Make-your-own takeaways
ORDERING a meal from the local takeaway has been a source of solace to many of us over the past 18 months, representing a wellearned treat at the end of a stressful and possibly lonely week.
So it’s no surprise to learn that recent research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, drawn from data on millions of food and nonalcoholic drink purchases, found a large increase in calories from takeaways — peaking at more than double usual levels in the UK’s second lockdown last November.
Fried in fat or laden with butter, cheese or hidden sugars, these endofweek treats
can take a heavy toll on our waistlines and general health. And, if we’re honest, sometimes we look forward eagerly to a takeaway, only to be a disappointed in reality.
‘Often you’ve built it up in your mind as a timesaving indulgence — then it takes 45 minutes to arrive, it’s lukewarm, expensive, and having takeaways often is definitely not good for your health,’ says Julia Westgarth, head of programme at WW.
Luckily, with WW there are clever, tasty solutions at hand that mean you can enjoy the Friday ‘fix’ you crave — from Indian meals to fish and chips — without torpedoing your weightloss and health goals. You’ll find it’s lighter on your wallet, too!
These include a fabulous selection of tempting ‘fakeaway’ recipes featured in today’s pullout as we continue our exclusive WW series to help you lose extra lockdown weight and prime your immune system so it’s ready for any health challenges the winter may bring.
Better still, they’re easy to cook and can be on the table in less time than it takes a delivery driver to ring your doorbell.
You certainly won’t feel you’re missing out on flavour as you sit down to a Thai yellow prawn curry with cauliflower ‘rice’ (one SmartPoint on all plans) or a speedy veggie pizza (eight SmartPoints on all).
Or how about a portion of succulent WW fish ’n’ chips — baked rather than fried with a crispy batter and only seven SmartPoints on Green, six on Blue and four on Purple. This is compared with 48 SmartPoints for a medium portion from a fish and chip shop.
If your heart is set on a takeaway, however, the experts at WW also have some useful ordering tips to help you stay on track.
‘By all means get the butter chicken if that’s what you really love — budget for it with your SmartPoints and enjoy every mouthful,’ says Julia. ‘But do you really want samosas and rice and naans and
poppadoms, too? Often these are just extras you’ve got into the habit of ordering.’
You could save SmartPoints — and money — by making your own rice instead of ordering it. A 300g portion of pilau rice from a takeaway is 20 SmartPoints on Green and Blue and 21 on Purple, while an equal portion of boiled brown rice is only 11 SmartPoints on Green and Blue and 0 on Purple.
Meanwhile, a serving of naan bread from a takeaway is 28 SmartPoints on all plans — but a 50g mini naan from a supermarket is only three SmartPoints on all plans.
‘When ordering fish and chips, remember portions can be huge,’ says Julia. ‘A child’s portion can be satisfying for an adult.’
The same is true of pizzas. ‘Bear in mind that very cheesy pizzas, or those with fatty pepperoni on top, will be particularly high in SmartPoints,’ says Julia.