It’s looking like it will be a longer wait before we can get back to restaurants and most of us are sick of our own cooking at this stage, turning to the plethora of takeaways and meal kits now available.
Ideally most of the food we eat should come from home cooked meals, as this gives us more control over our nutrition. Take away meals can often be very high in unhealthy fats, salt and refined carbohydrate. Portions sizes are often too large, meaning we are likely to consume too much energy in one meal and this can lead to weight gain. However, if weight loss or maintenance is your goal, here are some tips to prevent you from over consuming calories.
Avoid the extras!
Little nibbles such as prawn crackers (average portion 600+ calories), poppadums (average portion 100+ calories), nuts, tortilla chips and dips can add loads of unnecessary calories to your meal. If you must have them, try to share between your dining partners.
Only have one source of starchy carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a great source of energy. However, these foods must be tailored to balance physical activity levels. If we don’t burn them off, we will store them as fat. Make sure there is only one source of starchy carbohydrate at each meal e.g. rice / bread / chips, but ideally not all three in one sitting.
Apply the healthy plate model to your takeaways
Half of the plate should be vegetables. A palm of protein (meat/ fish/ eggs/beans/tofu). Order extra vegetables as a side with your meal (e.g. steamed greens/ broccoli). Share a portion of rice or chips between two people, and measure a fist sized portion of these carbs onto your plate.
Choose your starter wisely
If you’re having one, opt for something light, such as a soup or salad or cooked vegetables (e.g. tempura vegetables).
Choose your sauces wisely
Coconut / cream / peanut (satay) based sauces tend to be very high in calories. Choose tomato-based sauces for a lower calorie option, or share a coconut dish between two and bulk it up with vegetables.
Avoid fried foods
Frying food in oil adds a lot of empty calories. Choose boiled rice or potatoes instead of fried rice or chips. Don’t be afraid to ask if your meat can be grilled rather than fried. Avoid deep fat fried anything!
Try a dish without meat
In general, plant foods tend to be lower in calories than animal foods, like meat and dairy. Try Indian lentil daal, or a Thai tofu stir-fry or load your pizza up with vegetables. If you do opt for meat, then go for chicken or fish over duck, lamb or beef, which are fattier meats.
Eat slowly and mindfully
Enjoy and savour your meals but respect your body and stop eating once you start to feel full, even if you haven’t finished all the food on the plate.
Ditch the soft drinks
Fizzy drinks offer no benefits for our health whatsoever. They contain excessive amounts of sugar and therefore calories. Diet varieties are lower in calories but do not offer us any nutrition.
Eat regularly
Make sure you have a regular meal pattern during the day you opt for a takeaway so you don’t end up starving and overeating at dinner time.
Eating out or ordering a takeaway occasionally can be part of a healthy lifestyle if you make wise choices, but remember: it’s what you do most of the time that is going to make the biggest impact on your health.