How often do you eat takeaways?

[Freyaaaa]

I work in a pretty stressful job and often have to work overtime. Lately, I've noticed that I'm eating 4-5 takeaways a week and sticking to simple foods like sandwiches when I'm at home.

While I haven't put on weight yet (I'm still in my mid-20s). Using "Just Eat" is so easy and convenient, but I'm becoming increasingly concerned about my health.

I came to this realisation when the takeaway driver said the staff at the shop were surprised when they found out I was a female in my 20's apparently they thought I'd be a bloke in my 40's.

Now I'm too ashamed to order from them again. 😭😂

How often do you eat takeaways & how do you make time to prepare your own food?

Once a month usually, twice if we’re splurging. Rural living and price being the most restrictive factors.

I saw a good tip on Tv the other day. adding a pinch of bicarb to a tomato sauce makes it less acid without adding sugar. Its from a book called Cooking With Nonna by Giuseppe Federici. I don't know what the book is like because its all plant based recipes which don't suit my digestion.

I'm so shocked at how many people are saying once a month I genuinely thought it was a weekly thing. No hate or that just what I thought

To reduce the number of takeaways you have, you need to find practical alternatives that work for you.

Could you batch cook at the weekend then either just heat up the leftovers (depending on the dish, will be fine for 2/3 days so not a solution for the whole week) or freeze in portions so over time you build up a range of home made ready meals? Either of those could be something to aim for but it doesn't need to be 'all or nothing' nor a sudden change from mostly takeaways to all home prepared food.

A slow cooker could also work if you're able to prepare food in the morning (or do it in the evening, put the bowl in the fridge and set it off before you go out in the morning, or google 'dump bags' where you prep and freeze the ingredients ready to just dump in the slow cooker in the morning).

I'm not sure the meal delivery kits (Hello Fresh, Gousto etc) will work for you because it's still cooking, often quite time consuming and involved, it's just that they send you the ingredients for the recipe, so you don't need to shop or keep a store cupboard of basics, herbs and spices etc.

You'll save money and not need to cook if you buy in healthy ready meals, either from Cook, M&S or other supermarkets. M&S do a really nice range of high protein ones - they're quite a lot for a ready meal at £5.50 but obviously far cheaper than a takeaway. Plus they do a nice stir fry kit for £8 for two where you choose the protein, noodles, veg and sauce or ramen broth so this would do you two meals. I also like the meal deal offers - There's the Gastropub one and they often do a roast that will do 2/3 portions and you get the meat, potatoes and veg all prepared so easy to cook and you then have leftovers to heat up for the next day or two. You could also have something like fresh pasta, ready made sauce and a prepared salad. Also keep a good frozen pizza in the freezer as even the fancy ones are far cheaper than takeaways. If I was only feeding myself and money was no object, that's how I would eat.

Can you get to an M&S once or twice a week? Or get an Ocado delivery? You just need to be mindful of dates if you buy things that don't freeze.

Never. I have not had a takeaway for over five years, since I took complete control of my nutritional health. I stopped eating anything made of wheat and that alone rules out 99.9% of takeaway or delivered food

Do you go out to eat at restaurants? X

We're a bit older and know how to cook better food than takeaways.

I think that pretty much describes us. Plus, I work part time and have the time and energy to cook from scratch. We don't have many places that will deliver as we live in a village. On the rare occasion we do get food delivered we have to microwave it to reheat it.

There's some people with limited imaginations on here. Takeaways are a lot more than pizzas, burgers and kebabs. It could be absolutely anything and often perfectly healthy, good quality food.

Almost never, they don't deliver here.

In my early 20s maybe once a fortnight, I didn't take good care of myself then with eating tbh

You're right op you can do better

I think it depends where you live. We don't live near a city with the choices you describe. Takeaways around here are of the pizza, curry, Chinese or kebab type.

very rarely.
not even once a month.
perhaps twice a year fish and chips

A few times a year. I would never use just eat or similar, the height of laziness imo.

We almost never have takeaway.

Annually, possibly.

But I work from home a lot so I can use the time I would've been on a commute to cook.

The cost of takeaway several times a week would kill us. There are five of us.

I batch cook a bit so cook once, eat twice. Usually two nights running. So chilli and rice one night, chilli and baked potato the next. Or sometimes I cook curry the next night and it's chilli again after curry night, followed by curry night again. Or Spag Bol, or casserole or anything else we're happy to eat twice

On boiling hot days I've done bought in quiche with baked potato and salad,

When it's all going on it can be one metre and fruit bowl.

We all have to find our way.

If learning to book is the issue those meal boxes can teach you a repertoire.

Nutrition and exercise are important dude but you can work it out in phases.

And sandwiches aren't inherently bad. .

I've never had a takeaway once a week during any part of my life. Probably once every three months is average.

That depends where you live. My family own a Chinese and fish and chip shop and that traditional takeaway food has the monopoly. Macdonalds, KFC, pizza, burgers, etc.

The healthiest food you can get round here for a takeaway is a chicken kebab.

There are these absolute pigs on tik tok who eat nothing but shitloads of processed crap for every single meal (it’s what gives them views) - someone kept a tally of how much one of them spent on takeaways for herself in June and it was about £550 in McDonald’s, KFC, Dominoes, chinese etc.
it’s like a Black Mirror episode - they are obsessed with gaining followers who then basically pay for them to gorge themselves to an early death.
it made me feel much better about my diet, let me tell you. We have one takeaway a month - mostly financial but also because for the price it feels like it’s not good value for money anymore

About 6 times a month. It costs a lot but I've got 2 teenage boys who are like human dustbins. No matter what I cook they see always hungry

Never, I don't like them, DH does occasionally

Maybe once every couple of months on average.

There's barely any choice round here for delivery though, just chippy or pizza/kebab/fried chicken. Chinese has to be collected and the curry place shut down during Covid and never reopened.

Every few months.

With regards your difficulty finding time to cook I'd go for batch cooking or buy in microwave meals - not the most healthiest but better than the just eats option.

Also look at an air fryer. You can shove something in to cook whilst you get changed, shower etc and I've found not needing to stand at a honey much easier to be motivated to cook!

Once or twice a month. Usually ends up being £50 -£60 or so for the three of us. The stuff we order is good quality and not particularly unhealthy but the cost is a limiting factor!

I'm not sure the meal delivery kits (Hello Fresh, Gousto etc) will work for you because it's still cooking, often quite time consuming and involved, it's just that they send you the ingredients for the recipe, so you don't need to shop or keep a store cupboard of basics, herbs and spices etc.

It's much quicker than thinking of and then cooking a meal. And the instructions are easy to follow and it might help her learn to cook some easy meals.

Probably about twice a year. I love cooking, even when I'm home late. I love a takeaway too but it seems so expensive really.

Maybe once a month.
It's so hard when working long hours etc but get some decent ready meals and things like ready chopped veg/salad/ ready cooked chicken/salmon etc.

This is us.