Take-out is not always beneficial to your health. Here are a few common ones that are ordered from restaurants
1. Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Alfredo is the pasta of choice because people think that they’ve chosen the leaner, healthier pasta on the menu. The truth is, however, that this creamy pasta can contain upwards of 1500 calories and alarming amounts of fat and sodium. Both high animal fat content and increased sodium intake, in turn, have been time and time linked to cardiovascular issues, as well as diabetes and many other serious health issues.
Choose instead: When ordering Italian takeout, it’s better to opt for tomato-based sauces and dishes that contain vegetables, such as eggplant, spinach, zucchini, and mushrooms, and opt-out of dishes that contain creamy sauces, bacon, and sausage.
2. Nachos
Nachos are great snack food, but eating deep-fried chips with a topping of obscene amounts of cheese and other high-fat and high-sodium toppings can ruin your stomach. As already mentioned, high-sodium foods and high-fat foods can harm the heart and cause chronic health problems, but they also harm your microbiome and digestive health.
Choose instead: A better alternative to nachos are chips with pico de gallo, salsa, or guacamole. Or even better, get some tacos that have a much lower portion of the unhealthy ingredients instead.
3. California Rolls
Generally speaking, sushi is a relatively healthy takeout option, but there is one exception, the famous California roll. This is because California rolls are prepared with artificial crab meat, which contains highly processed ingredients, artificial dyes, added starches, and vegetable oils, as well as other artificial ingredients. After dipping this roll into some soy sauce, you’ll also be ingesting a lot of sodium. Essentially, there is nothing healthy about this roll but the optional avocado and cucumber.
Choose instead: Instead, if you’re choosing sushi, choose rolls that contain real fish and fiber-rich veggies, such as carrots and asparagus, and possibly even brown rice instead of plain white.
4. General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso’s isn’t the healthiest food in the world. This Chinese Restaurant staple isn’t just covered in batter and fried in vegetable oil, it’s also subsequently coated with a sugary sauce. Just one portion of the dish can sometimes contain up to 60 grams of sugar, which is more than twice the amount of sugar a person should be having a day! Another ingredient in the glaze is soy sauce, and a lot of it, so you’ll be also contributing heavily to your sodium intake when having a bowl of General Tso’s Chicken. All these ingredients are extremely harmful to your heart, even if you’re completely healthy. So, what should you have at a Chinese takeout?
Choose instead: Steamed vegetable dishes, soups, and stir-fries that don’t use much soy sauce should be a safe bet. When it comes to rice, it’s better to choose brown rice, or replace the rice with some homemade grain like quinoa or buckwheat altogether.
5. Chicken Ceasar with Creamy Dressing
Not all salads are a safe choice, either. While lean meat like grilled chicken and vegetables are all an excellent and nutritious choice, the creamy dressings and additives, such as salted croutons in a Chicken Ceasar will be less beneficial for your health. In fact, such a salad can contain as much as 1000+ calories and more than 70 grams of fat per serving! Other salad ingredients to avoid are bacon, processed meats, dried fruit, blue cheese, and candied nuts.
Choose instead: When ordering a salad, try to opt for healthy additives and maybe even consider making your own dressing at home with some lemon and olive oil. Additives that will make your salad even healthier and more nutritious are hummus, avocados, nuts, and quinoa.
6. Butter Chicken
There are many great Indian takeout options out there, but Buttered Chicken isn’t one of them, as this rich and creamy dish is full of saturated fat that comes from the butter and full-fat yogurt used in the sauce.
Choose instead: So, no matter how tasty it may be, it’s best to skip it and choose a chickpea-based sauce like chana masala, or at least chicken tandoori, a yogurt-based chicken dish that doesn’t use as much butter. The fiber in the chickpeas will be very beneficial for your digestive and heart health, so it’s a great ingredient to take note of.
7. Broccoli Cheddar Soup
If something contains broccoli and is a soup, it must be healthy, right? Well, not quite, and the Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a great example of a dish that’s masking to be healthy, but contains more fat than a portion of loaded fries in reality. While eating soup is actually beneficial both for your health and waistline, broccoli cheddar will not have the same benefits, as it contains half of your daily allowance of salt, over 20g of saturated fat, and 50 milligrams of cholesterol (mostly the bad kind).
Choose instead: A good guess when choosing soup is to opt for clear broth-based soups instead of creamy ones. Apart from veggies, you can also choose soups with legumes, such as peas and lentils, as these contain quite a lot of fiber and protein.
8. Fried Tofu and Veggies
Chinese takeout is probably the trickiest when it comes to healthy options, as dishes typically included in these menus seemingly contain a lot of healthy veggies and lean protein like tofu and chicken. As it often happens, the devil lies in the details, and these details are the sauces – soy sauce and teriyaki – and the fact that many foods are deep-fried. This is exactly the problem with the fried tofu and vegetable dish, which often packs an astonishing 2200mg of salt in a portion and 900 calories. This is way beyond the daily salt allowance, and the fact that the tofu is deep-fried significantly reduces its protein count, too.
9. Banana Bread
Unfortunately, the fact that banana bread contains bananas doesn’t make it healthy. In fact, one serving of a standard coffee house banana bread contains nearly your entire daily allowance of sugar, as well as 500 calories and 19 grams of fat. Needless to say, this is a lot more sugar and calories than any healthy breakfast should contain, and worst of all, there is absolutely nothing beneficial in this dessert.
Choose instead: Instead, just eat an actual banana or a serving fruit of your choice.
Ways To Raise Your Metabolism
A good workout schedule is a great way to keep yourself fit and to maintain a healthy metabolism, but there are other things you can do to supplement your workout.
Here are just some of the ways you can keep your body in top shape, and help it make the most out of your regular exercise.
- Don’t skip breakfast:
Eating a good healthy breakfast is crucial in maintaining optimal energy levels throughout the day. Skipping breakfast will send your body into "starvation mode", and slow its metabolism.
- Eat more foods with lean protein:
Lean protein require a lot more energy to burn and digest, which increases your metabolism. Try eating more chicken and tinned fish in water, and you’ll see they keep you full and satisfied for a longer time.
- Eat lots of omega-3 rich foods:
Omega-3 are fatty acids that contain a myriad of benefits to your body and boost it metabolism. Don’t let the term "fatty" scare you, these are acids that help regulate your blood sugar and your metabolism steady. Good sources for omega 3 are foods like avocados, and walnuts.
- Eat yogurt:
Just yogurt with probiotics. Simple, low fat, yogurt contains nutrients which raise your bodies resting metabolic rate.
- Eat dark chocolate:
The caffeine and the antioxidants in dark chocolate are both known to be metabolism boosters. However, make sure you eat brands with 70% cacao and above, anything lower has too much sugar and fat.
- Do Yoga and Take some time to breathe:
Taking a few minutes every day to focus on some heavy deep breathing is very beneficial. Deep relaxed breathing brings more oxygen into your body which helps you burn more energy.
- Eat healthy snacks:
Small healthy snacks during the day can keep your energy level consistent. This will keep your metabolism high by maintaining normal blood sugar levels at all times of the day. Remember not to overdo it so you’ll still be able to eat normal sized regular meals and to only eat healthy snacks.
- Eat nuts:
Walnuts, pecans and pistachios contain many vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that aid in boosting metabolism. A handful a day is more than enough and it’s also a good idea for a healthy snack.
metabolism
- Spice up your food:
Spicy foods and condiments contain capsaicin, which been shown to increase metabolic rates by increasing your hormone levels.
- Drink green tea:
Green tea contains phenols, chemical compounds that increase your body’s ability to burn energy and calories.
- Don’t skip meals:
Much like skipping breakfast, skipping any other meal is just as bad for your metabolism. If you’re hungry, just eat and make sure it’s healthy food.
- Drink water:
Green tea, coffee and energy drinks may all have their benefits but nothing beats a cold glass of water. Drinking six cups of cold water a day can boost your metabolism by burning up an extra 50 calories a day.
- Relax:
Taking the time to alleviate your stress will benefit your life in more ways than one. Stress causes the production of cortisol which can slow your metabolism down. So take some time to read a book, listen to some music or take a massage, whatever helps you relax.
- Eat a light snack before sleep:
To keep your nocturnal metabolism high as well as your daily, eat a light snack before going to bed. If you just had a big meal shortly before going to sleep, then it’s not needed and it’s even recommended to wait a bit before you go into bed.
- Get a good night’s sleep:
Rest is essential for a healthy metabolism. Sleeping for eight hours nightly will increases your energy levels throughout the day. It will also help keep stress hormones and blood sugar levels stable, an important part of any healthy life style.
Source: Internet & Others
The views expressed in this article should not be considered as a substitute for a physician’s advice. Always make sure to seek a doctor or a professional’s advice before proceeding with the home treatment plan.
