5 Menu Swaps For Healthier Takeout Food

The to-go menu does not have expand your waistline. (Photo: Plush Studios / Getty Images)

Weight loss is the most popular New Year’s resolution, but studies show that a mere 8% of Americans actually achieve that goal. A major factor? Takeout food.

If you regularly order it— which over 80% of us do — you’ll want to take special care: It’s a humongous source of sneaky calories.

According to GrubHub and Eat This Not That, who teamed up see how Americans alter their takeout habits for the new year, some of us are already getting our ordering right.

Related: The Top Health Buzzwords Of 2015

GrubHub, the online food-ordering service, analyzed its data to see which healthy swaps Americans are making on their own so far in 2015. We’re avoiding carb temptations: Requests for “no bread/bun” were up 15%, and brown rice — which balances the carbs found in rice with fiber to slow down digestion — is 4% more popular. We’re also going easy on the cheese and asking for dressing on the side.

Where is this health-conscious ordering happening? Tempe, Ariz. tops the charts with a 46 percent jump in special requests for healthier orders, with Champaign, Ill; Denver; Houston, and Columbus, Ohio not far behind.

Related: Kale Backlash — Should You Stay Devoted In 2015?

So what’s the secret to healthy takeout? That’s where Eat This Not That comes in — the website specializes in no-diet weight loss via healthy food choices. It has crunched the calories on takeout favorites to tell us exactly how to order.

Try these simple menu swaps to make your meal instantly healthier:

Pizza – Slice of Cheese Pizza

Eat This: Order thin crust instead of regular crust.

Save: 60 calories and 13 grams of carbohydrates for every slice!

Overlooked Healthy Option When Ordering Pizza: Ham is one of the best pizza toppings on the menu. It’s lean and loaded with protein. 

Chinese – Lo Mein

Eat This: Order Vegetable Lo Mein instead of Chicken Lo Mein.

Save: 325 calories, 7.6 grams of fat (1.5 grams saturated), and 257 milligrams sodium. (And utilize GrubHub’s special instruction box to request extra veggies!).

Overlooked Healthy Option When Ordering Chinese Food: Kung Pao Chicken. Made with roasted peanuts, dried chilies, and a slew of other vegetables, Kung Pao Chicken can be one of the best entrées on a Chinese food menu because the chicken isn’t fried.

JAPANESE – Sushi Rolls

Eat This: Order a plain tuna roll with a side of chili sauce or Sriracha instead of a spicy tuna roll.

Save: At least 150 calories, 13 grams of fat and 245 milligrams of sodium per roll. The “spicy” in Spicy Tuna Rolls comes from a dab of mayo mixed with Asian chili sauce.

Overlooked Healthy Option When Ordering Japanese food: Mackerel. Often overlooked for more popular fish like salmon and tuna, mackerel has twice the amount of heart-healthy, inflammation-reducing, cancer-fighting omega-3 fatty acids, making it one of the healthiest fish in the sea.

MEXICAN – Tacos

Eat This: Order tacos with soft corn tortillas instead of hard shell tacos.

Save: 8 grams of fat and 3 grams of saturated fat in just one three-taco serving.

Overlooked Healthy Option When Ordering Mexican food: Pozole is a delicious broth-based soup built around hominy – a fiber-loaded member of the maize family. It’s packed with chili peppers, which impart antioxidant capsaicins, and pork, which adds high-quality protein.

INDIAN – Chicken Tikka Masala

Eat This: Order your Chicken Tikka Masala with all white meat instead of dark meat.

Save: 50 calories or more per serving. Every calorie makes an impact in a recipe that’s comprised of fat-rich ingredients like ghee, whole milk yogurt and heavy cream.

Overlooked Healthy Option When Ordering Indian food: Tandoori cooking. Made in clay ovens that cook small, tender slabs of protein, tandoori menu items like kebabs and chicken are some of the leanest items on Indian food menus.

Your Next Read: 7 New Health Rules For A Happier You