NZ’s takeaway scene undergoing a healthy change

2 October 2017

NZ’s takeaway scene undergoing a healthy change

Pizza, hamburgers, and chicken are still New Zealand’s most popular takeaways, however more and more Kiwis are choosing healthy options when ordering in, according to the country’s largest online food delivery service.

Menulog, and many of its partner restaurants, are finding increasing numbers of customers opting for healthy takeaways such as salads, vegetarian dishes, and grilled – rather than deep fried – chicken or fish.

To meet customer demand, the company, which has more than 850 restaurants available via its website and App, is partnering with more restaurants, such as Bird On A Wire and Habitual Fix, which offer a wide range of healthy options.

Dietitian, New Zealand netballer, and director of relishnutrition.co.nz, Jess Moulds, says Kiwis are embracing healthier food choices in general and this is now carrying through to when they order takeaways.

“It’s easy to eat healthy food when you’re cooking at home but these days people are leading busier lives, and they just don’t have time, so the demand for good quality and healthier takeaway food is increasing.”

Menulog NZ Commercial Director, Paul Dodds, says he’s not surprised to see Kiwis embracing healthier takeaways as it’s become a growing trend overseas – particularly in Australia.

“New Zealand is following a trend that is well established in other countries where healthier options and upmarket food delivery is growing and becoming commonplace.”

Dodds says it is a reflection of how peoples’ eating habits and lifestyles are changing and the online home delivery industry is moving to meet consumers’ needs.

“New Zealand‘s uptake of home delivery is growing as people juggle work commitments with having enough time to enjoy family time and time to themselves. But even though people are time-poor, they don’t want to sacrifice their healthy lifestyle and a good diet.”

Moulds says when it comes to ordering healthy takeaways the simplest thing to do is look for dishes that have a lot of vegetables in them or replace fried food with extra vegetables or salad.

“Loading up on veggies, or ordering extra, non-starchy vegetables on the side, is a great way to make sure your takeaway choice is a healthy one. Salads are becoming more and more popular too, especially for lunch, and if you want something more filling then a fresh stir-fry is a good option.”

She says avoiding refined carbohydrates and being mindful of portion sizes is key as both influence calorie intake.

“You have to watch large portions of noodles and rice as they can be high in refined carbohydrates. These sorts of dishes are usually high in calories and they are the sorts of foods that are likely to leave you feeling sluggish after a meal,” she says.

The best option is to replace noodles or rice with fresh vegetables or wholegrain carbohydrates.

Some examples Moulds uses as healthy and well-rounded dishes include Spicy Thai Cashew Chicken from Otto Woo Asian Fusion, Mr Toms’ Roast Chicken Salad, and Bird On A Wire’s salads which are topped with shredded chicken.

“They all have a good source of lean protein which keeps you fuller, for longer, and provides a good source of fibre whereas deep fried food, or something like crispy chicken, are generally high in refined oils and fat so they have too many calories for what the average person needs.”

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