Article: Thai tops the 'fat' takeaway food list over pizza

I saw this article a while ago on NineMSN. I must say I'm surprised. I mean, come on, is pad thai noodles really that bad?? But I really like it! And it also said Chinese dishes were the healthiest. Really?? I am assuming the writer means beef in black bean sauce ranks highly in terms of having less fat & salt content compared to other dishes. Not surprised with what they say about pasta Napoletana, though.

After a long day at work, with the kids stressing you out, the last thing you feel like doing is cooking. Takeaway food offers a quick and easy option for satisfying the hunger pangs — but at what cost to your health?

On average, Australians spend a whopping 10 percent of their food budget on takeaway food and, despite the global economic crisis — that figure is rising. Many takeaway foods are lacking in essential nutrients and are packed full of hidden nasties, such as fat (in particular, artery-clogging saturated fat), salt and even sugar.

If you opt for Thai you'll be at least picking a healthy option, right? Wrong! A recent survey conducted by consumer group Choice has revealed that Thai dishes such as pad Thai are worse for your waistline and heart than pizza. A serving of pad Thai contains 11.3g of fat per 100g, excessive amounts of salt which increases our risk of high blood pressure and has a high sugar content.

So what dishes should we be grabbing if we can't resist the temptation of that convenient takeaway? Overall, the survey found Chinese dishes were the healthiest option with beef in black bean sauce ranking highly in terms of overall fat and salt content. But the classic Italian dish, pasta Napoletana, contained the least amount of fat with just 3g per 100g.

Also remember there are plenty of quick healthy options to choose from in your local supermarket. Throw together a quick stir-fry and your body will be thanking you as well as your pocket.

And if you simply must indulge, then make sure you put away plenty of time at the gym to work off those excesses. A 300g portion of lamb korma could set you back about 160 minutes of hard cycling, while a portion of sweet and sour pork roughly 170 minutes and half a supreme pizza may take you up to an astounding 190 minutes to work off.


Link: http://health.ninemsn.com.au/healthnews/825667/thai-tops-the-fat-takeaway-food-list-over-pizza