5 Takeaway Dishes It’s Okay to Eat
A healthy eating promise is one of the most commonly made New Year’s resolutions, but the truth is that the majority of people set unrealistic goals and have given up before the month is out. However, eating healthily doesn’t have to be as hard as people make out and certainly doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in your favorite foods every now and again, you just have to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs.
It’s much easier to stay on track if you avoid limitations and allow yourself a bit of everything in moderation. Eating out and take outs don’t have to be cut out altogether, simply make wiser choices so as to avoid destroying all your hard work. In case you’re unsure of the treats you’re allowed, take a look at these five healthy takeout dishes that it’s actually okay to eat.
Szechuan Prawns
This dish is much lower in fat than most other Chinese takeaway dishes and often contains garlic and ginger which can help you burn calories more quickly – great for losing weight. It would be best to order this with plain boiled rice as this is the healthiest option, and you could also add red pepper, bamboo shoots and more steamed vegetables for more vitamins and minerals to add to your diet.
Hot and Sour Soup
Surprisingly, this dish usually contains under 100 calories, although there are some restaurants that add their own ingredients to make it much less healthy, so it’s important to watch out for that if ordering it. This dish contains a mixture of garlic, red chilies, bamboo shoots, honey, tofu and chives. Shrimp is also often added to this dish to give it a burst of extra flavor, which is also a good source of protein.
Sushi
At first sight, sushi may seem like a super-healthy meal as it is made entirely of fish but it is still imperative that you make the right choice or you could end up eating a meal very high in carbs.
The best sushi to order are the rolls including fresh raw fish, vegetables or brown rice instead of white as these provide the best nutrients without the high levels of sodium that some other sushi options contain.
Why not try out California rolls, tuna rolls and rainbow rolls which usually contain tuna, salmon and avocado – some of the best superfoods.
Steamed Dumplings
Dumplings are without a doubt a Chinese favourite and have a very special history, which is worth looking up when you’ve got the time. They most commonly contain pork wrapped in a wonton as you can see in the image but also include cabbage, green onion and ginger and are commonly available as a vegetarian dish too.
Vegetarian dumplings contain just steamed vegetables so ordering this is a great way to add a great assortment of vegetables to your diet.
When ordering in a restaurant or for delivery, make sure your dumplings have been steamed, as the deep-fried option can be very unhealthy – you should also avoid the salty sauces that accompany them.
Lentil Tarka Dahl
Lentils have many great health benefits; they help lower cholesterol and aid healthy digestion as well as increasing your energy levels. If you often find yourself craving an Indian takeaway, then combine this superfood ingredient into a curry to suit your taste.
Use lentils, garlic, onion and chilies in the body of the curry, add in any vegetables you want to use and then use coriander to finish. This dish is very popular in Indian restaurants so look out for it on the menu if you’re heading out to eat.