5 Tips for Selecting Healthy Foods When You Order In

All of us have days when we walk into the house, look into our kitchen and realize that the last thing that we want to do is pull something out of the refrigerator to cook. Sure, it may be healthier but we’re simply too tired to go the extra mile. So, we decide to order in.

Here’s the thing, though. Just because you are having food delivered to you, that doesn’t automatically mean that it has to compromise your dietary standards. That’s why we’ve provided you with five tips on how you can select healthy foods, even when you are ordering in.

Make sure it’s fresh. Although we’d all probably like to assume that the food that we get delivered to us is freshly prepared, that isn’t always the case. So, in placing your order, make sure to specifically state that you would like it to be made-to-order.

Decide if you want to order whole meal or just a few items. Sometimes, the idea of cooking an entire meal is overwhelming, but we don’t mind making one or two things from home. So if, for instance, you decide to order a pizza, rather than ordering some chicken wings and soda to go with it, serve it with some fresh greens and mineral water with juice from home instead.

Know what’s in the food. If you’ve been in a McDonald’s drive-thru lately, now that they actually post their caloric details up, it definitely makes you rethink what you should eat there. That said, whenever you decide to order food from a restaurant, it’s a good idea to look at the menu to see how the food is prepared and to also check the amount of calories that are in each dish. If it’s not written on their menu or featured on their website, call and ask before placing the order.

Avoid what’s fried. It’s not “bad” to have something fried from time to time, but remember that the operative word here is “healthy”. So, try and go without the dishes that are prepared by being fried. For one thing, that’s just taking more fat into your system. For another, the best kinds of oil are not always used (lard and canola are two oils that should be the most avoided and olive and coconut are two of the best). Order something that is baked or broiled instead.

Go without all of the condiments. If you would like to order something in a way that keeps fat, salt and sugar content down, try this: no matter what you decide to order to eat, specifically request that they do not add give you any “extras” or condiments. This would include everything from salad dressings, soy sauce and ketchup to seasonings and packets of sugar. For some reason, we tend to be a bit smarter with how we use the condiments and “extras” that we already have in our house than we do with what comes in our delivery bags. Besides, there’s a pretty good chance that your already sweetened tea doesn’t need more sugar and your loaded baked potato can go without two packets of sour cream so you’re not missing out on flavor by keeping them out of your delivery bag.