Healthier Take-Away Options

Take-away food – it’s fast and it’s easy.

However, it can also ruin the results of a good diet and healthy lifestyle.

These days, most people are very busy and can find it difficult to prepare their own meal. Also, the ever-increasing number of take-away restaurants makes it easier than ever to buy a prepared meal with no effort.

The problem is that the majority of these meals have little to no nutritional value. In fact, many of the meals are made with food products rather than real food. Excess consumption of these foods inevitably leads to many health issues including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and liver problems.

This article is not about forcing you to stop eating take-away foods all together, it’s helping you to make healthier choices when you don’t have time to prepare your own meal.

The big fast food chains are the main culprits when it comes to bad choices. Some of them do have a few healthier options, but on a whole they are not good. They are advertised so well and are so addictive that people are persuaded to buy the unhealthy sides to go with the healthier option. Therefore, I would strongly recommend avoiding these restaurants.

Smaller take-away restaurants quite often have a good variety of healthier options, which will not ruin a healthy lifestyle. Some of the better options are; Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Sri Lankan, Indian and Korean.

The following table will outline some of the meals that I recommend choosing and some that I would avoid:

Cuisine	Preference	Avoid
Japanese	Soups, stir fried meals*, vegetables.	Deep fried foods, rice.
Sushi	Brown rice, raw fish, seaweed filling.	White rice, fried fillings.
Thai	Stir fried meals*, coconut based curries, soup entrees, salads.	Roti bread, rice, deep fried and battered foods.
Vietnamese	Pho, salads, stir fried meals*, soups.	Pork rolls, deep fried entrees.
Sri Lankan	Coconut based curries, salads, stir fried meals*.	Naan bread, roti bread, deep fried foods.
Indian	Coconut based curries, salads, stir fried meals*.	Dairy cream curries, naan bread, deep fried foods.
Korean	Soups, stews, sweet potato noodles, stir fried meals*.	Deep fried foods, rice.
Charcoal Chicken	Charcoal chicken, salad, roasted potato.	Chips, deep fried foods, burgers.
Fish and Chips	Grilled fish, salads.	Chips, deep fried foods, burgers.
Sandwich bars	Wraps, wholemeal based bread, salads, chicken, turkey, small amount of sauce.	White based breads, salami, cheese, battered chicken, large amount of sauce.

*Stir fried meals do not include stir fried rice meals, it is just the vegetable and meat combinations.

You may notice a theme in the avoid column. Generally I have advised against choosing white rice, deep fried foods and breads. This is because these foods are highly processed and have a high glycemic index. These foods leave you feeling hungry and lethargic but will not give you sustained energy. Instead of white rice with your next stir fry meal, choose a soup.

It may seem strange that I have not put Chinese food in the table. This is because the majority of Chinese meals have been ‘westernised’ and what is traditionally a reasonably healthy cuisine now includes many deep fried or oily options. It is much harder to find healthier options at Chinese restaurants than from other cuisines mentioned above.

It is also important that you avoid soft drinks when you buy take-away meals. It is very tempting but please stick to water, vegetable juice or fruit juice.

Hopefully this has helped to give you some tasty, healthier options when you don’t have time to prepare your own meals. It’s not hard to make healthier choices and it will make a huge difference to your waistline over time! When you are time-poor, take a few minutes to consider your take-away options so that your choices don’t ruin a predominantly healthy lifestyle.

Please leave any comments or questions below. We love your feedback!

Luke Cecil

Director – Kicking Goals Personal Training

http://www.kicking-goals.com.au

www.facebook.com/kickinggoalspersonaltraining

Luke is a qualified exercise professional with a Diploma in Fitness.

The above article expresses the personal views of the author and in no way constitutes or intends to provide professional dietary advice. Should you have concerns about nutrition or diet, Kicking Goals Personal Training advises that you seek the services of a qualified nutritionist, dietitian or general practitioner.