Indian

+  Avoid creamy curries (e.g. pasanda, korma, masala) as they tend to contain up to 3 times as many calories as tomato based dishes (e.g. tandoori, madras, rogan).

+  Swap beef/lamb dishes for chicken/prawn/vegetable dishes. Swap naan bread for chapati.

+  Opt to share a portion of rice and ask for plain, boiled basmati rice rather than pilau rice which contains extra oil and can be up to 350kcal more. Alternatively a lentil/vegetable dish is a good side option to replace naan/rice altogether.

Make it yourself… Healthy Chicken Balti

Chinese

+  Avoid anything with “crispy” in the title – it’ll usually be deep fried! Prawn crackers are also deep fried and incredibly calorific at approximately 15kcal per cracker. Instead, order steamed dishes.

+  Swap deep fried starters (e.g. prawn toast, spring rolls, prawn crackers) for steamed dumplings or soups (e.g. crab or chicken & sweetcorn). Swap fried rice for plain, boiled rice.

+  Opt for dishes with plenty of mixed vegetables (chicken chop suey is a good example).

Make it yourself… Spicy Sichuan-style prawns 

Pizza

+  Avoid toppings such as pepperoni, bacon, sausage and salami as these are high in saturated fat and calories. Instead, choose vegetable toppings (e.g. peppers, mushrooms, onion, sweetcorn) with chicken/tuna/prawns. You can even ask for your pizza without cheese (or less cheese) to further reduce the fat/calorie intake.

+  Swap thick, stuffed crust “deep pan” pizzas for thin crust pizzas. Swap garlic bread for bruschetta topped with roasted tomatoes/peppers.

+  Opt to share a small pizza and fill the rest of your plate with undressed salad leaves, cucumber chunks and grated carrot.

Make it yourself… 3 ingredient sweet potato pizza crust

+  Avoid options that are highest in fat (e.g. pies, battered sausage, thin cut chips). Instead, order breaded fish or, if not available, scrape all the batter off and just eat the fish.

+  Swap chips for a portion of mushy peas or baked beans. You’ll be adding a vegetable portion as well as reducing fat/calorie intake.

+  Opt for no salt. You can then control how much you choose to add at home.

Make it yourself… lay spears of asparagus on sheets of foil. Top with a fillet of white fish, a couple of slices of lemon and some dill. Season with pepper. Fold up the sides of the foil to make an enclosed pouch. Bake in oven at 200°C for 20 minutes. Serve with baked sweet potato wedges.