Tuesday 30 October 2012

162) HOW TO CHOOSE HEALTHY TAKEAWAY FOOD


LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 31:  A vendor sells Ch...
Takeaway food(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Do you sometimes think that you could do better when it comes to takeaway foods?  


You can because, here is a guide for you to try and eat a guilt-free and healthier takeaway.



The word 'Fast Food' will immediately conjure images of fried, oily,  and fatty foods in our minds.  


Nutrition and fast food are never good bedfellows.  The secret is making the right menu choices that unexpectedly makes a takeaway healthier.


Here is how you can order takeaways without the feeling that you are eating unhealthy foods.

Order Chinese takeaways 


Chinese cooking style is actually very healthy unless you go for their guilt filled foods such as:

Fried foods,  sweet and sour, crispy chilli beef, roasted pork, Peking duck,  fried noodles and rice, prawn crackers and spring rolls.   


Sweet and sour chicken
Sweet and sour chicken (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: The Peking Duck as its ready to be sliced
The Peking Duck as its ready to be sliced (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What you should choose is their guilt free dishes such as:

Noodle soup, dim sum and steamed  fish or chicken and stir fried veggy dishes.




A Chinese buffet restaurant in the United Stat...
A Chinese buffet restaurant in the United States of America
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)







The Italian Connection


Italian food are loaded with antioxidant rich vegetables and tomato sauces.  You can't go wrong with that.  But the humble pizza can turn into a nutritional "foodmare" when it is crammed with saturated fat,  high calories and low nutritional values.




pizza
pizza (Photo credit: Mickipedia)

Guilt filled choices are:

The dips, extra cheese and garlic bread.




Guilt free choices are:

Salad greens,  vegetable pizza(thin crust) and limit yourself to one slice only and remember to chew slowly.


Deconstructing the Burger

Burgers are so delicious that sometime one is not enough.  And that is unhealthy because of the guilt filled toppings such as:

Large fries, carbonated drinks, bacon, coleslaw, and chilli sauce are high in saturated fats, calories, sugars and salt.  Go easy on the cheese topping.



Saturated fats
Saturated fats (Photo credit: Snazzo)




For the guilt free burger go for: 

Grilled burgers, hamburgers, small fries, diet drink or,  bottled water and ask for more salad with dressing on the side.




Fast Food
Fast Food (Photo credit: SteFou!)

Shoo-wop Kebab Shops


Kebabs are extremely mobile  as the meat is neatly tucked into pita bread so that you don't make a mess.  

The guilt trip comes in the fatty lumps of meat, doner kebab and dripping oil from the spit.

Make a beeline for the grilled chicken and salads for the guilt free ride.

Doner Kebab

Kebab slices


Indian Cuisine


You may think that Indian food are the most guilt ridden fattening food when it comes to takeaway foods, but just remember that it is not where it comes from but the dishes that you choose to eat.  

Fattening choices are:

Creamy curries, deep fried snacks such as pakoras or bhajis, papodom crackers, lamb korma, peshwari naan, Pilau rice,  and Briyani rice.


Briyani Rice Top Left

Bombay Briyani Rice



The healthier options are:

Spinach, tomato based sauce, chicken, prawns or fish, grilled tandoori meat with salads, yogurt and rasam soup.  Dhall curry can be sparingly poured onto the rice.




Rasam A South Indian soup
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)





Fast food in Nepal
Fast food in Nepal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)





Food from the Land of Smile



Thai food can be very rich, hot and spicy but if you avoid the heavy sweet peanut sauces and coconut curries like Massaman, you will not go wrong.  Overall, Thai food is a wonderful takeaway choice.

To avoid feeling guilty, omit:

Dishes and rice that are cooked in coconut milk,  or sweet desserts.


Mango with stick rice  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



Khao Tom Mat Stick Rice and Banana dessert
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



Instead,  have a guilt free delicious Tom Yam soup(request for less heat if you can't take hot pepper chillies), grilled chicken, or som tam salad with sticky rice.

Tom Yam
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Som Tam Bottom right  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



Foods of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans


Mexican food can sometimes be fat laden.  So tread carefully.

Again avoidance is the key.  Side step foods that are:

Deep fried such as chimichangas or burrito, sauces, high fat cheese, soured cream, beef and cheese enchilada.


Burrito(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Enchilada(Photo credit: Wikipedia)



Be guilty free with:

Chicken fajita wrap, mexican rice, guocamole and salsas.


Foods from the Land of the Rising Sun

Generally, Japanese food are the healthiest among the takeaway foods.  However, they do serve fried foods and salty soy sauces.

Guilt filled foods are:

Breaded fried chicken. fried calamari and fried noodles.



A photograph of Fried calamari (squid).
Fried calamari (squid). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


Thumbs up guilt free foods are:

Buckwheat noodle soup, crunchy edamame, sashimi, California roll(six pieces) and miso soup.


 California Rolls (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



A variety of Sushi  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am guessing that you may be hungry by now, looking at all these delicious food.  And the difference you can make for yourself is to decide on the healthier choice.



You may also like to read:





AN INNOCENT CHILD



An innocent child.

A world gone wild.
Bullies Haters, vile.
Education worthwhile.
Undo the dark child.
Bring to white, 
and the light.
Will be in sight. 
Philo Yan

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Until the next post,

Here's To Your Health!



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1 comment:

Hi I welcome your comments and sharing on the topic that I have posted.