It’s a new year and with the gastronomic excess of the holiday period to be shaken off, many people are thinking takeaways are off the cards for January. Not true! There’s a huge variety of healthy foods available from takeaways in Ireland that can help maintain your 2012 diet. To help you out, we’ve talked to takeaway and restaurant owners and compiled a quick guide to help you on your way!
Chinese, Thai & Japanese
Often singled out as the bad guy, Chinese food has an unfair reputation of a diet ruiner. While some dishes can be high in fat and empty calories, they’re easily avoided, and can be substituted for any number of healthier alternatives. Thai and Japanese food is generally healthier, especially stir-fries, sushi and soups, but be careful of some Thai curries and any fried starters and sides.
Chinese food - a healthy choice!
Stick to…
Soups, white meats and seafood, boiled rice instead of fried rice and avoid the heavier sauces in favour of lighter, soy sauce-based ones. Chinese veg and tofu dishes usually have lots of veggies and are as filling as a meat-based dish, with a lot less calories! Light Thai stir-fries and salads are also ideal as they’re rarely heavy on the oil, and Japanese stir-fries and sushi are renowned for their low fat status.
Avoid…
Anything deep fried, e.g. chicken balls and shredded chicken, prawn crackers, duck and beef dishes, fried rice dishes and anything with nuts (e.g. Chinese kung po sauce and Thai massaman curries). Steering clear of curries in favour of stir-fries will make the biggest difference, cutting out starters and fried rice and noodles helps as well.
Indian
Indian food can be a minefield, but play your cards right and you can have yourself a healthy and low fat taste treat. The trick is to avoid creamy and nutty dishes and cut out the sides, pilau rice and heavy breads, and in place go for roasted meats and lighter flatbreads.
Indian food can be packed with veg and light on the calories
Stick to…
Tandoor-roasted white meat or prawns, tomato-based curries (e.g. rogan josh and balti dishes), veg biryani (go easy on the side sauce!) or veg mains, like chana masala. Instead of pilau rice ask for boiled – it will likely help your waistline and your wallet! If you’re a fan of naan breads, substitute it with a chapatti or a roti and ask them to skip out the butter or glaze.
Avoid…
Creamy and nutty dishes like korma and tikka masala, paneer (cottage cheese), most sides and starters, lassi drinks and naan breads, especially if they’re stuffed.
Pizza & Pasta
Pizzas can so easily go right, and so easily go wrong, with just a few simple selections in the difference. Pizzas are always made fresh from scratch, giving you a lot of choice in how they can be put together. Cutting out the cheese and avoiding certain ingredients will transform any pizza without compromising on the taste. For pasta, avoid creamy sauces and cheese-filled tortellini and cannelloni.
Thin & crispy and easy on the cheese, delish!
Stick to…
Either low fat cheese or ask for no cheese only sauce, a thin base rather than a regular, veggies and chicken for toppings and go for a realistic pizza size. There’s no need to try wolf down a 20” pizza when a 9” is plenty! Tomato-based pasta sauces, e.g. arrabbiata with lots of veggies or a Bolognese, contain a lot less fat and have no cheese.
Avoid…
Full fat cheese on pizzas, bacon, pepperoni, regular or even deep pan bases, garlic bread, wedges and stuffed bases. Also avoid lasagne, parmesan cheese and any fried dishes.
Traditional
Probably the most difficult one to tackle if you’re on a diet but not impossible. A lot of traditional fare is fried and battered so it can be tough to pick out healthier options. Keep a careful eye on what you’re ordering and your local chipper can be as healthy as you want it to be.
Treat yourself and swap a quarter pounder for a veg burger
Stick to…
Roast chicken, half portions of fish rather than whole portions (cod is usually lower in fat than plaice, if available order haddock instead), small bags of chips, burgers without cheese and sauce, chicken fillet burgers with no mayo, salad and veggie burgers. If you can’t go without some battered foods, it might be an idea to take off some of the batter before eating.
Avoid…
Southern fried chicken, breakfast rolls, anything battered or fried, chips with any kind of sauce or cheese on top, large burgers (e.g. half pounders with cheese or double deckers), milkshakes, steak sandwiches and anything that turns the brown bag translucent after a few minutes!
