Takeaway Treats That Won't Pile On The Pounds.

Losing weight doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice all the good things in life, some of the good things can even help the process if you know what I mean? I’m sure you do but what I want to talk about right now is the much loved Saturday night takeaway.  Keep these few tips in mind and you can still indulge in your favourite takeaway treat without sabotaging your journey to that buff beach body we’re all aiming for this summer!

Thai

This takeaway is one of the healthiest you can have.  Again look for stir fried foods, enjoy a selection of vegetables with steamed rice. Fish as you may well know is a great choice for those who are weight and health conscious. With all those delicious Thai flavours it’s hard to believe that you aren’t being naughty. The dishes that will sabotage your weight loss are the coconut cream based curries such as the famous green Thai curry. 

Indian

The main problems with Indian food are the sauces. Avoid the creamy based ones like chicken tikka masala, and rich passandas and kormas and opt for tomato based dishes such as a rogan josh. Be really good and have chicken tikka, tandoori or shashlik, these dishes are cooked in the oven and come without sauces. Choose brown rice if possible. Watch out for all those extras that are loaded with saturated fat such as poppadoms, samosas and bhajis. You probably don’t really need them as portions from the Indian are usually generous enough. Avoid these and have a couple of beers instead. Naan bread is another danger zone, so if you really can’t stand the thought of an Indian without naan bread consider ordering it instead of rice of sharing a piece.

Chinese

If you choose carefully Chinese food can actually be quite healthy.  The main things to avoid are the deep fried foods such as spring rolls, chicken balls and prawn crackers.  Stir fried foods are the better option. Choose lots of vegetable side dishes to fill up on.  Noodles or boiled rice contain a lot less fat than fried rice. 

Italian

Similar rules apply here, avoid the creamy and cheesy sauces such as carbonara and have tomato based onces such as arrabiata. Pasta is healthy and filling, just watch your portion sizes. Order side salads to help fill you up as opposed to garlic bread – all that butter is bad for your heart as well as your waistline. For those of you who can’t pass up that pizza then have a thin crust option and remember you don’t have to eat it all – why not be extra saintly and share a pizza.

So there you have it, it might not be ideal but with a few tweaks and careful selections you can still enjoy a traditional takeaway and not fear the scales the following day. Just think, walking along the beach on your holidays this summer feeling proud and confident as opposed to shy and ashamed is a much better one than any fish and chip shop can give you.

Talking of fish and chip shops, I haven’t mentioned them as they are really best avoided whilst trying to drop the pounds. Everything here is deep fried here, often chips are fried twice before they reach your mouth. If you really must have fish and chips then I suggest making your own. Use oven baked chips and fish in breadcrumbs and avoid the gallons of oil.