Fast food
It’s
easy to say “I’m giving up fast food”, but even with the best
intentions, we all crave a treat every now and then. The good news
is that you can enjoy both a healthy diet and a
fast food treat.
Taking a healthy dip
An average portion of a sour cream dip with a small portion of
crisps contains around 30g of fat and 430Kcal. Swap it for
tzatziki and a handful of carrot sticks and you’ll have a much
healthier option with only 5.1g of fat and 100kcal.
Curry in a hurry
The local curry house can be enticing, but making your own can be
quick, easy and much healthier. Take a look at our
‘Healthy meals, healthy heart’ cookbook - cooking our chicken
tikka masala could save you around 22g of fat and 340Kcal compared
to the standard version.
The sweet and the sour
It’s a good idea to avoid battered or deep fried dishes and thick,
sweet sauces when ordering a Chinese meal. Instead, why not make a
tasty stir fry at home and flavour it with garlic, ginger and
chilli? Serve with boiled noodles or rice and some Chinese greens
like pak choi wilted with some chestnut mushrooms.
Ditch the deep fat fryer
A small portion of oven chips contains 4.2g of fat
compared with the same amount of chip shop chips, which would
contain 12.4g of fat.
A pizza the action
Pizzas are easy to make at home, fun for the kids and can be
quicker than a takeaway. Use a thick bread base, lots of vegetables
and just a little cheese - reduced fat if possible. Or if time is
tight, make individual pizzas with muffins cut in half as the
base.
Leaner burger
Make burgers at home using extra lean minced beef instead of
standard beef mince to reduce the fat content. The extra lean has
only 4.5g of fat per 100g compared to 19.8g in standard mince. You
can keep the salt low too by adding herbs and spices instead for
flavour.
Snack attack
Try carrying portable, healthy snacks in your bag or pocket to
avoid being tempted by fatty, salty or sugary snacks when you get
hungry between meals. Things like small packets of dried fruit, an
apple or a currant bun work well.
