Healthier options for eating out and takeaways
It’s now easier to check how many calories are in your food when you’re eating out. Lots of fast food restaurants, takeaways, pubs, sandwich shops, and coffee shops are now giving calorie information on menus and displays, to help you choose the healthier options.
Find out more about food labelling
Here’s some tips to help you stay on a healthy track.
Top tips
Get steamy!
Try swapping fried rice for steamed rice, or fried noodles for boiled noodles. and go for other steamed dishes on the menu containing vegetables, chicken or fish.
Go for the tomato
Dishes made of tomato or vegetable sauces usually contain less fat than ones with creamy sauces. Try swapping to a madras or tandoori dish when you’re having a curry.
Pizza perfect
Swap a pizza with a cheese-stuffed crust to one with a thin, crispy crust instead and choose lower fat toppings such as chicken, prawns and vegetables.
Pick a healthier starter
Change the fried starters like prawn crackers or prawn toasts for soup, which contains much less fat and will also fill you up.
No need to super-size
When ordering a takeaway go for the standard or regular portion, not the super-size one - the same goes for convenience food.
Read more about portion sizes
Go small!
If you have an alcoholic drink with your meal, choose a smaller size - go for a a small glass of wine or small beer instead of a large one. This way you’ll probably drink less - which means fewer calories, and it could save you some money too!
See more tips for cutting down on alcohol
Reject the refills!
If you're eating out, some restaurants offer free refills of sugary drinks with meals, which can make it easy to consume more calories during your meal than you would normally do. Try asking for a jug of water to have on the table instead of going for a refill – tap water is free too!
You don’t have to miss out on your favourite takeaways
Try healthier alternatives to your favourite foods. Try swapping a doner for a shish kebab instead – it contains a lot less fat.
Find more healthy takeaway options on NHS Choices