Nutritionist Sarah Di Lorenzo: Which are the best and worst takeaway food choices

With busy lives and long days, takeaway food can be saviour for busy families. Cooking from scratch every day can be time consuming and the thought of doing food preparation for the week ahead on your Sunday can be time consuming and possibly not the way you want to spend a day off.

Life is busy, families are exhausted, and takeaway is a reality for most Australians. The question I get asked in my clinic is not “should I eat takeaway?” it is “what should I order when I do?” That is the right question, and I do my best to provide a solution because this is reality.

When it comes to the impact of regular consumption of fast food and ultra processed takeaway the evidence is very strong. Regular intake of ultra‑processed foods is associated with higher risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and earlier death.

Research has found that for every 10 per cent increase in ultra‑processed food as a proportion of the diet, overall cancer risk rose by about 12 per cent.

This is exactly what you would expect when the diet is full of excessive sodium, refined carbohydrates, industrial fats, oils repeatedly heated to high temperatures, advanced glycation end products from aggressive cooking, and a near total lack of fibre and phytonutrients.

But I don’t want to be alarmist, rather offer you solutions.

There are a few better choices when it comes to takeaway.

Japanese is consistently at the top of my clinical recommendations. Sashimi and sushi are based on quality fish and, where available, brown rice delivers complete protein, omega‑3 fatty acids, minimal processing and reasonable portion sizes.

Miso soup adds a fermented food, and edamame is one of the best plant protein and fibre combinations you will find in any takeaway context.

If you are going to order takeaway regularly, Japanese is one of the most nutritionally coherent options available to most Australians.

Vietnamese is another good choice. Pho is the traditional broth‑based noodle soup, it is built on slow‑cooked stock, lean protein, fresh herbs and rice noodles.

The fibre from bean sprouts, basil, mint and coriander adds phytonutrients that most takeaway options completely lack.

Fresh rice paper rolls with prawn or tofu are an excellent choice as they are low in added fat, high in vegetables, genuinely nourishing and delicious.

Indian, chosen carefully, can be another good option. Lentil‑based dishes such as dal, chana masala and rajma are among the most fibre‑rich and plant‑protein‑dense options in any takeaway category.

The traditional spices used in Indian cooking such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger are anti‑inflammatory and antioxidant rich.

The trap with Indian takeaway is the restaurant uses ghee and cream in some curries.

Ask for sauces on the side where possible, choose tandoori proteins over heavy creamy dishes, and pair with plain basmati, brown rice or roti rather than fried breads.

Greek and Mediterranean takeaway is also high on my list, many proteins are grilled, lots of legumes, extra virgin olive oil dressings, abundant vegetables and this all lines up closely with the Mediterranean pattern that has the strongest evidence base for long‑term cardiovascular and metabolic health.

A grilled chicken souvlaki with a Greek salad is a perfectly reasonable choice in the real world.

When it comes to the worst choices, at the top of my list would be the fried‑chicken chains, classic burger chains and anything that is essentially a “white bun plus ultra‑processed meat plus deep‑fried sides”.

These are the worst of the takeaway options.

The combination of refined white bread, ultra‑processed meat, seed oils heated to high temperatures and almost no fibre is exactly the pattern most consistently linked with metabolic disease and early cardiovascular events.

A standard fast‑food meal can easily deliver around 1000 to 1500 calories and well over 2000mg to 3000mg of sodium, which is close to or above the recommended daily upper limit, in a single sitting.

Pizza from major chains deserves a special mention.

A couple of slices of a large commercial pizza can deliver close to 800 to 1000 calories and around 1500mg to 2000mg of sodium, depending on the base and toppings, with minimal fibre or micronutrients.

A thin‑base pizza with plenty of vegetables, some lean protein, olive oil and a side salad is a completely different proposition nutritionally.

I do have to mention that the large sugary drinks that accompany takeaway meals can quietly add another 300 to 600 calories of liquid sugar, with very little satiety.

Dropping the drink alone can meaningfully improve the nutritional profile of almost any order. So many people forget all the liquid calories and added sugar.

A strategy I tell my patients is, whatever you order, add a side salad or vegetables and ask for sauces on the side.

This single habit of adding fibre and phytonutrients to an otherwise compromised meal can help blunt the glycaemic response, feeds the gut microbiome and partially offsets the inflammatory load of the meal.

It will not turn a fast‑food burger into a heart‑healthy option, but it will move the needle and over hundreds of meals across a lifetime and that matters.

The best solution for busy people is to put some thought into a meal plan for a busy week and on the nights at home cooking, cook double for the next day or do some meal prep while cooking, this is what I do.

Preparation and planning is the key to successful eating when busy but it is worth it, and if you are ordering takeaway, mindfulness goes a long way.