A Healthier Takeout Meal

Being a college student is time-consuming. Finding the time to get creative in the kitchen often takes a backseat to all of your other more “important” activities. So, when it comes time to eat, or rather order takeout, there are ways to do this in a healthier fashion, no matter which restaurant or cuisine you choose.

Domino’s

Domino’s is known for their pan crust pizza and cheesy stuffed bread,  which besides being loaded with cheese, are full of calories, fat, and sodium. We all know that after a late night out with the girls, you’ve probably done it at least once…indulge in an entire pizza in one sitting. At the time, you were probably not thinking about anything besides the cheesy goodness in your mouth. However, when taking the nutrition facts into consideration, you might rethink twice before ever repeating this again. An entire small Domino’s American Legends pizza ranges from having 1060 to 1850 calories and 60 to 103 grams of fat. As for those breadsticks that are a popular side order, just one has 110 calories, and that is not counting the 250 calorie garlic dipping.

If pizza is what you are after, start by not indulging in the entire pie. Second, opt for a lower calorie option like their veggie pizza. One slice of this thin crust pizza has 180 calories, 2 g of saturated fat, and 250 mg of sodium. Or, try the ham and pineapple pizza with 145 calories, 2 g of saturated fat, and 305 mg of sodium. If you are craving carbs in the form of pasta, choose the pasta primavera dish. This option has fewer calories than the dishes with cream sauce and ditching the bread bowl prevents you from having a carb overload. For a healthy side, order a garden salad for only 140 calories, and lightly dress it with vinaigrette rather than creamy dressings that can add up to 230 calories.

P.F. Chang’s

Wherever you choose to get your Chinese takeout from, these figures can help give you a basis for making healthier selections. It is important to pay attention to the sodium content of the items you choose because many dishes can contain nearly a day’s worth of sodium. The USDA recommends that people limit their sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day, and at P.F. Chang’s, chicken fried rice has 2,050 mg of sodium per serving. Even worse, their double pan-fried noodles with chicken have a whopping 4,790 mg of sodium, more than double of the recommended intake.

If Chinese food is what you are craving, order the lunch size if possible, or eat half of the dinner size. To help fill you up, order an appetizer like edamame with only 320 mg of sodium, and add a side of brown rice and steamed vegetable to your main course.  

Panera Bread

Panera Bread is the perfect place to get anything from sandwiches, soup, salads, to hot and cold beverages, and baked goods. But, part of what makes these foods taste so great are the not so great nutrition contents. Sodium again can be especially high in their soups and specialty breads. However, the great thing about Panera is the ability to customize your meal to substitute components to make it to your liking. One easy change is to choose roasted turkey breast, with 300 mg of sodium per serving, over smoked turkey, with 910 mg. While specialty breads look and taste delicious, opt for whole grain loaf bread to further reduce the sandwich’s sodium.  Also, consider eliminating toppings like bacon, olives, and cheese crumbles, which are also highly concentrated with sodium.

Taking these tips into play, the Fuji apple chicken salad originally has 560 calories and 670 mg of sodium. But, after eliminating the gorgonzola crumbles, the salad has only 490 calories and 390 mg of sodium. The Mediterranean veggie sandwich can also be improved by swopping the tomato basil bread for whole grain loaf bread. The original sandwich has 590 calories and 1,400 mg of sodium, but after this easy swop, it now has 790 of sodium with only 210 calories.

Anywhere you order from, just remember there is always a way to make healthier choices. Sometimes it takes a little creativity, and other times, simply willpower to resist the temptation of going for the full fat option. However, when you can start making it a habit out of choosing healthy meals, you can start to become a better version of you!