For those working on maintaining weight

[shootingstar]

*BUT* I do get annoyed when people think that Asian cuisine is the solution to all of their dietary problems. It's probably a better way to eat than most, but there are still a few things to keep an eye on, like the sodium in soy sauce, or my mom's friend who had a stent put in and has been told by her doc to stay off the white rice (she does 1/2 white 1/2 brown b/c she can't stand the flavor of brown rice). I love tofu and soy milk, but some people can't digest it.

Long term benefits? I hope I haven't undone anything because I certainly haven't eaten that well since I grew up and moved out. It's probably an individual thing with many factors. I do have uncles and aunties in Taiwan who worry about keeping their weight down. Could be a problem of recent prosperity against scarce resources when they were growing up. Could be more access to western convenience products from McD's & 7-Eleven, who knows? My mom has struggled with emotional eating and keeping her weight down ever since I was born (it's my fault), and dad has, too, depending on his stress levels and whether or not he makes time for exercise and makes good decisions about what he eats when he's not at home. All this in spite of a lot of home cooking and home-grown vegetables.

Crankin, some of that weight gain you're experiencing after an Asian meal _could_ be from water retention if you're eating anything with lots of sodium. Try reaching for the low-sodium soy sauce or asking the chef to leave out the MSG. I started to get really bad PMS bloating a few years ago, and my doc told me to try cutting my sodium back. It helps, a bit.

To highlight what I would and do fall back, are selective Asian styles of food preparation and dishes that are healthy.

And yes, han-grrl, certain types of seaweeds are healthy in moderation. I don't know why alot people freak out over this anyway. If they remember that seaweed is really...underwater/sea vegetables. Eating it is like eating leaves or other varieties, like a fine dark brown vermecelli.

Upon the family doctor's orders, my mother has had to cut back her sodium intake, etc. because she has high blood pressure. So she had to adjust food preparation both for herself and for my father. My father followed suit because he figured it wouldn't hurt him anyway and besides my mother controls the kitchen. (Even though my father was a restaurant cook his whole life before retirement). As you know a traditional Asian diet doesn't use much sugar, so the sugar cutback for both of them was a non-issue. Parents have been eating healthily for over last 15 years. I am grateful they were motivated to change themselves ...instead of their children reminding them.

Same for cutting off meat fat before cooking..mother was doing it already when I was a teenager. At that time I thought she was obsessed. I had very little dessert/pop when growing up. It was reserved for special occasions. Our childhood homemade cake...was making STEAMED chiffon egg cake. Steaming a cake is more traditional Asian style. It's very easy. And uses just eggs, flour and sugar. And you steam the whole batter. It rises. That's how we had strawberry shortcake as children.

So I genuinely credit..a long family history of home Asian cooking that became healthier and healthier over the decades...to a point where my parents barely use any soy sauce in their cooking. Yes, it is STILL a Chinese tasting dish.

I was at my healthiest 20 years ago, when I used to look a Danish dessert and feel ill: ick, how sugary. Now, I have refined my appreciation of gourmet European desserts because my partner is German and has a mother who was a fantastic, gourmet baker.

I have no need to drink homogenized milk..I'm not a lactating mother nor no longer a growing child. I have soy cheese, tofu, etc. Will continue with skim milk. After 2 full cafe au laits, I do get uh..abit of diahrea anyway. Disappointing, since I love cafe au laits. (not cafe lattes which have more coffee...)