Choosing Healthier Options in Popular Takeout Cuisines

While dining out is often associated with unhealthy choices, it doesn’t always have to be.

The best starting place can be expanding your cultural palate. Many cultures offer nutritious and flavorful options. Some cuisines naturally incorporate more phytochemicals, which are plant compounds that nourish gut bacteria and the liver, a vital organ responsible for filtering out harmful substances from the foods we eat, drink, and even breathe.

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Smart Strategies for Healthy Takeout or Dining In

Take advantage of the options available to you. Competition among restaurants is a great thing when searching for takeout, as it encourages better quality offerings.

Don’t wait until you’re extremely hungry to explore food choices; instead, scout for areas with many options at your earliest convenience. Don’t be afraid to ask to see a menu before you agree to sit down. If you notice terms like “grass-fed,” “organic,” or “local” on the menu, consider that a huge bonus.

Every meal is an opportunity to improve your health and achieve your goals.​ Even when you feel you have veered off track or your progress has slowed, remember that it is never too late to restart with your next meal.

As a general rule, remember that the nicer and more expensive the places you eat are, the more options you have to special order your food to be prepared more healthily. These restaurants typically accommodate food sensitivities, including gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and yeast. At the very least, it is advisable to inquire about the chef’s flexibility in modifying dishes to cater to your needs.

You can test how any of these foods affect you by using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Worn for just 14 days, CGMs provide real-time data on how a person’s body responds to different meals, eliminating the need for guesswork.

This device isn’t useful only for diabetes, as many folks nowadays are interested in taking an active, personalized health approach to see how their body responds to meals. I’ve worked with many athletes and professionals who want a high-performance lifestyle and found a CGM to be a game-changer for gaining control of their health goals.

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Mexican Food

Mexican cooking generally includes many fresh vegetables, herbs, spices, and lean proteins. It doesn’t have to be all fried food.

Assembling your own plate or bowl grants greater control over portion sizes and nutritional value. This is where a Mexican fajita shines. You can add in more veggies while reducing cheese and sour cream.

✓ Healthier Starters: Opt for guacamole with crunchy vegetables for dipping instead of corn chips cooked in vegetable oil. Dishes like gazpacho, a cold tomato-based soup, are light and refreshing.

✓ Good Main Dishes: Try chili with little or no cheese or chips. Grilled chicken, beef, tofu, or shrimp with spinach and black beans are great options. Grilled seafood with salsa and spicy sauce, plus veggies or salad, will fill you up without feeling heavy. Burrito bowls or taco salads are good choices if you’re avoiding gluten or want to limit starchy foods like chips or rice.

✓ Fajita Choices: Corn tortillas (ask for non-GMO, aka non-genetically modified organism) are a healthier alternative to wheat tortillas. Opt for extra vegetables and salsa instead of cheese and sour cream.

✓ Healthy Beans: Black beans are high in fiber and protein, making them a better choice than processed refried beans. Pinto beans and grilled vegetables can also be beneficial substitutes.

✗ Items to Avoid: Skip anything crispy or fried, like taquitos, tortilla shells, and chips. Avoid refried beans, as they’re heavily processed and can make you feel full without providing much nutrition. Also, limit starchy vegetables like potatoes, fries, and taro chips.

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Mediterranean Cuisine

The Mediterranean region encompasses diverse cuisines, with Turkish, Middle Eastern, Greek, and Italian being the most common takeout options in the United States (Italian food is so ubiquitous that it warrants its own heading.) Traditional dishes rely on olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and onions. When dining out, inquire about the types of oils the restaurant employs, as cheaper alternatives may be used.

Some healthy, nutritious, and delicious Mediterranean dishes include the following:

✓ Appetizers: Healthy options include hummus or tzatziki dips served with cucumber sticks, fresh salads, or roasted vegetables like cauliflower. Freshly made falafels paired with avocado and leafy greens are also excellent.

✓ Mains: Chicken shawarma served with vegetables or salads (with dressing on the side to control the amount) is a good choice.

✓ Wise Choices: Opt for grilled dishes whenever possible and avoid creamy or fried options that may undermine your health goals.

✓ Appetizers: Instead of bread, enjoy fresh vegetable antipasto (grilled artichokes with lemon and oregano are popular) or a salad featuring fennel, olives, and arugula dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Seafood appetizers like mussels or grilled calamari are flavor-filled and healthy.

✓ Soups: Broth-based soups with tomatoes and beans provide extra fiber. Italian bean dishes often include high-fiber ingredients. Try a mix of something like cannellini beans, garlic, sage, tomato, and fresh extra-virgin olive oil for a great combo.

✓ Protein: Choose lean proteins like grilled salmon or chicken paired with a side of vegetables. They are also rich in zinc, keeping you full for longer.

✗ Items to Skip: Skip or reduce cheesy sauces with parmigiana, ricotta, and mozzarella. Avoid breaded dishes and be cautious about portion sizes and starchy carbohydrates, especially with pasta. Small servings of risotto dishes or mains with protein and veggies would be better choices.

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Indian Food

Indian food has lots of turmeric, an amazing anti-inflammatory herb, and is often made with ghee (clarified butter), which is far healthier than vegetable oil. Beware of deep-fried items, as the combination of frying oils and refined flour dishes promotes fat and other toxin accumulation in the body.

Sharing main dishes is a good idea, as this allows you to create a plate based on your own health goals. 

✓ Ideal Plates: Aim for a balanced plate, with half dedicated to lean proteins (like tandoori chicken) and the other half to vegetables and lentils.

✓ Moderate Carbs: Eat small amounts of brown basmati rice; it shouldn’t dominate your plate.

✓ Preferable Dishes: Dahl or other lentil-based dishes are an excellent source of fiber. Enjoy dishes with fenugreek, as this superb herb improves blood glucose control and enhances digestion.

✓ Vegetable Dishes: Try lighter options like baingan bharta, which combines fire-roasted eggplant with tomatoes, cilantro, onions, and spices.

✗ Items to Avoid: Nix battered patties, fritters (pakora), or any of the starchy starters, like samosa; flatbreads such as roti, naan, and puri, as they are easy to overeat; and paneer (Indian cheese), a very heavy dish that takes the space of other vegetables or proteins.

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Thai or Vietnamese Food

The appealing aspects of this cuisine are the fresh herbs and spices like basil, mint, lemongrass, and ginger that enhance protein and vegetable dishes.

Try to eat only small amounts of brown or white jasmine rice rather than having it dominate your plate. Rice noodles are less healthy than rice as they are further away from their natural form and are often mixed with oil, starch, and additives, making them harder to digest.

✓ Coconut Sauces: Coconut fat supports immune function, reduces inflammation, and helps control appetite. Ask about added sugars or salt in unfamiliar dishes.

✓ Best Choices: Choose tofu, seafood, or meat curries with ginger, garlic, basil, or chili sauce. Spicy dishes can boost metabolism (if you don’t have reflux).

✓ Low-Starch Vegetables: Look for broccoli, carrots, bok choy, ginger, onions, peppers, or other options that don’t spike your blood sugar. Try green papaya salad with shrimp or pork, a low-sugar summer option.

✗ Items to Avoid: Steer clear of tropical fruits served without healthy fats, as they can spike blood sugar; “crispy” or fried items, including “crispy vegetables”; dishes with honey sauce, tamarind, or glazes.

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Chinese or Japanese Food

For either cuisine, it is ideal to prioritize fresh ingredients, avoid fried or battered options, mind your portion sizes, and watch out for sugar-filled sauces.

✓ Main Dishes: Choose simple stir-fries with meat and vegetables, like chicken with broccoli or beef with cauliflower, carrot, and broccoli with cooked onions.

✓ Smart Choices: Order vegetable omelets seasoned with herbs or spices—without extra sauce, or select baked or soup-based tofu dishes instead of fried versions.

✗ Items to Avoid: Skip creamy dressings and sauces in favor of vinegar-based ones, as well as tempura rolls and deep-fried dishes like honey chicken or sweet and sour pork.

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American Cuisine

Independent fresh food outlets that offer “make-your-own” or poke bowl meals from locally sourced and seasonal items have appeared in many U.S. cities in the past few years. To make these American-style dishes more nutritious and balanced, focus on grilled, baked, or roasted food options.

Chains that offer such options include Dig (formerly Dig Inn), Sweetgreen, Cava, True Food Kitchen, and Chipotle, though you still need to be selective about what you request, as added toppings and sauces can turn a basically healthy meal upside down.

✓ Region-Specific Options: Healthy choices include jerk chicken, Texas chili, or homemade lentil soup.

✓ Healthy Proteins: Choose from options like wild-caught salmon, free-range chicken, organic grilled tofu, or grass-fed beef paired with roasted vegetables like carrots or sweet potato. Adding cooked greens can make for a delicious and affordable meal for one or two people.

✗ Items to Avoid: Side dressings or creamy sauces made with vegetable oils, added sugars, and crumbed and starchy vegetables like white potato or deep-fried vegetables are best avoided.

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Takeout to Avoid if Health Is Your Focus

Steer clear of regular fast-food chains, especially combo meals with sugary drinks and fries. If you find yourself in such establishments, select a salad or a protein side and plan to eat again later.

Trendy delis, bakeries, and soup places that advertise “healthy meals” may not actually be as healthy as you think. Colorful marketing has a huge influence on us. Ask if you can read the ingredients and check for vegetable oil use, extra sugars or sweeteners, and additives used to make the food taste better, especially in soups.