Takeaways – how much is a 'serving'?

Takeaway food is a tricky one! There will obviously be a variation in serving size as well as the ingredients that go into the recipes – even in the same dish with the same name. Without analysing individual dishes from every independent outlet, it will always be a best estimate based on average values. So the takeaway section is best used as a guide to see the relative difference between meal options.

Takeaway outlets use various types of containers but the popular large rectangular foil ones (7" x 4") hold around 700-800g of food. Some use plastic containers with lids (6.5" x 4.5") – these hold the same weight of food as the large rectangular foil dishes although they look slightly smaller. We work on the basis that a 'serving' is half of one of these containers – so approx 350-400g (or the portion size of a supermarket ready meal). Of course if you eat the whole container yourself, you will need to double the calorie figure.

And don't forget the rice!

A medium foil carton (5" x 4") holds around 300-350g rice – the calorie content obviously depends on how it is cooked (boiled or fried). To save calories, choose boiled rather than egg fried rice. A 350g carton of boiled rice contain approx 350 calories / 1.8g fat. A 350g carton of egg fried rice contains approx.600 calories / 10.4g fat.

For a calorie estimate for a complete takeaway, work on the basis of 700 calories for a main / 600 calories for rice / 200-400 calories for a side dish; total calories = 1,500-1,700 per meal. Of course the simplest way to reduce the calorie count and still enjoy, is just to halve your portion size!