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About 45% of South Africans are not eating meals with enough nutritional diversity; it has been reported.
For many people, ordering takeaways is a source of comfort and convenience. However, it’s not usually the healthiest choice. Medical News Today states that eating healthier can help a person with diabetes lose weight if needed and manage their glucose levels as well as prevent premature heart disease.
Healthy eating can improve your overall health, never mind that it can be naturally tasty too! Here are a few delicious healthy alternatives to fast food.
Weekend specials
If you have time to cook over the weekend, you’ll spend less time searching for fast-food options, and it can also help with preparing food for the following week.
- Cook a double batch of whatever you’re preparing. You can freeze the extra meal and reheat during the week or whenever you’re too tired to cook.
- Use a slow cooker. It’s like this amazing machine was invented for busy people. If you don’t have much time (or energy), pop all your ingredients into the slow cooker, and your meal will essentially create itself.
- Roast a chicken or turkey in the oven. This will give you time for other activities such as reading a book or preparing a quick salad to go with your meal. Try our Roasted Vegetable and Couscous as a mouth-watering side to your protein which takes about five minutes to make!
Health on the go
Whenever you’re on the road, it can be tempting to make a quick left to a fast food outlet you can see from the corner of your eye. But think about it for a second, are you going there so that you can cool off and you need an ice-cold drink? Or is it because you’re hungry? You may be able to solve that problem by yourself.
- Pack a cooler box and place any 100% juices, yoghurts and salads you may have made the day before.
- Slice a few fruits and pack it in a lunch tin for you to snack on.
- For a salty option, slice a few carrots, celery sticks, cucumber, cherry tomatoes or even mozzarella sticks and pack it with a low-fat dip.
- Cereal in a tin? If you or the kids didn’t have time to sit and have breakfast before you left, simply add wholegrain cereal to a container, pour milk over and you’re sorted for breakfast on the road.
Takeaways at home
If you have a household with kids, they’re quick to grab anything in the pantry or fridge that can curb their craving. This is why you should always stock healthier options in the kitchen.
- Grains that are quick to cook – whole-wheat couscous and brown rice
- Wholegrain cereals, pasta, prepared pizza crust and bread.
- Vegetables that are frozen, fresh or cans that have no added salt
- Canned tuna, eggs, milk, peanut butter, lean beef and chicken.
Sometimes, the nearest takeaway seems like the most convenient option. But there’s nothing stopping you from preparing meals in advance or packing them neatly in a cooler box when you’re out, that will curb those cravings in an instant. Convenience + taste = healthy family.