a more fitting and athletic-looking aesthetic, but having more muscle also increases your resting metabolic rate which essentially means you burn more calories at rest! 

Now that we know the importance of muscle we need to make sure we stay on track with our workouts.

Consistency and longevity are the two key factors when building muscle so there will be some commitment involved. 

We understand that not everyone has access to a gym membership or feels comfortable starting off in such an intimidating environment.

Although I would strongly recommend that everyone should get a gym membership, don’t worry we got your back!

You can either go to the gym or build one for yourself.

It really just comes down to 3 pieces of equipment that you need to do most workouts. These three are the workout bench, dumbbells, and gym flooring. Check out our recommended gear page to see our best picks for these pieces of equipment here. 

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment

If a home gym is not for you then getting a membership somewhere works too. As long as you are starting your muscle-building journey, we’re happy!