How Unhealthy is Your Favorite Local Breakfast?

Shanghai breakfast foods are undeniably delicious, but are they good for you? Hmmmmm. We’re tempted to say no, but we thought we’d ask an expert to chime in.  

Soup dumpling  | Xiaolongbao 小笼包

Photo source: flickr user Robyn Lee

Calories: 390

These amazing little gifts from heaven are made by wrapping a little bit of dough around a filling (often pork), which is then steamed inside a small bamboo basket.

Nutritionist health grade: D

Nutritionist says: Steamed is always better than fried since there is less oiland fat. However, the pork filling more than makes up for it by adding unhealthy saturated animal fat. This can raise your bad cholesterol.

Baos | Baozi 包子

Photo source: flickr user gail m tang

Calories: 210

These steamed buns, often filled with meat and/or vegetables, are an extremely popular morning food as they’re cheap and easy to eat on the go.

Nutritionist health grade: B

Nutritionist says: Lower in calories and steamed instead of fried this is abetter choice than many of the other options. Especially, if you skip the meatand go for one stuffed with green vegetables, tofu, and/or mushrooms for someadded nutrients.

Fried Dough stick | Youtiao 油条

Photo source: flickr user C. Maoxian

Calories: 190

Youtiao is a long, golden-brown, deep-fried strip of dough.

Nutritionist health grade: F

Nutritionist says: This is one of the worst options as it has no nutritional value at all. The only purpose this simple carbohydrate will serve is to spike your blood sugar and send it crashing later. This may leave you hungry, tired and moody all before lunch.

Savory tofu | Doufuhua 豆腐花

Photo source: flickr user J.G. Wang

Calories: 390

Doufuhua is a super soft tofu that is also known as ‘tofu pudding’ and ‘soybean pudding.’

Nutritionist health grade: B

Nutritionist says: Similar to many of the other breakfast options, this dish is likely loaded with salt or MSG making you very thirsty. Hopefully this sends you reaching for some water instead of your 3rd cup of coffee. The tofu in this dish is the most complete plant protein offering you a good dose of your essential amino acids. Not to mention protein helps you to stay fuller longer.

Rice dumplings | Shaomai 烧卖

Photo source: flickr user Drew Bates

Calories: 130

Shanghai-style Shaomai (or Shu mai) are made by covering fried rice fillings with a thin layer of dough and then steaming them in a bamboo basket. Filling ingredients vary but region, but in Shanghai the mix is typically comprised of glutinous rice seasoned with scallions, minced pork, mushrooms, soy sauce, and salt.

Nutritionist health grade: D

Nutritionist says: Gluttonous rice and minced pork don’t do our bodies any favors and this dish is likely very high in calories. Who can eat just one! Eating five of these is 1/3 of the daily calories for most women.

Rice porridge | Zhou 粥

Photo source: flickr user shp 2100

Calories: 130 (plain)

Rice porridge, also known as congee, is a thick porridge made by boiling rice for a prolonged period of time. Many extra ingredients are often added, and in Shanghai the dish is often accompanied by a Youtiao.

Nutritionist health grade: C

Nutritionist says: If you could get a brown rice congee, then this would be agreat morning option! Stack some vegetables on top of this complex carbohydrate and you will have plenty of fuel and vitamins/minerals to keep you going until lunch. Unfortunately, I’m nearly certain that doesn’t exist. Bringing your own fresh steamed vegetables to add on top could still make this street food a healthier low calorie option instead of pilling on the usual salty condiments.

Pan-fried baos | Shengjianbao 生煎包

Photo source: flickr user Gary Stevens

Calories: 285

Shengjianbao are made from semi-leavened dough, wrapped around pork and gelatin fillings and then lined up in an oiled, flat pan and fried until they become crispy on the outside. Chopped green onions and sesame are also sprinkled on the buns.

Nutritionist health grade: F

Nutritionist says: Fried, filled with pork, and made of a simple carbohydratethis food will initially leave you feeling satisfied but your waistline biggerif you eat more than one (most do).  Unlessyou are looking to gain some weight the unhealthy way, these should be left offyour breakfast menu.

(Small) Wontons | Huntun 馄饨

Photo source: flickr user zzjacy CHOU

Calories: 40 (for one small wonton)

Wontons in Shanghai are generally distinguished by size: small or large, and it is the former that is most often eaten as breakfast. Small wontons are made by quickly boiling a small dab of pork filling, wrapped in a thin layer of dough.  

Nutritionist health grade: F

Nutritionist says: It’s hard to find anything nutritionally redeeming aboutthis dish. It could be over 500 calories depending on how many dumplings youeat. The broth maybe full of salt/MSG and the dumpling full of fatty pork meat aren’t doing your body any favors either. While this dish may leave you full and satisfied till lunch, you may also find yourself having to loosen your belt.

Fried pancake | Jianbing 煎饼

Photo source: flickr user John Rudoff

Calories: 400

Jianbing is made by spreading a batter on a hot pan, then adding eggs, sauces, and often times chopped or diced mustard pickles, scallions, coriander, chili sauce. It is often folded several times and cut in half before serving.

Nutritionist health grade: D

Nutritionist says: This is a better choice than any of the pork-filled breakfast items. However, it is still a simple carbohydrate like all of the others. This pancake will likely spike your blood sugar. Combing a large amountof simple carbohydrates with coffee will increase the effect. Adding the eggs should help with this a bit and give you a dose of your essential amino acids.

Egg pancake | Dan bing 蛋饼

Photo source: flickr user Jason Raish

Calories: 420

Don’t confuse your Jianbing with a Danbing, although they might look somewhat similar the important distinction is that a Danbing uses an egg wrapping.

Nutritionist health grade: D

Nutritionist says: This is similar to the pancake above but some extra egg will help you keep full a bit longer.

Sticky rice | Zongzi 粽子

Photo source: flickr user Colin Woon

Calories: 275

Zongzi is glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo,reed, or other large flat leaves. The most popular filing for Shanghai Zongzi is pork and egg yolk (蛋黄鲜肉粽, dànhuáng xiān ròu zòng).

Nutritionist health grade: F

Nutritionist says: One of these is likely enough to keep most people full and it’s lower in calories than some of the other pork-filled items. However, itstill has very little nutritional value.

Scallion pancakes | congyoubing 葱油饼

Photo source: flickr user Beverly W.

Calories: 130 (single 1/6 pancake slice)

Scallion pancakes are made by frying unleavened flatbread folded with oil and minced scallions (green onions).

Nutritionist health grade: F

Nutritionist says: This tiny pancake often contains lard and one is hardlyenough to be satisfying. Lard is an unhealthy animal fat that can raisecholesterol while widening your waist line. These tasty oily treats may feelgood going down but will leave you unsatisfied and un-energized after consumed.

Scallion oil noodles | congyou banmian 葱油拌面

Photo source: flickr user ninja.n

Calories: 310

Add scallion oil, soy sauce, and fried green onions to a bowl of noodles and viola.

Nutritionist health grade: D

Nutritionist says: These noodles maybe enriched with some vitamins but that doesn’t outweigh the reality that you are eating a massive amount of simple carbohydrates for breakfast. With little nutritional value and high on the glycemic index, all this dish is going to do is leave you nodding off during work meetings.

Stuffed Sticky Rice Ball | Cifantuan, 粢饭团

Calories: 360

Cifantuan is made by wrapping a small piece of youtiao with glutinous rice. In Shanghai especially, it’s often eaten alongside soy milk.  

Nutritionist health grade: F

Nutritionist says: Gluttonous rice plus deep fried bread is a recipe for disaster. This high carbohydrate meal will leave you sleeping at your desk before noon or reaching for your 3rd cup of coffee.

Soy Milk |Doujiang, 豆浆

Photo source: flickr user vanillaechoes

Calories: 100

Soy milk. Probably not a lot of explaining necessary for this one.

Nutritionist health grade: A

Nutritionist says: This is one of the best options on the list. However, only drinking soy milk for breakfast is not enough to satisfy your nutritional needs. Skipping breakfast may cause you to feel tired and eat too large alunch. It may also cause you to select more unhealthy lunch items due to picking foods while feeling extremely hungry. Stopping by the fruit market to add a banana and some berries or anyother variety of fruits will provide you with a more balanced breakfast and valuable vitamins (such as vitamin C). 

*Note: Exact ingredients and calorie counts will surely vary from place to place, which will affect how healthy or unhealthy some of these dishes are. In other words, don't use this information as anything more than just general advice. 

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