Technology has well and truly collided with our hunger for food and cravings for convenience. The emergence of food delivery applications like Foodora, Deliveroo and the latest, Ubereats, are making life incredibly easy: we can now scroll through hundreds of colourful, enticing food options from a huge range of cuisines, and have our choices hand-delivered straight to our front doors; whilst we carry on doing the more important things, like being A-grade couch potatoes.
These applications have revolutionised food delivery service. The actual process of browsing through different restaurants has now become a visually stimulating and enjoyable experience, with consumers being in complete control of what they want in terms of prices, meal types, cuisines and locations. We can now choose a burger from our favourite food joint, customise it to our liking, and instantly see that our chops will be set to munching in approximately 30 minutes.
But does the increased accessibility of takeaway food, and countless images of tempting meals, cloud our judgment when it comes to making healthy choices? Of course it is important to maintain a balanced diet, but when we do want healthier options, it is right to assume they will be just as accessible on delivery applications as through their junk food friends?
The health enthusiasts and dedicated dieticians behind the popular website, The Biting Truth, Anna-Jane Debenham and Alexandra Parker have recognised the changing attitudes towards food and convenience in society.
“We are very aware of how customer trends are changing and what the future of meal delivery looks like. We want to get on board this trend and help people make healthier and more informed choices even when ordering take away.”
Popular delivery services are an excellent platform for providing healthy takeaway options, and the pair lent their expertise to the team at Foodora.
“Of course being dieticians and die-hard foodies we do spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking our own meals – but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy takeaway nights as well!”
Debenham and Parker shared their top tips with us for choosing healthy takeaway. They suggest avoiding fried or battered meats, pastries, and creamy sauces because they tend to be big on the calories, fat, sugar and salt. Instead, it is best to order meals that include vegetables, legumes, grilled meats and wholegrains, like brown rice or brown bread.
“On Foodora’s app the ingredients included in each menu item are visible, and there is also an option to request substitutions to the meal, for example, swapping out high calorie sauces or dressings like mayonnaise or aioli and requesting nutrient-rich options such as avocado.”
There are some awesome healthy options from a range of establishments.
Feeling peckish at lunch time? Nutrition Station will sort you out with health-packed nosh. If you fancy salads there is Marinated Lamb or Quinoa Chicken, or if you are needing something a little more substantial there is the Clean and Lean Chicken burger. You can even create your own meal option and include lean protein, veggies and wholegrain carbs! For dinner you can choose spicy Edamame Beans, King Fish carpaccio, or Wagyu beef premium grade, Nasu no dengaku from Raw Bar.
Elsewhere, Madame Nhu serves up delicious salad summer rolls with hoisin sauce, Grilled Beef Vermicelli Salad and Silken Tofu with sichuan pepper salt and chilli.
But is it all that important for food apps to even include healthy options? After all, we make the ultimate decision whether we want the salmon salad or the triple cheese pizza.
The Biting Truth girls suggest it is very important for consumers to access not just fast food, but healthy nutritious food also.
“Meal delivery apps are the way of the future and we feel strongly that Foodora and other food delivery apps have a responsibility to care about the health of their customers by including healthier alternatives and educating customers around how to choose a healthier alternative.”
“The inclusion of healthier options allows people to continue to order take-out without compromising their health. It also gives the consumer choice and flexibility. We need to work together to educate Aussies on how to find these healthier options on the menu!”
We live fast-paced lifestyles and fast food is (usually) the most convenient and accessible option. It is all too easy to order the cheesy supreme pizza you have been craving all afternoon and have it on the doorstep within 30 minutes, but the latest food delivery applications leave no excuse for skipping healthy meals. Delicious, nutritious meals are now just as accessible thanks to the revolutionary rise in food delivery services. As we learn more about the importance of good nutrition in an increasingly twenty-four hour society, access to healthy food fast is essential.
Images supplied.
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