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1. To boil the hakka noodles, take a deep non-stick pan and fill it with around 4-5 cups of water. The water must be enough to cover the raw noodles.

2. Refresh the noodles with cold water to prevent carry-over cooking.

3. Add 1 tsp of oil and toss the noodles well. This will prevent the noodles from sticking to each other .Keep it aside.

4. Add the carrot. It will add crunchiness to your Vegetable Chow Mein. 5. Add the capsicum. Make use of red and yellow capsicum to make the chowmein more colorful.

American Chopsuey

Is Vegetable Chow Mein healthy?

No, this is not healthy. Let's see why.

Let's understand the Ingredients of Vegetable Chow Mein.

What's good in Vegetable Chow Mein.

Carrots (gajjar) : Carrots have the nutrient Beta Carotene which is a form of Vitamin A, helps prevent deterioration of the eye as one gets older and prevents night blindness. Carrot is great for the eyes.They relieve constipation, lower blood pressure, have fibre and lower cholesterol. Read the 11 super benefiits of carrots and why to include in your daily diet.

Baby Corn : Since baby corn are picked much before the maturing stage, they hold a lower starch content. ½ cup baby corn adds in only 6.7 g of carbs, which is relatively low.  Baby corn acts as a broom and helps maintain healthy bowels and avoid constipation as it is a good source of fiber. Keep an eye on the portion size always for  diabetics, that’s very important to have controlled amount of starch per day. Those with cardiac problems have no reason to avoid baby corn. The soluble fiber in baby corn can help in reducing cholesterol levels. See detailed benefits of baby corn.

Mushrooms: One cup of Mushrooms contain only 18 calories and is safe to be consumed by those who have excess weight, heart disease and high blood pressure. Mushrooms has a Glycemic Index of 15 which is very low and is diabetic friendly. The B-vitamins Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6) and Folic acid (B9) which are present in good amounts in mushrooms are involved in various metabolic reactions in the body. See the detailed 8 benefits of mushrooms.

Cabbage ( Patta Gobhi + Red Cabbage) : Cabbage is low in calories, relieves constipation, good for diabetics. Cabbage has high levels of flavonoids and anthocyanins and has long been used as a herbal medicine. Rich in Antioxidants in turn lowers the risk of infection and inflammation of the body due to eating processed foods. Red cabbage also called purple cabbage has slightly high levels of flavonoids and anthocyanins than green cabbage and has long been used as a herbal medicine. It has same health benefits to offer as the cabbage otherwise.See here all benefits of cabbage.

Bean Sprouts Benefits :  Bean Sprouts are one of the most complete and nutritional of all the foods that exist. With lots of dietary fiber to their credit, beans sprouts add bulk to stools and makes the passage of stools through the digestive tract easier. This helps to avoid constipation. With significant amounts of iron, beans sprouts help to maintain the red blood cell (RBC) count. A good RBC count means no sign of anaemia. Bean sprouts are a boon for heartpatients. They help maintain cholesterol levels and good for   diabetics. See detailed benefits of bean sprouts in bean sprouts glossary.

Sesame oil (Til oil): Sesame oil can play an important role in our diet. It is a concentrated source of energy, is very digestible, provides essential fatty acids and is a rich source of Vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which may help regulate blood cholesterol. Sesame oil is high in polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats so it is healthier to use than oils with higher saturated fat levels. Sesame oil is reputed to penetrate the skin easily, and is used in India for oil massages. It is suggested that sesame oil could be used in the treatment of dry nose, reduction of cholesterol levels (due to presence of Lignans which are phytoestrogens), as a laxative, a remedy for toothaches and gum disease, and as an anti-bacterial lotion.

Onions (pyaz, kanda) :  Raw onions are a very valuable source of vitamin C – the immune building vitamin. Along with other phytonutrients from onions, it helps to build WBC (white blood cells) which serves as a line of defence against illness. Yes, it’s a source of many antioxidants, the most important one amongst them being Quercetin. The quercetin in Onions promotes production of HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers total cholesterol in the body. The sulphur in onions act as a blood thinner and prevents blood clotting too. This in turn would lower blood pressure and good for heart,  diabetics. Read the benefits of onions. 

Garlic : Garlic has been proven to lower cholesterol. The active ingredient allicin present in garlic aids in lowering blood pressure. Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood glucose levels for diabetics. Garlic is great for the heart and circulatory system. Garlic has an antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal function and can help in relieving common cold and other viral infections. To boost your immune system have a garlic clove a day. Garlic is a top anti viral food. The thiosulphate compound, Allicin found in garlic acts as a strong antioxidant and protects our body from damage of free radicals.  Read here for complete benefits of garlic.

 Ginger (Adrak) : Ginger is an effective cure for congestion, sore throat, cold and cough. It aids digestion and relieves constipation. Ginger was found as effective as drugs in relieving menstrual pain. Ginger is effective in decreasing the cholesterol levels in patients with high cholesterol. Ginger significantly reduces symptoms of nausea in pregnant ladies. See here for 16 Super Health Benefits of Adrak, Ginger.

Celery (Ajmoda) : Celery helps reduce the total blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, thus reducing the clogging of arteries and chances of stroke.  Diabetics too can include this vegetable to their diet as its high fiber contribute to maintain healthy levels of blood sugar levels.  Potassium and its active compound phthalides have shown positive effects in controlling blood pressure. See detailed benefits of celery.

Spring Onions : The sulfur compounds in spring onions are known to keep blood pressure under check. Here the sulfur compounds and antioxidant quercetin together help to keep blood sugar levels under control by increasing the production of insulin making it good for Diabetics. Spring onions have also been identified to lower cholesterol levels in the body. The vitamin C also puts you at less risk of heart disease. Being very low in calories and fat and encompassing a basketful of nutrients, they are looked upon as a weight loss vegetable too. See detailed benefits of spring onions. 

What's problem in Vegetable Chow Mein.

Cornflour ( Cornstarch) : Pros. Cornflour is easy to digest because of the presence of insoluble fiber, thus benefits the gut. It’s gluten-free and can be consumed by those who cannot afford to have wheat. Cons. Cornflour is full of calories and carbs like refined sugar, thus a barrier to weight reduction. Those on weight loss diet must definitely not reach out for it. The high carbs makes it a No-No for a diabetic meal and restricted for heart patients. Read for more details is cornflour healthy? 

Hakka Noodle : Hakka noodles are made either from rice or wheat flour based doughs, they are high in carbohydrates and are also a good source of energy. The Added vegetables or chicken help in enhancing the fibre and protein content of the dish.
 

Note : 1 cup = 200 ml (standard cup available in the market). The weight in grams varies for each ingredient.

What is a best accompaniment to this Vegetable Chow Mein?

Vegetable Manchurian recipe is an Indo Chinese veg manchurian dish that has become so famous  these days. It is deep-fried vegetable balls in a thick gravy that is flavoured with typical Chinese ingredients like ginger, garlic and soy sauce.

Veg Manchurian, Chinese Dry Manchurian

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Vegetable Chow Mein?

No, this recipe is not good for diabetics, heart and weight loss. Hakka Noodles that is made from rice is not suitable for diabetic person. Cornflour is high carbs makes it a No-No for a diabetic meal and restricted for heart patients.

Can healthy individuals have Vegetable Chow Mein?

No, It is not healthy. Better to avoid it.

Which are healthy pasta or noodle options?

We suggest you have chunky tomato whole wheat pasta recipe, whole wheat vegetable noodles  or whole wheat pasta in low calorie white sauce recipe in limited quantiy where whole wheat pasta or whole wheat noodles is used and the sauces contain very little fat. 

 Whole Wheat Vegetable Noodles, Hakka Noodles for Diabetics

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet.

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet. 

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

Skip having Indian junk foods like pav bhaji, bata vada, pakoras, gulab jamun as they cause your body to have insulance resistance. The resultant is your body will store more carbohydrates as fats, causing storage of fat in the stomach causing a paunch and slowing down of our fat burning process. So its a bad cyle which causes you more more hunger and fatigue every time you eat junk food. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. Stress. The easiest way to kill your immune system is chronic stress. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. Workout builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss, builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away.

How to burn 253 calories that come from one serving of Vegetable Chow Mein?

Walking (6 kmph)                            =     1 hour 16 mins
Running (11 kmph)                          =      25 mins
Cycling (30 kmph)                          =     34 mins
Swimming (2 kmph)                       =      43 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.