Everyone loves a takeaway and you can guarantee that the food that gets delivered to your door will be delicious. But, when you’re making a conscious effort to start eating healthier meals, takeaways are often the first things to get banned.
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way, especially if Indian cuisine is your takeaway of choice. Many people are surprised to hear that there are in fact, many healthier alternatives to your favourite Indian dishes. There are lots of ways that you can make your Indian takeaway much healthier and to help anyone looking to do so, ChefOnline has put together a list of tips for you.
Cut down on your sides
One of the easiest ways you can make your Indian takeaway instantly healthier is to simply cut back on the amount that you order. If food isn’t sitting in front of you then it can’t tempt you. Lots of people will order a range of side dishes and starters when they order Indian food and these are the little bits you eat lots of without realising and, they are often the highest in calories.
If you want to order one thing to enjoy then swap the onion bhajis or samosas for a popadom or two. Whilst they are deep-fried, it is said that on average they are around 100 calories each so having one isn’t too bad for you. Just remember, that there are calories in your popadom dips too. Try and choose from a raita, cucumber dip, or a sambal, chopped tomato and onion, rather than higher-calorie mango chutney or lime pickle.
Make smart meat options
The majority of Indian takeaways and restaurants will offer you more than one option for each curry dish. For example, you can usually choose between chicken, beef, lamb, prawns or a vegetarian option no matter which curry you prefer. This means you have the chance to so easily make a healthier choice.
Ideally, no matter which curry dish you want to choose, try and order it with vegetables, chicken or prawns. These tend to be slightly lower in calories than beef or lamb so, they can be a better choice. Do the same with any side dishes that you may order, think about the different options the menu gives you and try to choose the best available.
Ditch the sauce
As well as the meat in your curry dish, the sauce can make a big difference to the calorie content and the overall healthiness of the dish too. You should try to avoid creamy curries that come with lots of sauce. For example, masala dishes and pasanda dishes are usually cooked with lots of cream so, take them off your order.
When ordering with this in mind, the best dishes to go for are tandoori, tikka or bhuna dishes as they’re made without a sauce or are quite dry. If you have a favourite dish that you want to order then try to spoon out as much of the meat and vegetables as you can. This way you can leave some of the sauce behind in the dish. You can easily save yourself calories without compromising your favourite dishes.
Spice is the way forward
Lastly, a great way to help your portion sizes and prevent yourself from eating the whole curry dish in one sitting it to order a spicy curry. Essentially, the spicier the curry the better. Thanks to the amount of spice, a smaller portion will definitely satisfy your taste buds.
The spice will also encourage you to eat much slower. This will then allow the time it takes for your body to send a message to your brain to say you’re full. A spicy curry can easily prevent you from overindulging and help you keep on track with your portion sizes.
Ordering a healthy takeaway
Taking into account the tips mentioned above and just making smarter choices when you next order food will help you to prevent the damage a takeaway can cause. Next time you want to order an Indian takeaway, you can do so confidently knowing that the food decisions you make won’t be too bad for you.
If you’re searching for places to order food then visit the ChefOnline website. You can place your fast food order online quickly and easily here. Simply browse your local takeaway restaurants, choose the place you would like to order from and add the dishes you’d like to your basket. It is as simple as that. Their takeaway site will have all of your local takeaway restaurants, so why go elsewhere?
