Why You Shouldn't Order Orange Beef At A Chinese Restaurant

Chinese food can be one of the most satisfying meals on a night when you want to allow yourself room for something different from the usual items on your menu. The cuisine has a range of options — fried rice, dumplings, noodles, lemon chicken, prawn crackers, egg rolls, orange beef, and more. The cuisine is expansive and chefs use several cooking methods to prepare their dishes, including as stir-frying, boiling, steaming, roasting, braising, and more (via China Highlights.)

If you're looking for dishes that are good for you, some of your best options are Wonton soup, spring rolls, and options with lean protein, like chicken and tofu. Unfortunately, some delicious Chinese dishes are healthier and more nutritious than their counterparts. On that note, one of the dishes you should resist ordering at a Chinese restaurant is orange beef. As delicious as this dish is, once you take a good, long look at what goes into it, you realize that it's not quite worth it.

To begin: A single serving of orange beef is deadly for you in terms of the number of calories at stake. According to CheatSheet, the problem lies with the way the dish is prepared. It's essentially deep-fried, and has excess sugar in the form of chili sauce. It's not the healthiest option out there. You may end up eating as much as 1,000 calories or more if you opt for a container and finish it off on your own (via Spark People). It boasts a remarkable amount of sugar: as much as 60 grams. As you probably expected, there's more bad news waiting on your plate. You may end up consuming somewhere around 50 grams of fat, says My Fitness Pal, and 1,900 milligrams of sodium.

For reference, the recommended amount of fat in a day rests at 44-77 grams, within a 2,000-calorie plan, reports SF Gate. And you should consume less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium every day to keep your heart in good shape. You get the point: this dish isn't great for you. Perhaps you could share it with your friends and choose healthier add-ons to your meal, like steamed dumplings and lots of mixed vegetables. We know it's tempting. We know it tastes good. We know.