Is Sichuan Food Healthy? (3 Tips for Weight Loss)   

If you are a fan of Chinese food, then you most likely have come across a Sichuan dish at least once in your life.

Named after the Sichuan province in China, Sichuan food was made to help people dehumidify from the extreme humidity in their area. 

Flavored with garlic and spices, Sichuan food is most notable for its redness from the spicy peppers and its heavy flavors. 

Now there is no doubt that Sichuan food is delicious with its spiciness and bold flavors but the question is: Is Sichuan food healthy? 

Sichuan food is not the best for your health because it is covered in oil and typically heavier on the carbohydrates.

This can lead to consuming excess Saturated fats and carbohydrates which can lead to complications for anyone looking to stay healthy.

In this article, we will be covering three tips that will help you lose weight while eating Sichuan Food. 

Tip 1: Understand which Sichuan Foods Hinder Weight Loss

Tip 2: Understand which Sichuan Foods are Best for Weight Loss

Tip 3: Understand what to Pair with Sichuan Foods to Lose Weight

By keeping these three tips in mind, you will be on your way to weight loss while still being able to enjoy Sichuan food. 

Tip 1: Understand which Sichuan Foods Hinder Weight Loss

Sichuan cuisine has several different dishes that all use this common ingredient: Sichuan Peppercorn.

This is what gives the Sichuan food that unique spicy taste and the brilliant red color that we see on these dishes. 

In this section, we will be covering the nutritional information for three popular Sichuan dishes and why these are not the ideal food to eat when you are trying to lose weight.

Dan Dan Noodles

Starting off, we have the delicious and thick Dan Dan Noodles, which is a spicy and peanutty dish that is packed with flavor.

Commonly served with sauce on top of the plain noodles, you often have it served unmixed so you can have the joy of merging all the delicious flavors together yourself. 

For every serving of Dan Dan Noodles, there are 400 calories with 10 grams of fat, 63 grams of carbohydrates, and 13 grams of protein.

Since Dan Dan noodles main ingredient is the floury fresh noodles themselves, this makes it very high in carbohydrates which makes this a calorically dense dish, On top of that, the peanuts and oil from the sauce add a lot of fat into the dish making this not the ideal food to eat when losing weight.

If you are really craving Dan Dan noodles, I recommend only eating a small bowl, around half a serving size, and pairing it with vegetables and a lean source of protein.

Chao Shou - Spicy Wontons 红油抄手

Next, are the mini spicy Sichuan wontons that are often served as an appetizer.

This is definitely my favorite way to eat wontons because this stir-fry has so much delicious flavor and perfectly compliments the meat inside the wontons. 

For every serving of Chao Shou, or around 10 mini wontons, there are 400 calories with 19 grams of fat, 42 grams of carbohydrates, and 17 grams of protein.

Chao Shou gets a lot of its extra calories from the oily sauce mixture making this a pretty high calorie meal.

10 mini wontons are often not enough to make you full in one meal, so you are probably going to end up overeating this meal which can easily become a 700-800 calorie meal filled with fat.

If you are eating Chao Shou, be sure to not over consume on this dish because every time you eat a 40 calorie wonton, this can quickly put you in a calorie surplus without you even realizing it.  

Sichuan Eggplant Stir Fry - 鱼香茄子

Finally is the famous Sichuan Eggplant Stir Fry. This beautifully presented dish is made up of a variety of colors, from the bright purple skin to the bright red Sichuan peppercorns.

This eggplant dish is packed with sweet, spicy, and sour flavors making this one of the most unique and delicious Sichuan dishes.

For every serving of Sichuan Eggplant Stir Fry, there is around 350 calories with 28 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.

Although eggplants are a healthy vegetable, it’s drenched in the eggplant sauce which adds a lot of extra calories to this dish. 

Be sure to portion size out your Sichuan Eggplant Stir Fry and do not overeat on this fatty Sichuan dish. 

Now that you have an idea of which Sichuan foods to eat in moderation, let’s talk about the best Sichuan foods for weight loss.

Tip 2: Understand which Sichuan Foods are Best for Weight Loss

As we observed earlier, most Sichuan foods are not good for weight loss because of the calorically dense sauces that cover all the dishes.

However, there are still some great Sichuan food options that are lower in calories and fat and much higher in protein. 

In this section, we will be covering three popular Sichuan foods that are good choices to grab when you are trying to lose weight. 

Fu Qi Fei Pian (Sliced Beef) - 夫妻肺片

Fu Qi Fei Pian is a Sichuan sliced beef dish that directly translates as “Husband and Wife Lung Slices”.

Despite this extremely odd name, this delicious beef dish is a juicy and savory way to cook meat and is definitely a must-have. 

For every serving of Fu Qi Fei Pian, there are 380 calories with 18 grams of fat, 1 grams of carbohydrates, and 52 grams of protein.

With little to no carbohydrates, and is much lower in fat compared to the other dishes, Fu Qui Fei Pian is a great food to eat when you are trying to lose weight.

Packed with 50 grams of protein, Fu Qi Fei Pian can help you hit your protein intake for the day and keep you full and energized.

Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu is another common Sichuan dish that uses the same sauce to prepare a soft and flavorful tofu dish.

Somewhat similar to Kung Pao Tofu, mapo tofu is a soft, vegan dish that is another great option. 

For every serving of Mapo Tofu, there are 260 calories with 16 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates, and 13 grams of protein.

Although it is considered higher in fat compared to Fu Qi Fei Pian, this low calorie option is much better compared to Dan Dan noodles or Chao Shou. 

Kung Pao Shrimp

Finally, we have the delicious Kung Pao Shrimp, which is a juicy and peanutty shrimp dish that is filled with sweet and spicy flavor.

This is my favorite dish to order whenever I eat at a Chinese restaurant and is a great Sichuan food to eat when trying to lose weight. 

For every serving of Kung Pao Shrimp, there are 340 calories with 15 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbohydrates, and 42 grams of protein.

This high protein dish has very little fat and carbohydrates making this the ideal Sichuan food to eat when you are trying to remain in a calorie deficit.

By eating high protein and low fat foods, you can eat more for less calories and also feel more full after eating these meals!

Tip 3: Understand what to Pair with Sichuan Foods to Lose Weight

Quite often, Sichuan food is very difficult to eat  by itself, so we pair this oily and spicy food with some other more bland foods like rice.

In this section, we will discuss why it is important to pair your Sichuan foods with vegetables instead of rice. 

Vegetables 

When eating Sichuan food, skip out on the rice bowl and swap it out for the light salad or steamed vegetables.

Vegetables are a great food to pair in every meal because they are super low in calories, high in fiber, and high in volume, which gives you the illusion that you are eating more than you are consuming. 

The reason why it is important to eat foods high in fiber is because fiber keeps you satiated throughout the day and will keep you more energized throughout the day.

Rice

If you want to pair your Sichuan food with rice, I highly recommend portioning your rice to less than what you are served.

One serving of rice is pretty high in calories (up to 250) and can add many additional carbohydrates to your meal.

Cutting down the portion size in half and replacing it with vegetables can save you a ton of calories and make this a lower-calorie meal.

Foods high in carbohydrates often do not keep you full throughout the day and you can easily get hungry again causing you to snack.

This is why it is important to eat high-protein and fibrous foods to prevent you from overeating. 

So there you have it!

Now that you know which Sichuan foods are not the best for weight loss, which Sichuan foods are healthier options to incorporate into your diet, and what to pair with your Sichuan foods, you can enjoy this delicious Chinese cuisine while still losing weight!

Weight loss does not need to be a painful and restrictive process, but more so about making smart choices and portion sizing your food so you can enjoy your cravings while still losing weight!

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!

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