With the recent news of COVID-19, it may be difficult to decide what to do for your meals. Whether there is not enough food on the shelves in the grocery stores to gather ingredients for your healthy, homemade meals, or if you are avoiding the grocery store to prevent catching the virus. Either way, ordering take-out may be the best option for you right now.
Ordering take-out may seem unhealthy to many people, however, there are healthy take-out options available almost everywhere. By sticking to these basic guidelines to help you choose some healthy options, you can stay on track with your meal plan by ordering out.
Choose Simple Items
Menus can be intimidating, and tempting. Your eyes may naturally go to those specialty dishes with creamy sauces, fried foods, and many ingredients. But do your best to pick a dish that seems simple. Go for the steak, baked potato, and steamed vegetables to stay on track with your meal plan.
Grilled, Not Fried
Go for grilled chicken on your salad instead of fried chicken, or grilled fish tacos instead of battered fish tacos. Fried foods are high in trans-fat, which is harder for your body to breakdown, and can cause your LDL (bad cholesterol) to go up. Choose grilled options to help keep your meal clean and free of unhealthy fats.
Opt for Steamed instead of Stir-fried:
Chinese and Thai restaurants often serve many stir-fried dishes that are fried in excess oil. Instead, choose a dish that has steamed rice and veggies with some grilled meat and ask for any sauces like teriyaki, hoisin, and oyster sauce on the side, since they typically have a lot of added sugars.
Stay Away From Creamy Sauces:
If you’re craving that Italian pasta or dish, choose an item without any cream sauces. They can be delicious, but those creamy sauces add up quickly. Instead, go for marinara sauce or lighter oil-based sauces and include a meat like shrimp or chicken to your dish to make sure that you’re getting in some protein! And as hard as it may be, skip the cheese!
Ask for Dressings on the Side:
Salads can be a great option and can have many vitamins and nutrients. However, many salads are drenched in calorically dense dressings. Ask for your dressing on the side, so you can monitor how much dressing you are putting on your salad. Also, choose a dressing that is oil-based to eliminate the cream from your meal.
Choose Healthy Sides:
Many items have grilled meat with unhealthy sides like fries, loaded mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese. Don’t pass on the whole meal because the sides may be unhealthy, just choose healthier sides like steamed veggies, a baked potato, rice, plain mashed potatoes, or a side salad. Many restaurants have many delicious options to choose from.