A Nutritionist’s Guide To Navigating Deliveroo

Choose The Right Cuisine

“As a general rule, avoid restaurants that only offer fried food. This may sound obvious, but it’s a top tip to ensuring a healthier takeaway. When looking through Deliveroo, some of the healthier cuisines to look out for include Mediterranean varieties, including Greek, Lebanese and Italian. These cuisines tend to have a better variety of plain dishes and vegetable side dishes. For example, you can order a grilled salmon with a side of sauteed spinach from an Italian or Greek restaurant, or you can order grilled chicken, rice and a grilled vegetable dish from a Lebanese – Alwaha on Westbourne Grove is great. You can even add a note to your Deliveroo order to ask for no dressing on your meals so you can add your own at home. Restaurants like Cocotte, which just serve chicken and salads, are also great low-carb options.” – Paola Langella, integrative nutrition health coach

Be Careful With Sushi

“Asian food, which focuses on fresh ingredients without the use of dairy, can be a good option if you make the right choices. Always steer clear of fried dishes and sugary sauces, and approach sushi with caution. Sushi rice is packed with refined carbohydrates, often prepared with sugar, and is very low in fibre, making it easy to overeat without noticing. If you love sushi, see if there’s the option to swap the rice for brown rice, and order a vegetable side with it, so you can eat half the portion of sushi and more veg. Roka is now on Deliveroo and is one of my go-tos – The Sushi Shop, Eat Tokyo, Sticks n Sushi, Arancina and Busaba also get my vote. Feng Sushi in Notting Hill also offers brown rice sushi, which can be tricky to find.” – Paola

Swap Your Noodles

“When ordering from restaurants like Wagamama, always swap the noodles, which are usually made with eggs, for rice noodles. Also be careful of what you order – lots of noodle-based dishes are loaded with eggs, chicken and fish mixed together, with a very small number of vegetables. Instead, decide which one protein you want to eat and then order a meal with just that protein. It also goes without saying you should avoid fried starters, instead opting for edamame beans, raw salad and steamed dumplings.” – Paola 

Be Savvy With An Italian

“There are plenty of healthy options on the menu at an Italian restaurant although my top tip is to avoid overdoing the starters. Opt for one starter, maximum two, and always share them. For your main, if you enjoy pasta, order spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and basil – this dish is so simple, healthy and delicious, containing only four ingredients: spaghetti, tomatoes, basil and extra virgin olive oil. Another good pasta option is one that contains fish, such as spaghetti vongole. Avoid lasagne and other pasta dishes with meat. If you like cheese, it’s better to have a caprese for your starter (mozzarella is a lower-fat cheese) and then add a small amount of parmesan to your pasta, the flavour of which goes a long way. In terms of Mediterranean restaurants which offer good, healthy options, try Mediterraneo in Notting Hill. Basilico is also great and they do gluten-free pizzas.” – Paola

Make Your Own Starter

“Have some carrots, fennel, celery and cucumber crudites in a bowl in your fridge ready to snack on once you’ve ordered your food. This will mean you’re less likely to snack on the free prawn crackers or similar that often come for free with a Deliveroo. If you can find Holy Moly guacamole, it’s worth stocking up on, too – it’s dairy free and tastes homemade. Natoora’s turmeric hummus is also one to try.” – Paola

Create Your Own Buddha Bowl

“If you’re really stuck for something healthy, consider ordering any two raw salads or plant-based sides, and then add your own canned chickpeas, lentils or even soft-boiled eggs. If you’re looking to cut back on your meat intake but still want something healthy, this is a great idea for a balanced meal.” – Paola

Avoid American Food

“When browsing through Deliveroo, avoid any restaurants that come under the ‘American’ category – these tend to offer very calorie dense, less healthy options. That said, a burger can be a healthy option if you remove the bun and opt for wedges over chips. Even better, order a salad to go with it. This isn’t necessarily a low-calorie meal, but it’s not a bad option if it’s occasional and you’re active. Another top tip when ordering a takeaway is to serve it onto your dinner plate so you can see the portion, and seek out healthier options if you can – Itsu and Hare & Tortoise are personal favourites.” – Gabriela Peacock, nutritionist

Make An Indian Healthier

“Indian food can get a bad rep, but as long as you make smart choices it can be a relatively nutritious meal. Places like Tayyabs, Atcha and Nusa Kitchen are all on Deliveroo and offer plenty of good options. The best advice I can give is to ask the chef or restaurant for more traditional Indian recipes as opposed to Westernised versions like a chicken korma – this will more than likely be something that’s cooked in the Tandoor or without a creamy sauce. On an Indian menu you’ll also find lots of delicious vegetable sides – in fact, lentils and chickpeas are often added to most meals, so look out for these. Paneer (a firm cheese) is also a good choice. And when it comes to your main course, go for dishes that are in a tomato-based sauce instead of oil or cream.” – Kelly Mulhall, registered nutritionist