takeaway

[00:00.40] Feeling hungry? If you’re feeling peckish or famished, what’s the easiest way to satisfy your hunger?

[00:09.96] Many of us will reach for a takeaway menu and order some delicious – but possibly unhealthy – food.

[00:19.79] And our increasingly busy and hectic lives add to our need to buy ready-made food on the go or delivered to home.

[00:29.88] Eating options are endless, and new technology means we can feed our cravings at the push of a button.

[00:39.45] Takeaway delivery apps make ordering food quick and convenient, and during the recent coronavirus crisis, it provided a lifeline to those stuck at home with nothing to cook or who lacked the skills to prepare a meal for themselves.

[00:57.51] It’s estimated that in the UK alone, people eat three million takeaway meals a day, and the three biggest delivery apps together offer a choice of 100 cuisines from 60,000 restaurants.

[01:12.91] Amelia Brophy, Head of UK Data Products at YouGov, told the BBC that its research “suggests that the frequency of takeaways ordered is expected to increase in the future.”

[01:27.52] It’s no wonder we are tempted to skip the grocery shopping, bypass the kitchen, and tuck into something that someone else has prepared.

[01:37.35] But ordering a deep crust pizza, a spicy curry or a box of noodles, can come at a price both financially and to our health.

[01:47.98] Eating too much processed and unhealthy fast food has some effect on obesity and the risk of developing certain metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

[02:00.99] A few years ago, The BBC Good Food Nation Survey found that most people ate fast food on average two days per week.

[02:09.76] But, in the 16 to 20-year-old category, one in six ate fast food at least twice a day.

[02:18.26] Of course, reducing salt, sugar and fat is one way to make takeaway food healthier, as well as offering smaller portion sizes.

[02:28.62] But the best advice you might want to take away from this Takeaway English is to find a recipe book and try making your own nutritious meal.

[02:39.24] And if you haven’t got time, try ordering a healthier alternative from the menu.