Chinese Food: inexpensive, nutritious, delicious... and fun!

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Another CF cooking method that is frequently used but which I haven't tried (and therefore can't properly appraise) is steaming. Apparently it's a very good way to cook fish . . . and vegetables which have been steamed retain almost all their nutrients and often appear so fresh that some people find it difficult to believe they've been cooked at all.

While we're on the subject of cooking I should mention a few words about preparing rice. As you may have guessed, there's more than one way to boil the grain. In fact, after reading seven different CF cookbooks, I now know exactly seven different ways to handle the task. Some say to wash the rice first, others say not . . . and each guide seems to have a different formula for how much water to add to each cup of the grain and how long to then cook the mixture. I can't tell any great difference in the final product and advise you to just pick (and stick with) the one recipe that seems easiest to you.

Consult any of the good Chinese cookbooks I've listed with this article for more specific information on the techniques of CF cooking.

Although this is not primarily a "diet" piece, I've included an estimated calorie count with the recipes that accompany this article. The information is only approximate since the calculations are based on the portions that I use and your servings may be somewhat larger or smaller. I think, though, that this rough guide will quickly point out to weight watchers the value of CF.

Dieticians and other food experts tell us that a normal adult male should consume approximately 2900 calories—an a female about 2100 calories—per day of average activity. Many North Americans' daily calorie intake totals far more than this, leading to a rather noticeable collective weight problem. Since my figures show that the average stir-fry Chinese dish provides only one-fourth to one-third the recommended daily calorie total, it seems obvious that tasty; satisfying and nourishing CF might well be the ideal tool for paring away those years of unnecessary energy which so easily accumulate around the middle.

To sum up then, I certainly feel that I've been eat-ing very well since I switched to Chinese food last September. I've had no illness and I've only felt better since I made the change partly, I'm sure, because I no longer have the desire to constantly stuff myself with greasy, starchy "trash" foods.

I've also saved a lot of money since I began eating CF and, although I'm not always so frugal, my daily food bills now sometimes total only 25¢. I know—based on first-hand experience—that the individual who purchases wisely, packager, his food into meal-sized portions and utilizes everything he buys can cut his eating expenses to no more than $10 peg month. Vegetarians could get by for even less.

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