Autumn Reset: Healthy Hacks For Takeout Cravings
POV: It's September, there are 4 months left of the year and you're ready for an Autumn reset!
Happy new month It-Girls! So I unintentionally ended up taking a month long hiatus from the blog and socials to really focus on living in the moment and enjoying the last few weeks of summer. While I was away, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the goals I set for this year and re-evaluating whether they still feel right for where I am in my life. If I'm being totally honest, the future still feels pretty abstract right now but with summer over and Autumn on its way, I'm more than ready to get into a new routine and start making the most of these last few months of 2022.
From cocktails to eating out, summer is a time of socialising and indulgence! But now that September is here, I'm really feeling the urge to slow down, go inwards and take better care of myself. For me, a good reset always starts with what I'm eating. If you've gotten used to eating out or ordering in but want to transition back into more healthy eating habits, check out my favourite healthy hacks for takeaway cravings below!
Just order protein and add it to a salad
One easy way you can get the best of both worlds when ordering takeaway is to order your protein but swap the carbs for salad leaves instead. One of my favourite go-to takeaways is Chinese; more specifically, anything salt & pepper! Instead of getting something oil heavy like salt and pepper chips and wings, I opt for salt and pepper king prawns and simply add them to some salad leaves I've got in my fridge. Not only do you avoid that post-takeaway slump that comes from eating a heavy meal but you can also save some money by not opting for the extra sides!
Learn how to make your favourite takeout at home
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I'm a huge advocate for home cooking. If you find yourself craving unhealthy takeaways, especially during the Autumn/Winter months, now is the perfect time to learn to make your own 'fakeaways' at home! I've been doing this for so long now that I can pretty much make all my favourite takeaway dishes from egg fried rice to butter chicken curries. What's great about making these meals yourself is that you control the quantities of what goes into your food and can make healthy substitutions to suit your needs e.g. less oil/salt, coconut milk instead of heavy cream etc.
Choose the right cuisine
If you're not in the mood for cooking but still want to choose the healthiest option you can, focus on the type of cuisine you order. For example, I love a greasy chicken shop takeaway as much as anyone however I know that I often feel really slumped and sluggish afterwards. In comparison when I go for something like Japanese food I tend to feel satisfied but still energised. A few quick hacks: choose boiled over fried and choose clear broths over oil heavy soups and sauces etc.
Try HelloFresh to switch up your regular meal rotation
Do your takeaway cravings usually stem from boredom or lack of meal inspiration? HelloFresh is such a lifesaver when it comes to new meal ideas. Since I started using it last year, my meal library and palate have expanded like crazy and I've become so much more experimental with what I eat on a weekly basis. What's so great about HelloFresh is that you can choose when to receive your boxes according to your needs. For example I know that the times I'm most likely to want takeaways are right at the end/start of the month when I've run out of groceries and right in the middle of the month when I hit that mid-month motivation slump. Those weeks are perfect for scheduling a HelloFresh delivery so you can stay on track with your goals!
B* if you want a burger, eat a burger!
The girls that get it, get it! But for real though, this is your reminder that while it's nice to feel like you've got the perfect healthy lifestyle and routine; BALANCE IS THE GOAL! Not every meal or takeaway needs to fit your ideals of what's 'healthy' because at the end of the day, what's NOT healthy is obsessing over what you eat. There are no 'good' or 'bad' foods just bad relationships towards food as a whole. So my final hack for takeaway cravings is to stop beating yourself up, restricting yourself or feeling guilty for a little indulgence. Sometimes a good takeaway is exactly what you need after a long and stressful week or the perfect way to celebrate after a really good week. If it makes you happy, it's worth it.
