restaurants and take aways - healthy choices

stephaniezoundi
stephaniezoundi Posts: 1,148 Member
edited October 5 in Social Groups
Thought we could share our favourite low cal or low fat or healthier choices that we make at restaurants and for take aways!

Replies

  • lucycaz
    lucycaz Posts: 191 Member
    PREZZO PREZZO PREZZO

    They do a whole range of flat bread pizza and pastas that come with a grest salad and dressings and are alll calorie counted and are below 600 for the whole meal...

    The food is fewsh and it is a nice place to go with friends who may not be cal counting...

    On top of that they have an app where you can always down load a voucher which is either 2 main courses for £12 or buy one main course get another one free so is cheap as well....

    Lucy
  • Ayeshat
    Ayeshat Posts: 209
    i used to throw stones at people who ordered salads at restaurants (not really) but They're good healthy options and really delicious too.. and surprisingly filling.. I went to the place called The Luxe in Liverpool street and they had the nicest lamb salad.... U'd think with cheap ingredients like lettuce the salad option would be much cheaper though ;-s Broke times!
  • AirCircleI
    AirCircleI Posts: 334 Member
    I live in a turkish neighbourhood, so there are loads of places with grilled chicken and lamb with salad, rice and bread for about £6. If you lay off the bread (or have in moderation), it is pretty healthy.
  • psychopiglet
    psychopiglet Posts: 130 Member
    Leon is really good for healthy fast food.
  • shine_
    shine_ Posts: 150 Member
    I usually have the grilled salmon in Frankie & Benny's, and ask for no potatoes but a salad (no dressing) instead.
  • erikatoth
    erikatoth Posts: 26 Member
    Did you guys know that The Real Greek now has cals next to every item on the menu, and also they have put all their foods on MFP too?!?! Heaven!
  • erikatoth
    erikatoth Posts: 26 Member
    i used to throw stones at people who ordered salads at restaurants (not really) but They're good healthy options and really delicious too.. and surprisingly filling..

    Me too. I was like - whats the point of eating if you dont enjoy? Then I started doing it myself and realised i enjoy it more than stuffing myself with chips and be heavy and bloated afterwards.
  • markdl
    markdl Posts: 8 Member
    Did you guys know that The Real Greek now has cals next to every item on the menu, and also they have put all their foods on MFP too?!?! Heaven!

    Yeah I went there last week, it's good.. shocked by some of the items though, like the Large Salad at 1200cals!
  • Ayeshat
    Ayeshat Posts: 209

    Yeah I went there last week, it's good.. shocked by some of the items though, like the Large Salad at 1200cals!

    :-O musta been one damn fine tasting salad lol.. hmm the real greek, never been, might try it out
  • M0TZO
    M0TZO Posts: 55 Member
    Did you guys know that The Real Greek now has cals next to every item on the menu, and also they have put all their foods on MFP too?!?! Heaven!

    Wetherspoons now has Calories listed on their menus for every item. You can pick up fuller nutrition guide near the condiments which was available before the updated menu came out this week.
  • Tiggermummy
    Tiggermummy Posts: 312 Member
    I love Leon, especially for breakfast, but it is worth checking cals before you go!
    Lots of numbers on their website, but something's are way higher than they should be.
    Bacon sandwich =600+ cals? There's not that much bacon in it. I can make one at home for half the cals.

    Ed's diner - no cal data available :( But they now do a skinny on any burger = no bun and salad with dressing.
    No chips. They also do sweet potato fries which are healthier option too.
  • kittyraj
    kittyraj Posts: 129 Member
    I love Subway, they have the calories on the menu! I don't feel 'scared' and it's social when I'm out with a friend. Plus it's cheap too!
  • eldarkangel
    eldarkangel Posts: 25 Member
    Very true..I am liking the new menus..not glad its winter though
  • MDChin
    MDChin Posts: 19 Member
    Nandos - Half a chicken is around 450 calories, could get it with their spicy rice and the total is around 650 (I think)
  • I eat at Nandos every week and do so guilt free. Half a chicken and rice is around 700 cals iirc. I have sparkling water with it. You could have just a 1/4 chicken to save a bit, and you won't go hungry if you ask for the 1/4 to be a breast.

    Frankie and Benny's lighter options are good, but no info on the rest of their menu...

    Wagamamas is pretty bad, about the best thing to go for unless you find something v small is a Yaki Udon at around 750 cals.

    Subway is good and although they don't provide nutrition info, so is Birleys if you order something like a Turkey sandwich.
  • angelacooper3
    angelacooper3 Posts: 32 Member
    Chop suey has a low calorie count for Chinese as there are no noodles. Thai isn't bad as long as you lay off anything with coconut in it, Tom Yum is yummy.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    I generally try and make room in my calories instead ... Tonight I am off to a non-chain Tapas so I have had to look for the closest equivalent of what I usually have, and create that as a Meal on here.

    Other than that I try and surreptitiously look on the app for lower calorie things if they don't have them on the menu.
  • MDChin
    MDChin Posts: 19 Member
    Harvester have also changed their menus to have the calories next to them, although theres a big difference between 500 calories of chips and 500 calories of grilled chicken and salad
  • wibbley74
    wibbley74 Posts: 80 Member
    love a skinny byron burger
  • antxoable
    antxoable Posts: 86 Member
    Subway: 6inches italian breast chicken toastie with lettuce onion and sweetcorn
    Watherspoons: chicken wings or chicken cesar salad(250 cals, 600 cals)
    Nando's: 1/4 chicken with corn ans peas(less than 400 calls)
  • LilMissDB
    LilMissDB Posts: 133
    Pizza express have their leggera pizzas with the salad in the middle for 500kcal and Strada, Zizzis and Cafe Rouge have some lighter options with calorie counts but I personally haven't enjoyed any of them :P I prefer to go to Wetherspoons or a non-chain restaurant and guess the cals based on alike foods (usually from American restaurants datasets because they have so many cal entries!). I was shocked though to see the costa caramel shortbread at over 400kcal though, I'd been counting it at 250 as in the supermarket, you would get a bigger piece for that! In general, I'm trying to limit my eating out though :( because I know how far off the estimates can be (even if they have provided info).
  • LilMissDB
    LilMissDB Posts: 133

    Wagamamas is pretty bad, about the best thing to go for unless you find something v small is a Yaki Udon at around 750 cals.

    I've just had a look as I hadn't realised they were now providing info. Makes you wonder where the 'info' in the database came from, I was always a bit sceptical of some of the low calorie counts entered for some of the dishes. Did they just make them up? The ramens look ok, 688kcal for a wagamama ramen and it's a huge serve.

    I saw an entry the other day for a chinese buffet '1 standard plate' as though such a thing exists, for 360kcal. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking my standard chinese buffet plate would probably have that in one bite!
  • freemystery
    freemystery Posts: 184 Member
    Was a careless eater for ages.
    Morning, on the way to work I'd get Pret latte, one of their fruity nutty bars for mid morning and maybe a croissant or oatmeal. Then Eat for lunch, whatever sandwich I fancied and maybe a lemonade or smoothie plus bag of crisps.
    Perhaps pop downstairs to the canteen, get a few cookies for my afternoon cup of tea.

    Um and I thought this was healthy. Adding all the cals up, was shocked at how much I could eat and just not feel full from it.

    Contrast with how full I feel after noodle soups/ ramen bowls which are relatively healthy. I never need to snack afterwards with those.
    Also sushi and anywhere that will give me food as close to its natural state as possible so laying off the lasagne and chips etc and just going with the meat, veg and whole grains with minimum processing- no pastas or pastries etc. I'm often surprised how low the calorie count is when there's nothing that needed too much attention to get from farm to plate.
  • J2mazou
    J2mazou Posts: 13 Member
    There is a brilliant cafe-style restaurant near to London Bridge called Velo.
    It's healthy Vietnamese and delicious.
  • ingoiolo
    ingoiolo Posts: 104 Member
    The salads at Crush are excellent and low cal
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