SPICE IDEAS IN STORE
HERE’S our pick of the healthiest ready-made curries you can buy in the supermarkets…
ASDA Good & Balanced Tandoori Chicken Curry
352 calories, 9.5g fat.
Tesco Healthy Living Chicken Tikka Masala and rice – 381 calories, 5.5g fat.
Kirsty’s Malaysian Butternut Squash Curry at Sainsbury’s – 322 calories, 3.6g fat.
Morrisons Counted Thai Green Curry
calories, 6.5g fat.
Slimming World’s Beef Madras at Iceland
calories, 5g fat.
Weight Watcher’s Thai Red Chicken Curry and sticky rice – 350 calories, 7.2g fat. – – 305 – 315
If your taste buds can handle it, order a hotter curry like a madras or a vindaloo. Because these are so spicy you’ll eat more slowly and tend to eat less of your portion. Likewise, if you are making a curry at home add plenty of chilli flakes. Research has shown that they contain a hot substance called capsaicin which can boost your metabolism to help you burn more fat.
RICE IDEA: Pilau rice, cooked in extra oil can be 600 calories per portion. Swap it for boiled rice and you can save 300 calories – that’s an hour’s walking – plus around 30g of fat. Ordering a biryani, which includes rice as part of the meal can also cut calorie and fat levels. At home, why not try some fibre rich brown rice with your curry for a change. NAAN BETTER: That naan bread might seem like a good idea at the time but each one can be over 400 calories and contain 12g of fat, especially if they are stuffed with cheese or meat or sultanas. Shave off 50 calories by choosing a plain one, or ordering a chapati, which has only about 115 calories and as little as 1g of fat. VEG OUT: Do order some veggie side dishes. Not only are these packed with vitamins and minerals, but something like dal has lots of protein and fibre to help fill you up. Making a veggie curry at home is a great way to use up leftovers – simply add lots of spices for flavour. Homemade curries can also help you slash salt levels – good for your blood pressure. BE A WAG: Top chain Wagamama has introduced some lower calorie choices to its curry options. You can now swap the favourite Chicken Katsu curry at 1,134 calories and 47g of fat for a Naked Katsu at just 607 calories and 27g fat.
AT THE PUB: Wetherspoon are now one of the biggest sellers of curries in the UK – but even here you can make some sensible savings. Swap their Chicken Tikka Masala with pilau rice, naan and poppadoms, with 1,105 calories and 45g of fat, for a Flaming Dragon Chicken Curry with rice, naan and papadums at 815 calories and 18g fat. RATTLED BONES:
Doing too much exercise on a low calorie diet could damage your bones.
LUNCH CRUNCH:
Nearly a third of Brits have a pint or glass of wine with their lunch while just 22% of us eat salad.
MIND MATTERS:
Nearly two thirds of parents of teenagers are worried about their children’s mental health, according to a survey to mark the launch of ITV’s Britain Get Talking campaign.
d Lo