How to Make Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Takeouts

Everyone loves a good takeout meal. It’s easy when you don’t want to cook, and it’s often inexpensive too. Plus, there’s no denying that it’s tasty. The problem is that so many takeout options are tasty because they’re full of things that aren’t always so good for us. Even options that appear to be healthy at first glance are often not as good for you as you first assume. Making your own “takeout” at home as an alternative might take a little more effort, but it can give you the flavor you want while also making your food healthier. Try these tips for a healthier meal.

Skip the Deep Frying

When you order your food from your favorite takeout, it’s often going to come deep-fried. That’s what makes it taste so good. But there are plenty of other ways to get flavor into your food without using lots of oil. Try options like this healthy sweet and sour chicken recipe that switches deep-frying for shallow-frying, so you cut down on the oil that you use. Another option is to use an air fryer or bake your dish instead of frying it. You can remove the oil completely and still enjoy your food.

Add More Veggies

Sometimes when you order takeout, it doesn’t have too many vegetables in it. Even if it should be part of the dish, it can feature more meat or sauce than anything else. But when you cook your own food, you can pack it full of veggies if you want to. There are lots of dishes that are excellent for getting more vegetables into your diet. A curry or stir fry can be an excellent way to get your greens and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Even burgers can give you an opportunity to get some veggies and salad into your bun.

Buy Quality Ingredients

Let’s face it, a lot of cheap takeout places are not using the best ingredients. They want to maximize their profits without putting their prices up too high, which means they don’t want to pay too much for the ingredients they use. If you want to make your fake takeout meals healthier, buying high-quality ingredients can help. This is especially the case with meat and fish, which can be much healthier if you spend a little extra on better ingredients. Even vegetables can be more nutritious when they’re of better quality.

Use Your Spices and Seasonings

You don’t have to use oil, butter, and other fats to get lots of flavor into your food. If you feel like you can’t make your meals taste as good as takeout without them, you need to make sure you’re using spices and seasonings properly. Although fat does help to impart flavor, you don’t need too much of it to get the flavor you want. When you flavor your food with herbs and spices, you won’t need so much fat.

If you want to cut down on takeouts, try making your own versions at home for a healthier option.