When it’s time to celebrate the end of the working week with a quiet night in, which takeway food joint is on your speed dial? Fish and chips? Pizza? Thai? Chinese? The local shopping centre has lots of different takeaway food options, all jostling for attention.

But before you pick up the phone, it’s a good idea to take a step back, and think about your options.

Here’s our quick 5 minute guide to help you choose the healthiest takeaway foods on the high street. So after a big Friday night, you can wake up on Saturday morning with one less regret.

Here are the general guidelines:

• Avoid fried food,
• Avoid creamy foods and anything with coconut milk or cream,
• If you choose an-all protein dish like rogan josh, balance it with mixed veggies on the side,
• Avoid too many carbs (say no to that extra serve of rice). Opt for brown rice instead,
• Don’t “super-size”,
• Don’t have takeaway too often.

Here’s our list of health(ier) takeaway options:

Pizza

Choose a thin crust pizza with loads of vegetables. Ditch the processed meats like salami and pepperoni and go for seafood or chicken instead.

Pizza with vegetables and pesto

Japanese

There’s loads of healthy options at your local Japanese spot. From sushi and sashimi to miso soup and udon soups – you have to seriously search for bad food choices here. In short? Go easy on the too-salty soy sauce and skip the tempura.

Japanese food, such as sushi, is a healthy alternative to takeaway food.

Fish and chips

If you’re looking for a healthy takeaway, the local chippy is probably not top of the list. But if you’re craving some fresh fish, there are smart options. Ask for your fish to be grilled, not deep fried, and choose from the salad bar, instead of your regular serve of chips. But it you have to order chips, choose thick-cut, not French fries – they’ll absorb less oil.

Grilled fish and salad makes a healthy alternative to traditional fish ‘n’ chips.

Vietnamese

It’s so easy to be healthy with Vietnamese food. Choose rice paper rolls instead of spring rolls or other deep fried treats, and feast on a big bowl of pho for a healthy noodly kick. The poached steamed meats and fresh salads are a standout.

It’s easy to be health with Vietnamese food.

Indian

A Friday night curry with a season of Orange Is The New Black is one of life’s little pleasures. But don’t worry, cutting down on the calories won’t cut down the taste. Just choose a curry that’s tomato-based, not cream-based, go easy on the naan and avoid the samosas and papadums. For an extra health kick, add a vegetable dish on the side.

Indian food offers lots of delicious – and healthy – alternatives.