For many people trying to eat healthier, people think this means no more takeaways. Pffft, we say. And double pffft. We’ve teamed up with nutritionist Carina Norris to show that watching your weight and a tasty takeaway are not mutually exclusive.
HEALTHY INDIAN TAKEAWAY DISHES
Go for oven-cooked Tandoori and Tikka dishes (not Tikka massala which comes with a rich sauce), rather than curries. If you do have a curry, choose one with a tomato-based sauce like a rogan josh, rather than a creamy korma. Veggie curries are even better, all the kick and spice of a curry, plus packed full of healthy vegetables.
Though if you must have a meat dish, remember that chicken is lower in fat (especially saturated fat) than red meats like beef and lamb. Save extra calories by having a chapatti rather than naan, and boiled rice rather than pilau.
Tarka daal is a pulse based dish (dried lentils, peas or beans) is flavour packed explosion of mustard seeds, ginger, herbs and spices. Pulses are low in fat and high in fibre, so they’re great for you.
HEALTHY THAI TAKEAWAY DISHES
Thai is generally a very healthy cuisine (congrats Thailand). Steamed dishes, especially fish, are healthier than those that are fried. Satay is relatively healthy these are meat skewers are grilled and then coated in a spicy peanut sauce, which brings to your table lots of flavor and protein with relatively little fat. Consider this one of the good guys: An entree portion has fewer than 300 calories.
Now let’s talk about the good stuff – curries!Whereas most curries are made with a base of coconut milk, country-style curries are made with water. For that reason, choosing Gaeng Pah can cut a couple hundred calories off your meal. Be warned, though: Without the presence of fat from coconut, water-based curries tend to be far spicier than their coconut-based cousins.
HEALTHY PIZZA DELIVERY DISHES
Always have a thin and crispy base rather than deep-pan or stuffed-crust. Choose a pizza covered in vegetables (full of vitamins and fibre) for your topping; tomatoes are particularly nutritious, and cooking them makes the nutrients easier to absorb. Finally, go easy on the cheese, to cut your intake of saturated fat and salt.
HEALTHY JAPANESE TAKEAWAY DISHES
With lots of fish and veggie dishes, Japanese takeaway cuisine is fantastic if you’re looking for a takeaway treat to not feel guilty about. Vegetable and fish sushi is a good place to to start; cucumber, avocado, bell peppers and tofu are all great replacements for fish in sushi. Add some edamame (soy bean pods) and you’ve got a filling and healthy selection of cold cuisine.
If you’re after something to warm with you through then miso soup (without fish flakes and with veg stock) is a tasty and warming soup filled with tofu, seaweed and spring onions.
Yakitori (skewered and grilled chicken): this option is healthy dependent on the methods and pieces of meat used by the restaurant. Obviously chicken breast will be healthier than dark meat and ask them to go light on the sauce (which can have quite a bit of sugar in it).
HEALTHY CHINESE TAKEAWAY DISHES
Stir-fried dishes are better as they involve less oil, so keep an eye out for vegetable stir fry with noodles. Kung Pao Chicken is another good choice. Made with roasted peanuts, dried chilies, and a slew of other vegetables. Peking Duck is a surprisingly healthy choice too. Duck sits slightly ahead of ground turkey in terms of its overall balance of protein, fat, and nutrients. It’s also one of the most authentic Chinese dishes on the menu, with chefs employing painstaking measures to render most of the fat from the bird, ensuring extra-crunchy skin.
Bonus point: Many Indian, Thai and Chinese dishes contain spices with healthy properties, such as turmeric, ginger and chilli, which can help fight colds and flu! Not bad for your local takeaway.
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