chinese take out: I eat a chinese take out with my wife once a week. During the week we cook and eat well and are in fairly good shape. A friend recently said that chinese take-out is full of MSG and was really really bad for your health. Now my relaxed Sunday with a take-out and a DVD is under threat... Any one with some light on this subject? Thanks.|||MSG is actually really bad for you, but now a lot of Chinese food restaurants are MSG-free. They usually show the "No MSG" sign on the front of their menus, but if not you can always ask them if they still have it in their food. If the place you are going still has it, I would definitely recommend going to a different restaurant that no longer uses it because the toxins can be quite devistating to women who are pregnant, and to a normally healthy body. Another thing you should probably be concerned about is the fat in these foods. They are really unhealthy, but if you only consume the take out once a week then it's up to you on what you want to go into your body. For your question though, I would definitely make sure you are are eating from a restaurant that is "MSG-Free."|||I usually get the steamed chicken and broccoli and add a light soy sauce, that's pretty healthy.|||Indulging yourself once a week is a rather good thing. Some people choose cake, some choose mexican, and others still, like you, choose to dine on Chinese food. Instead of never allowing yourself a treat, you've mastered the idea of a balance of a good diet and being in shape-so having chinese food once a week isn't going to have a hugely negative effect on you. Now that MSG has fallen beneath a negative limelight, more and more chinese restaurants are switching to dishes that include no MSG. MSG is a cheap way to make things taste slightly better than they did before--without the more expensive spices. It also poses a threat to nerves though, because MSG has been noted as being a potent neurotoxin. The neurons become so overly excited by MSG that they die, which is one of the reasons that people living in China have an increased rate of glaucome. Call your favorite chinese take-out restaurant and inquire whether they do use MSG in their cooking. They'll know right away. Be careful that when you do get chinese that you don't buy so much that you're actually eating it for lunch several days afterwards...then it's no longer a weekly treat but more of a food staple, not necessaril y a good thing unless you're only ordering steamed vegetables and grilled (not delectably fried) meats. Happy eating!|||Any restaurant foods in general had hidden additives. I personally would say its not that great for your health. Its not just the MSG its also the added salt and sugar in your sauces as well as added fats and oils. Home made Chinese food is much much much better for you because you can minimize your additives. Tips for ordering (link provided below where I found this) When ordering an appetizer, keep in mind that egg drop, wonton or hot and sour soups have less fat and calories than an egg roll, fried dumplings or spareribs. Select foods that are steamed, broiled or roasted. Words such as coated, twice-cooked, batter-coated, marinated or crispy suggest a food is prepared in a way that increases its fat content. Avoid crispy chow mein noodles, which are high in fat. Good low-fat Chinese entrees include: chicken, beef, pork or shrimp chow mein, chop suey, moo goo gai pan, and stir-fried meat with vegetables. Request dishes with as little sauce as possible or, better yet, with the sauce on the side. Sauces, seasonings, marinades and hot oil cooking can greatly increase the sodium and fat content of seemingly healthy dishes -- such as steamed vegetables and fish. Ask for reduced sodium soy sauce if you're watching your sodium intake. Duck and plum sauces are fat-free, but high in sugar. Order steamed rice instead of fried rice. Eat more rice and less of the entree. The rice will fill you up, with less fat. To decrease calorie intake, share large restaurant entrees with a companion or bring the leftovers home to enjoy at another meal. For dessert, have a fortune cookie, of course!|||Well Its Not Good But If Your In Good Shape Then Thats Ok Just Make Sure You Stay Like That Tbh Its Not Up To Your Friend Its Up To You!|||depends on what you get, sesime chicken is like taking three big macs and putting them on rice! try out some mushu tofu, and make sure they don't fry the tofu, great stuff and harmless!|||that's not good.i use to eat it at least once a week and i stop now i eat it 3 times a month|||most of the MSG is in the sauces they use. Ask for your meat grilled, your vegetables steamed and your sauce on the side so you can limit the amount of it you eat, if you eat any at all. Also as yummy as it is go for white rice (or brown if they have it!) instead of the friend rice, it's high in MSG and sodium too!|||Chinese Food has too much oil which will spoil your body's health. Plus the Mono Sodium Glutamate, the artificial colours in the sauce, Ajinomoto, the taste enhancer can cause cancer!!!.