Healthy Take-out [General]
2012 Jan 25
If you're trying to lose weight then you might have to do something a little more taxing than just making a phone call. Take out is designed for convenience and satisfaction, not health or weight loss.
Is it because you don't want to cook, can't cook or don't have time to cook? I can offer you suggestions as to how to get round any or all of those three, but none of them are take out.
Is it because you don't want to cook, can't cook or don't have time to cook? I can offer you suggestions as to how to get round any or all of those three, but none of them are take out.
2012 Jan 25
Maybe green door or the table?
Also Alex's bakery on bank has pretty good salads- they change but I had some that were mixed greens with cranberries (I forget) and there was other vegetables and the dressing was balsamic vinegar.
Alex's bakery also makes vegetable sandwiches w roasted vegetables that are good.
they have homemade soups there every day and they change every day, but lately I see they have 2 soups and 1 is always lentil? (I think).
have not tried lentil soup,but all the other kinds I tried were good.
Also Alex's bakery on bank has pretty good salads- they change but I had some that were mixed greens with cranberries (I forget) and there was other vegetables and the dressing was balsamic vinegar.
Alex's bakery also makes vegetable sandwiches w roasted vegetables that are good.
they have homemade soups there every day and they change every day, but lately I see they have 2 soups and 1 is always lentil? (I think).
have not tried lentil soup,but all the other kinds I tried were good.
2012 Jan 26
I guess the answer depends on what you consider healthy. By my definition of healthy food (which does not equate "diet" food), there are many options available, you just have to pick carefully on the menu.
Many restaurants that don't offer delivery do offer take out. For example, most:
Japanese restaurants
Vietnamese restaurants
Chinese restaurants
Greek restaurants
Italian restaurants
Obviously, all those have unhealthy food too, but if you stay away from deep fried things and order sashimi, stir-frys with lots of veggies, grilled lean meat or pasta that is not covered in tons of cheese, there are many good options...
(Ravi, I'd be curious to know where you got that "1000 calories in pho" number... pho tends to vary a lot in size and ingredients, but I find it hard to believe that a regular bowl of clear broth with rice noodles, a few veggies and a small amount of lean beef would be that caloric).
Many restaurants that don't offer delivery do offer take out. For example, most:
Japanese restaurants
Vietnamese restaurants
Chinese restaurants
Greek restaurants
Italian restaurants
Obviously, all those have unhealthy food too, but if you stay away from deep fried things and order sashimi, stir-frys with lots of veggies, grilled lean meat or pasta that is not covered in tons of cheese, there are many good options...
(Ravi, I'd be curious to know where you got that "1000 calories in pho" number... pho tends to vary a lot in size and ingredients, but I find it hard to believe that a regular bowl of clear broth with rice noodles, a few veggies and a small amount of lean beef would be that caloric).
2012 Jan 27
I've been staying out of this one, but I can't keep quiet any longer. ;-)
As Isabelle states, healthy food and "diet" food are not at all the same thing. In fact, some of the biggest diet foods are unhealthy by nature (see the Atkins diet). The most effective foods for weight loss are the ones that make you feel the most full with the fewest calories... fat and protein are king!
Healthy food is nutritious food. Focus on colourful vegetables and fruits, lean meats, fish, and healthy oils. The healthy way to diet is to eat these healthy foods but watch your portion size and do some exercise.
As for Pho, it's pretty easy to approach 1000 calories if you order an Extra Large. The calories come almost exclusively from the rice noodles (which are 192 calories per cup, cooked). That's still nothing compared to a chain-restaurant appetizer or a Quiznos sandwich!
As Isabelle states, healthy food and "diet" food are not at all the same thing. In fact, some of the biggest diet foods are unhealthy by nature (see the Atkins diet). The most effective foods for weight loss are the ones that make you feel the most full with the fewest calories... fat and protein are king!
Healthy food is nutritious food. Focus on colourful vegetables and fruits, lean meats, fish, and healthy oils. The healthy way to diet is to eat these healthy foods but watch your portion size and do some exercise.
As for Pho, it's pretty easy to approach 1000 calories if you order an Extra Large. The calories come almost exclusively from the rice noodles (which are 192 calories per cup, cooked). That's still nothing compared to a chain-restaurant appetizer or a Quiznos sandwich!
2012 Jan 27
Thank you very much for all of your helpful suggestions. Johnny English; I simply don't have time to cook. What are some of your suggestions? And yes I've gone for pho at New Mee Fung (tofu and veggies in rice noodle soup) which I imagine is healthier than most options although still pretty high in caloric intake.
2012 Jan 27
We have a similar problem at times - just no time (or energy) to cook. First golden rule is to always have a back up plan; in terms of a healthy option, that will mean several portions of something like turkey chilli frozen into individual ziploc bags in the freezer. It only takes half an hour to prep and get started when I have time at the weekend, then it slowly simmers for a couple of hours while I go and do other things, then turn it off, leave it to cool, spoon into bags and freeze. Ten minutes in the microwave when we want to eat - it's low fat, low carb, nutritionally balanced and has lots of fresh vegetables.
Secondly, pick things up that are healthy, quick and easy. A stop into any grocery store on the way home from work to get one of those whole roasted chickens and a bag of pre-mixed salad and you've got dinner. Take the skin off the chicken, dress the salad with a little bit of oil and vinegar and you've got a low fat meal in about three minutes.
Third, if you have one then become friends with your slow cooker. I've only got one recently and don't know how I lived without it before. Ten minutes of prep in the morning or even the night before, turn it on before I go to work, dinner's ready when I walk in the door. Loads of really healthy options here.
Hopefully some food for thought? (Pardon the pun.) We have a similar time problem fairly regularly, and I can only imagine that it's worse if you have children, but we've both been on a health kick of late (she because she wants to lose weight, me because I'm training for a marathon) and we're finding that with a little bit of planning it isn't as hard as it sometimes seems. Planning's the key, though - if you find yourself thinking "I'm hungry now, and I don't have time to prepare anything" then you're in a hole. Know that you'll be hungry tomorrow night as well, and the night after and so on, and plan for them ahead of time.
Hope that helps.
Secondly, pick things up that are healthy, quick and easy. A stop into any grocery store on the way home from work to get one of those whole roasted chickens and a bag of pre-mixed salad and you've got dinner. Take the skin off the chicken, dress the salad with a little bit of oil and vinegar and you've got a low fat meal in about three minutes.
Third, if you have one then become friends with your slow cooker. I've only got one recently and don't know how I lived without it before. Ten minutes of prep in the morning or even the night before, turn it on before I go to work, dinner's ready when I walk in the door. Loads of really healthy options here.
Hopefully some food for thought? (Pardon the pun.) We have a similar time problem fairly regularly, and I can only imagine that it's worse if you have children, but we've both been on a health kick of late (she because she wants to lose weight, me because I'm training for a marathon) and we're finding that with a little bit of planning it isn't as hard as it sometimes seems. Planning's the key, though - if you find yourself thinking "I'm hungry now, and I don't have time to prepare anything" then you're in a hole. Know that you'll be hungry tomorrow night as well, and the night after and so on, and plan for them ahead of time.
Hope that helps.
2012 Jan 27
The Green Door and The Table both offer take-out. It is a buffet style and you pay by weight. You can even bring your own tupperware if you'd like. You control portion size and selection.
Sushi Go is ok too. Not the best sushi, but definitely better than the grocery store. Freshly made pitas and dips at Middle Eastern Bakery on Somerset. They also sell premade Kibbi and Falfel.
I find rice paper rolls are low in calories. You can get them at New Mee fung - you roll your own. I prefer nuoc cham to peanut sauce for dipping.
Sushi Go is ok too. Not the best sushi, but definitely better than the grocery store. Freshly made pitas and dips at Middle Eastern Bakery on Somerset. They also sell premade Kibbi and Falfel.
I find rice paper rolls are low in calories. You can get them at New Mee fung - you roll your own. I prefer nuoc cham to peanut sauce for dipping.
2012 Jan 28
Take out food of any kind is iffy..Calories are important but so are the kind of fats, , nutrients, sodium content,...Bbq chicken at the grocery store is very high in sodium. So depending on your needs it can be a great quick food or not. Just check what your particular wants are. One BBQ chicken divided between 5 or 6 people with a large green salad and wholegrain baguette would be a great option--one chicken with fries between 2 or 3 people would not be healthy. Consider..a couple of slices of baguette, chicken and salad can be healthy, depending on particular health requirements.
Just look-most prepared food is very high in sodium and possibly unhealthy fats. Check labels, and ask.
Just look-most prepared food is very high in sodium and possibly unhealthy fats. Check labels, and ask.
2012 Jan 29
I don't eat rice noodles when I want to lose weight... If you don't know a lot about food, you may have to try following some kind of diet to drop some pounds. Weight watchers gets top marks for results and for its ability to educate people over time. I myself loved the Zone, because of its balanced approach to nutrition and its great recipes (see en.wikipedia.org, if you're interested).
But as the others have pointed out, you'll really have to get back into the kitchen to lose. Cooking can be relaxing, if you take the time to be organized and clean up as you go. In the 20 minutes it takes to drive to a takeout and stand in line, you can whip up a delicious stir fry! Good luck.
But as the others have pointed out, you'll really have to get back into the kitchen to lose. Cooking can be relaxing, if you take the time to be organized and clean up as you go. In the 20 minutes it takes to drive to a takeout and stand in line, you can whip up a delicious stir fry! Good luck.
2012 Jan 31
WC is right.
There are so many different markers of health. My mother cares about cholesterol and fat, but not sugar, for example.
At the end of the day, portion size is one of the biggest troubles with take-out. For example, shawarma can be healthy, but it can also be 1300 calories for a regular sized sandwich, without potatoes.
www.thestar.com
There are a few other articles that this one links to that talk about favourite take-out meals.
There are so many different markers of health. My mother cares about cholesterol and fat, but not sugar, for example.
At the end of the day, portion size is one of the biggest troubles with take-out. For example, shawarma can be healthy, but it can also be 1300 calories for a regular sized sandwich, without potatoes.
www.thestar.com
There are a few other articles that this one links to that talk about favourite take-out meals.
2012 Feb 2
If you're feeling brave, try getting your take-out at the T and T Grocer. I've been there a couple of times to see what they have, and they have quite a selection of every Asian food you can imagine. They have a pretty big take-out section, with tons of choices if you have a good budget for your purchases. When I was there with my Dad at Christmas, we got a teryaki chicken for about $10 or so, which was a whole cooked small chicken (a few pounds) that a person at the counter quickly carved for us without us even having to request it. I saw that they have things like stir fry/soup pot mixes, if you don't have the time or energy to prepare the veggies but don't mind cooking them, and they even have seaweed salad.
Some good things to watch for there, in my experience: the take-out (which fits your request), like chicken; the produce section (when I went in Dec., they had the best produce that I have seen yet in a grocery store in Ottawa, for good prices; e.g. 5 pounds of fresh ON red delicious apples for $4, whereas at Loblaws and YIG they only had imported apples for a higher price (even in the prime of apple season), even for the more ordinary varieties like Cortland); seaweed snacks (dried green seaweed, yummy); and the fresh fish (good prices, even for fish that could have been fresh enough to have just been fished from their in-store tank). The only drawback for me is the location; they are on a bus route that only goes 1x/hour, or about 2 km from another bus route that is more frequent. When the weather is better, I plan to go more, though.
Some good things to watch for there, in my experience: the take-out (which fits your request), like chicken; the produce section (when I went in Dec., they had the best produce that I have seen yet in a grocery store in Ottawa, for good prices; e.g. 5 pounds of fresh ON red delicious apples for $4, whereas at Loblaws and YIG they only had imported apples for a higher price (even in the prime of apple season), even for the more ordinary varieties like Cortland); seaweed snacks (dried green seaweed, yummy); and the fresh fish (good prices, even for fish that could have been fresh enough to have just been fished from their in-store tank). The only drawback for me is the location; they are on a bus route that only goes 1x/hour, or about 2 km from another bus route that is more frequent. When the weather is better, I plan to go more, though.
food_lover