Eating a clean diet can be difficult, and it’s often associated with countless hours spent painstakingly preparing meals. But as time goes on and we start to realize the importance of looking after our health, more conscious takeout options are popping up. As endless eco-friendly, vegan and clean eating alternatives are available in a fast-food format, the guilt of a Friday night takeaway is finally removed.
In the UK, the NHS has long advised alternative options to fatty takeaways with its guide to smart ordering. Swapping out a battered fish for a breadcrumb variety can satisfy your cravings, without subjecting your digestive system to avoidable and unhealthy fat. As a public health provider, the NHS has always prioritized the nation’s health. However, takeaways now also seem to be following suit.
Healthier Takeaway Options
The popular ordering app Just Eat lets you browse various cuisines and takeaway restaurants within seconds. More recently, it has added a healthy takeaway category, which lists all of the suitable restaurants in your area. Given that Just Eat doesn’t determine what food takeaways supply, there are still limited options in rural areas, but some larger cities — including Manchester and London — seem to be thriving on the health conscious business model.
Manchester’s Bosu Body Bar is based around a “Build a Box” concept, which allows customers to virtually prepare their meal. This clever way to order gives the diet-conscious consumer an element of control, just as though they are preparing their own meal. Users are instructed to choose a protein, base, and side to form a balanced meal for one.
In London, British Takeaway Winner EatFirst is among the top picks for healthy takeout. The restaurant has a range of vegetarian options, such as its Teriyaki Tofu, to offer an inclusive menu for all to enjoy. If you’re on a full-blown health kick, you can even order a Green Detox juice straight to your front door.
Takeaways are an undeniable part of everyday culture, but a guilt-free option is needed. Considering that Brits prefer a takeaway over Michelin star restaurants, the option of a mindful compromise will be greatly welcomed.
Environmentally Friendly Options
Consumers are becoming far more aware of the effects consumption has on the environment. Huge political debates, like the recently proposed plastic tax, have highlighted the environmental issues the restaurant sector faces. Customers will now possibly face paying tax on single-use plastics, which are unfortunately common in takeaway products. Takeaway packaging needs to be designed in a way that doesn’t harm the environment, and big chains are noticing this.
Sustainable packaging provider Takeaway Packaging serves some of the nation’s biggest casual restaurant chains, including Nandos and Bella Italia. Its packaging range has a lower carbon footprint than standard oil-based packaging, which means that green habits can now be carried forward in every aspect of modern life.
And people do really feel guilty about this. A third of consumers now prefer sustainable brands and actively seek to purchase from them over less environmentally mindful competitors.
Keep Both Your Mental and Physical Health in Check
Diet and mental health are so closely interlinked that we should think twice about the food we put into our body. The arrival of healthy takeout alternatives is great for both our conscience and brain function. From life expectancy to improved state of mind and intelligence, the benefits of a healthy diet are constantly researched and reported. Shockingly, the Mental Health Foundation found that people who are obese have a 55% chance of developing depression over time.
It was only last year that the BBC posted an article on the correlation between diet and mental health, which outright named takeaways as blameful. However, the scope is slowly changing.
Our longing for takeout food is partly due to our increased desire for quick and easy methods of consumption, but it also stems from our inherent drive to be social. Eating together is a practice that has enveloped our species across all cultures for millennia. And, with social eating proven to successfully connect communities and cause people to lead happier lives successfully, it becomes clear that the feel-good, fast-food trend is here to stay, but, thanks to healthier alternatives, we no longer have to feel guilty about a cheeky takeaway.
Author Bio
Adam Middleton became the Business Development Manager for Takeaway Packaging after a varied career in PR, shipping and marketing within the packing industry. With a Bachelor’s degree in Human Geography and a Masters in International Marketing, Adam has a keen interest in the environmental impact of consumerism.
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