Burgers

The verdict: A good, standard burger, made from 100% beef, topped with ketchup, lettuce, tomato and chopped onion and held together in a sesame seed bun is a lot healthier than you might have imagined. It gives you just 15 g of fat and 386 calories and can be filling enough to keep you going until teatime. You'll also get around a third of your daily protein from the burger plus iron for maintaining a good supply of oxygen to your muscles.
Our advice Avoid ordering double cheeseburgers. They supply nearly 60 g of fat and over 900 calories, which we are sure you could do without.

Kebabs

The verdict: The doner kebab, consisting of grilled meat in a plain pita filled with salad, is a meal to avoid – it's literally dripping in fat. In most cases you're looking at 35 g plus. The mixed salad is a point in its favour, though.
Our advice: Choose a chicken shish kebab. This is basically grilled, skewered chicken, also served in a pita with salad, but containing only 10 g of fat, making it considerably more heart-friendly than the doner. What's more, you'll get nearly all the protein you need for the day. You can liven it up a little with some chilli sauce.

Pizza

The verdict: Even if you go for the simplest, lowest-fat pizza on the standard menu, you'll have consumed 1,140 calories and 34 g of fat if you eat the whole thing. That comes to nearly 40% of your day's maximum if you're watching your cholesterol levels.
Our advice: To slim down pizzas, ask for less or no cheese and go for ones without meat toppings. Better, go for spaghetti dishes. A portion of spaghetti supplies only 9 g of fat and 426 calories.

Baked potatoes

The verdict: A really good, filling option if you choose the right combination. With beef chili, for example, you'll have put away just 16 g of fat, and the iron in the beef will have been absorbed better due to the vitamin C in the potato. You'll get a whole day's recommended dose of vitamin C in this one meal and nearly half a day's fibre.
Our advice: Don't go for fillings such as cheese with butter. That will give you 30 g of fat minimum. In fact, don't go for butter at all. If the topping is tasty enough, you won't miss it.

Side orders

These can make or break your takeaway meal. Fries will supply you with energy-giving carbohydrates, but even a small portion will add around 11 g of fat to your meal. When choosing fries, remember that the thicker they are the less fat they soak up during cooking. A side salad is by far the healthier option. Not only does it provide you with a lot of the fruit and veg you are recommended to eat every day (about five portions), but it also contains loads of fibre and is packed full of vitamin C.

Drinks

A fizzy drink is probably what most people would choose to wash down their meal. If you're worried about the calorie content of your takeaway, go for the "diet" or "light " version of your favourite can. As for the alternatives, a regular milkshake packs 10 g of fat, but loads of bone-friendly calcium. For the really health-conscious, though, the best option is pure orange juice. A large one gives you all the vitamin C you need for a whole day.