Is your dinner delivery dishing up hidden calories?

By now you’ve probably heard that an Irish court ruled that the dough used to make Subway’s sandwiches does not get to be called “bread.” It has too much sugar in it and is more dessert than dinner.

Clearly, it’s easy to get tricked into thinking the food you’re ordering for delivery or pickup is healthier than it is. Luscious photos and artful descriptions can disguise the nutritional reality. For example, Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad is full of good-sounding chicken tenders on Asian greens, rice noodles and almonds with an Asian-flavored vinaigrette. But it delivers 1,440 calories. And Red Lobster’s Create Your Own Combo sounds virtuous. But it delivers shrimp three ways with sides and a beverage for 3,600 calories, 37 g saturated fat and 6,530 mg sodium. We don’t know what to say about that but, “Run!”

Your best shot at eating healthy food is to make it yourself. One study found that folks who eat 11-14 homemade meals per week have a 13% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than folks who eat fewer than six each weekly. Another found home-cooked meals serve up fewer calories and fat than out-ofhouse meals. But takeout has exploded during the pandemic. So it’s up to you to check online menus for nutritional info. And dodge anything with red meat, a creamy sauce or described as fried, breaded or sweet, honey, or maple. Decide what to order and eat based on calorie, fat, carb and sodium content, not just how food looks in enticing photos.