Buying food online may be necessary to avoid cooking and add variety to your eating habits. Research reveals that over 60% of people order meals online regularly. That said, online food takeout may not be healthy, particularly if you don't choose your restaurants carefully. Takeout and delivery meals can pose health risks, especially for diabetics, so apply these tips to help order delicious dishes online without deviating from your healthy eating plans.
- Read the nutritional info
The FDA recommends chain restaurants serving over 20 locations print calorie counts on their menus and add additional nutritional info when possible. Please take the time to study the menu and read the nutritional information. Checking this information will help identify food items that are not good for your system. Added sugar, daily servings, protein content, and allergens are worth noting when ordering online foods.
- Be mindful of the portion size
Many wrongly believe the joy of takeout is that you don't have much to think about: the food shows up once you place your order. However, being mindful of portion sizes is essential for making healthy choices. Keeping it small may be a good idea, as many often get their portion sizes wrong. If your portion size is too large, consider sharing it with a friend or save half for another meal. Also, feel free to request minor modifications, such as no extra salt or sauce. You will not spoil the fun if you opt for a takeout that you can enjoy without guilt.
- Take a healthy snack
Hunger may influence you to overeat. One smart idea to overcome this problem is to eat healthy snacks like fruits or almonds before dinner. Alternatively, you may reach out for a high-protein but low-calorie snack like yogurt to kill the hunger and avoid overeating. Also, Always prioritize veggies and protein when buying food online. Legumes, chickpeas, and whole grains are healthy sources of protein. Consider replacing unhealthy starchy foods with broccoli, tomato, lettuce, and carrots.
On a similar note, you can supplement your ordered meals with food you make at home or consider incorporating the best meal replacement options. You still reduce the effort of cooking the meal, as well as the washing up, and you get the variety you might crave from a takeout, but you’ll eat less of the processed or fried food the restaurant might offer. Sometimes, you can even cook something quickly while the food is being delivered.
For example, if you’ve ordered breakfast food, you can cook some fluffy pancakes for yourself at home, and then eat the whole meal together. You might even find that your homemade pancakes are more delicious, because they’re fresh and you can flavor them however you want.
- Choose reputable restaurants near you
Consider patronizing local restaurants near you that offer healthier meals. For example, if you love Chinese dishes, you can order delicious meals from reputable caterers like Danny's Chinese Restaurant. Order your favorite dishes locally and pick them up at a nearby takeout location, saving time and money on delivery charges.
- Understand how the online restaurant cooks its food
The calorie quantity in food may depend on cooking methods. Find out if the online restaurant poaches, steams, roasts, or grills their food – on average, these healthy food preparation methods result in less fat and low calories. Crispy, crunchy, and sauteed foods may contain high calories and fats.
- Avoid sweetened beverages and choose healthy extras
While everyone loves sweet and nice beverages to drink with their meal, this may not be a good idea. Instead of taking sugar-sweetened drinks that contain calories, you may want to take water. Also, restaurants may add extra goodies to your takeout even when you don't make such requests. Add-ons like bread and chips are often added for hospitality, but they can throw your healthy choices off balance. Feel free to ask the restaurant to remove add-ons when placing your order to avoid temptation.
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Beth says
These are all excellent tips. I know I have so much trouble sticking to health options if I eat out or order in.
Laura says
I find it is much easier to make healthy choices online versus in store because you can much easier stick to your list and arent distracted.
Yeah Lifestyle says
We sometimes get a takeaway during the week. It can be hard to choose healthy options, I usually try and go for rice dishes but we sometimes do get burgers and fries!
Marie Cris Angeles says
This is a big help for me as I love to order food online. Thank you for sharing all these with with us!
Rhian Scammell says
Some great tips and I really wish I had the self control to make healthier choices when ordering food, but I rarely do. Although I do agree that portion sizes are not always accurate when ordering x
Sue-Tanya Mchorgh says
Ordering food online has become a part of our modern lifestyle, but it's crucial to make mindful choices for our health. These tips offer a great guideline for enjoying the convenience of online food orders while still sticking to a healthy eating routine.
Sydney says
These are great tips! I order a lot of food online/for delivery, so I will try to implement some of your suggestions next time I am ordering in! Thanks for sharing.
Catherine Pappas says
Dear Sydney, You are very welcome. I hope that they help in your ordering. Have a wonderful day.
Lisa says
I can understand how it’s hard to order healthy food online. Knowing the portion size and the restaurant's reputation is so important. Many takeaways are probably not clean.
MELANIE E says
I'm trying to cut down on takeaways as the food can be so unhealthy. This is helpful advice to keep us making healthy choices. I always try to avoid sweetened beverages. Some can have so much sugar.
Khushboo says
I usually order food online. These are so easy tips to follow. I am going to keep this in my mind next time I order.
Jupiter Hadley says
It is always a challenge to ensure we are being healthy! Paying attention to portion sizes is a good idea - thank you for sharing these tips for ordering online. I always order way too much!
Marysa says
It is nice to have some tips to make ordering be a healthier experience. I'll have to keep your tips in mind.
Jenny says
We order online rarely so I always feel it is a lovely treat when we do, these are really helpful tips.
Laura Side Street says
These are all really useful and actionable tips for shopping online for food. Weirdly I actually find online shopping for food harder and more time-consuming than just going in store so I tend to do that but occasionally I do order online
Laura x