What is the healthiest thing to get from a takeaway? Your Guide to Smarter Choices

November 3, 2025 •

5 min read

According to one study, the average fast-food meal contains between 1,200 and 1,500 calories, often far more than a typical home-cooked portion. This makes knowing what is the healthiest thing to get from a takeaway? a crucial question for anyone trying to maintain a balanced diet. With some simple strategies, you can enjoy the convenience of takeout without derailing your nutrition goals.

Quick Summary

This guide provides practical strategies for choosing healthy takeaway options across various cuisines. It focuses on identifying leaner cooking methods, maximizing vegetable intake, controlling portions and sauces, and highlights specific nutritious choices from Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and other common takeout menus.

Key Points

Choose Cooking Methods Wisely: Opt for baked, grilled, steamed, or roasted options to avoid excess fat from deep-frying.
Load Up on Vegetables: Always prioritize dishes with a high vegetable content or order a side salad to boost fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Select Lean Protein: Lean proteins like chicken breast, fish, tofu, and beans are healthier than processed or fatty meats.
Control Sauces and Portions: Ask for sauces and dressings on the side and manage your portion sizes to cut down on hidden calories, sugar, and fat.
Consider Healthier Cuisines: Japanese, Vietnamese, and certain customizable Mexican and Indian dishes generally offer more naturally healthy options.
Choose Mindfully: Instead of avoiding takeaway altogether, make a balanced choice by knowing your options and making simple swaps, like choosing thin-crust veggie pizza over a deep-dish meat-lover's.

Understanding the Healthiest Takeaway Principles

Takeaway doesn't have to be synonymous with unhealthy. The key to making a nutritious choice is to be mindful of preparation methods, ingredients, and portion sizes. By applying a few simple principles, you can navigate any takeaway menu more health-consciously.

Prioritize Lean Protein and Vegetables

When making your selection, focus on meals that feature lean protein sources and a high volume of vegetables. Grilled chicken, fish, tofu, and legumes are excellent choices. Vegetables provide essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which are often lacking in many takeaway meals. In contrast, heavily processed meats like pepperoni and bacon are best limited.

Pay Attention to Cooking Methods

The way your food is cooked has a significant impact on its fat content. As a general rule, opt for items that are baked, steamed, poached, roasted, or grilled. Avoid dishes that are described as battered, crispy, or deep-fried, as these are much higher in saturated and trans fats. Even seemingly healthy chicken or fish can be turned into a high-fat meal if it's deep-fried in batter.

Be Mindful of Sauces and Portions

Sauces and portion sizes are major culprits for hidden calories, fat, sugar, and sodium in takeaway food. Rich, creamy sauces and sugary glazes can add hundreds of unnecessary calories. Always ask for sauces and dressings on the side so you can control how much you use. Furthermore, many restaurant portions are significantly larger than a typical serving. Consider ordering an entree size, sharing a main, or saving half for a later meal to manage your intake.

Healthiest Choices by Cuisine

Across different culinary traditions, you can find options that are better for you. By knowing what to look for, you can make an informed decision regardless of the type of takeaway you choose.

Chinese Takeaway

Chinese food is often considered unhealthy due to deep-fried options, but plenty of nutritious alternatives exist.

Healthier Options: Steamed dishes (dumplings, fish, or vegetables), vegetable-heavy stir-fries (like chicken chop suey or beef with broccoli), and clear soups (like hot and sour soup). Opt for steamed or boiled rice instead of fried rice.
To Avoid: Spring rolls, prawn crackers, and anything labeled “crispy,” “battered,” or “sweet and sour”.

Indian Takeaway

Indian cuisine offers a wide range of healthy and flavorful dishes, provided you steer clear of creamy, buttery curries.

Healthier Options: Tandoori-cooked meats (chicken, fish, or prawn), lentil dishes (dal), tomato-based curries (like jalfrezi or madras), and vegetable sides. Accompany with plain rice or chapatti instead of pilau rice or naan.
To Avoid: Creamy curries (korma, pasanda, masala), naan bread, and deep-fried appetizers like samosas and bhajis.

Italian Takeaway

For Italian food, your choice of pizza base and sauce makes all the difference.

Healthier Options: Thin-crust pizza loaded with vegetable toppings and light cheese. Choose pasta with a tomato or vegetable-based sauce instead of a creamy sauce. A side salad with a vinaigrette dressing is also a great addition.
To Avoid: Large deep-pan or cheese-stuffed crust pizzas, creamy pasta sauces, and garlic bread.

Mexican Takeaway

Mexican takeaway can be very healthy, especially when you focus on fresh ingredients and lean protein.

Healthier Options: Burrito bowls or salads with grilled chicken, steak, or beans, loaded with veggies, and topped with salsa and guacamole (in moderation). Soft corn tortillas are also a good choice.
To Avoid: Crispy fried tacos, sour cream, queso, excessive cheese, and large bags of corn chips.

Japanese and Vietnamese Takeaway

Often considered among the healthiest takeaway options, these cuisines feature fresh, often steamed or grilled, ingredients.

Healthier Options: Sashimi, miso soup, edamame, and rice paper rolls (also known as summer rolls). Vegetable stir-fries and pho (noodle soup) are also excellent choices.
To Avoid: Fried fillings in sushi, tempura-fried items, and rich, creamy sauces.

Kebabs and Burgers

Even at places known for less-healthy options, better choices can be made.

Healthier Options: Shish kebabs with lean meat (instead of doner kebab meat) in a pita bread with plenty of salad. For burgers, go for a single, regular-sized patty (lean fish or meat) with extra salad and no mayo or cheese, or opt for a lettuce wrap instead of a bun.
To Avoid: Large doner kebabs, burgers with extra cheese and bacon, and fried chicken or fish patties.

Comparison of Takeaway Options

Below is a comparison of common takeaway items and their healthier alternatives, highlighting the key nutritional differences.


Takeaway Option	Healthier Alternative	Why it's healthier
Sweet and Sour Pork Balls	Steamed Fish or Chicken Chop Suey	Lower in fat (avoids deep frying), higher in vegetables, and significantly less added sugar.
Large Doner Kebab with Mayo	Shish Kebab with Salad and Hummus	Shish kebabs are grilled lean meat, much lower in fat than the processed meat of a doner. Filling it with salad adds fiber.
Chicken Tikka Masala (creamy)	Tandoori Chicken or Madras Curry	Tandoori is grilled and low-fat. Madras uses a tomato base instead of cream, reducing saturated fat.
Deep-Dish Pepperoni Pizza	Thin-Crust Veggie Pizza	Thin crust has fewer refined carbs, and veggie toppings are lower in fat and higher in vitamins and fiber than fatty meats.
Crispy Chicken Burger with Fries	Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Salad	Grilling avoids deep-frying, and a side salad replaces high-fat fried potatoes.

The Bottom Line on Healthy Takeaway

While homemade meals are generally the most nutritious option, needing a takeaway meal doesn't have to be a setback for your diet. The crucial takeaway (pun intended) is to be a conscious consumer. Think about how the meal is cooked, the ingredients it contains, and the portion size. By opting for grilled, steamed, or stir-fried options, prioritizing a healthy balance of lean protein and plenty of vegetables, and managing sauces and portions, you can find genuinely nutritious choices on almost any takeaway menu. Enjoying your favorite flavors is possible while still making sensible, health-conscious decisions.

For more in-depth advice on ordering healthy fast food, see this guide from HelpGuide.org.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Always check online nutritional information if available, and don't hesitate to ask restaurants for modifications to make your meal healthier, such as extra vegetables or sauces on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, pizza can be a healthier option if you choose wisely. Opt for a thin-crust pizza with a tomato-based sauce, and load it up with vegetable toppings instead of fatty meats and extra cheese. Consider having a smaller portion and a side salad to make it a more balanced meal.

The healthiest choices are typically steamed dishes, such as steamed dumplings, fish, or chicken with vegetables. Stir-fries made with lots of vegetables and lean protein are also good. Avoid anything deep-fried, battered, or with a heavy, sweet and sour sauce.

Choose tomato-based curries like madras or jalfrezi, or grilled tandoori dishes, instead of creamy options like korma or masala. Limit your rice and naan intake and fill up on lentil dishes (dal) and vegetable sides.

A standard fast-food combo of a burger and fries is often high in calories and unhealthy fats. However, you can make a healthier choice by opting for a regular-sized burger with a single patty of lean meat, ordering it without cheese or mayonnaise, and getting a side salad or baked potato instead of fries.

Hidden calories often come from sauces, dressings, and creamy ingredients. Always ask for these to be served on the side so you can control the amount you use. You should also watch your portion sizes, as many restaurant meals contain more than one serving.

Sushi and burrito bowls can be very healthy, but it depends on the ingredients. With sushi, choose plain handrolls or sashimi over options with fried fillings. For burrito bowls, go heavy on lean protein, beans, and vegetables, but limit high-fat toppings like sour cream and cheese.

It’s okay to have a treat occasionally. The best strategy is to balance your meal by managing portions. Order a smaller size, skip the high-calorie sides like fries, and pair your main item with a healthy side salad. It's about moderation, not complete restriction.