How healthy are these 15 popular foods? (2024)

What's on this page:

1. Is steak healthy?
2. Are baked beans healthy?
3. Is pizza healthy?
4. Are sausages healthy?
5. Is chilli con carne healthy?
6. Is tomato soup healthy?
7. Are fish and chips healthy?
8. Is lasagne healthy?
9. Is quiche healthy?
10. Is chicken korma healthy?
11. Are cereal bars healthy?
12. Are chicken nuggets healthy?
13. Are fish fingers healthy?
14. Is peanut butter healthy?
15. Are chips healthy?

1. Is steak healthy?

Steak is a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, but is often high in saturated fat. Rump and fillet steaks are lower in saturated fat than rib eye or sirloin, while minute steak is lowest in fat.

How can I make steak healthier?

Remove any visible fat around the edges and try to avoid choosing a steak with the marbling of fat through the meat.

Grilling or cooking in a pan with just a little unsaturated oil is a healthier way to cook steak. Avoid adding butter, saltor sauces made with cream, cheeseor butter.

• Try our recipe for seared steak with sticky shallot and red wine sauce

2. Are baked beans healthy?

Baked beans are a source of protein and are high in fibre, so are not a bad choice, especially on wholegrain toast or a jacket potato. But they do contain saltand sugar. Too much salt over time can contribute to high blood pressure, while sugar adds energy (calories) without any other nutritional value. Half a can of standard baked beans typically contains around 9g (two teaspoons) of sugar and 1.2g of salt – the recommended maximum for a whole day is 6g. So it’s best to choose reduced sugar-and-salt versions.

How to make healthy baked beans

• Try our recipe for healthy home-made baked beans and poached eggs

3. Is pizza healthy?

Most shop-bought or restaurant pizzas are high in saturated fat, and they can be salty too. Cheese and meaty toppings (salami, pepperoni, ham, bacon or spiced beef) are the main culprits when it comes to adding saturated fat and salt.

Vegan pizzas are increasingly available. While skipping the cheese entirely can help make the pizza lower in saturated fat and salt, many vegan cheese alternatives are based on coconut oil, so can have as much saturated fat as the standard version.

Want to make healthy pizza?

Pizza can be made healthier at home, especially if you make your own tomato sauce or use tomato puree (ready-made sauce can be salty), and use reduced-fat cheese or ricotta.

• Watch our step-by-step video for healthy courgette and pepper pizza

4. Are sausages healthy?

Sausages are usually high in saturated fat and salt, so aren’t a healthy option. Premium sausages can be even higher in saturated fat and salt than standard versions.

Lower-fat sausages are a better choice, but can still be salty. Vegetarian sausages vary a lot, so check labels and choose the one with the lowest saturated fat and salt content per 100g.

How can I make sausages healthier?

To make sausages healthier, grill or bake them instead of frying to avoid adding extra fat.

5. Is chilli con carne healthy?

This classic Tex-Mex dish is not a bad choice when it comes to your health, although fat and salt content can vary. The kidney beans provide fibre and protein, and the mince adds more protein. Adding beans or lentils to meat dishes helps make the meat go further, which reduces the saturated fat in a portion. The fibre can help with your gut health.

How to make healthy chilli con carne

If you want to make a healthy version of chilli con carne, go for lean minced beef (5 per cent fat) to reduce the saturated fat. Or you could swap to soya mince or Quorn, which will be lower in saturated fat. Add plenty of vegetables – onion, peppers, carrots, sweetcorn and tinned tomatoes work particularly well – for more fibre, to make it go further and help achieve your 5-a-day. And if you’re using a stock, choose a low-salt one.

• Try our healthy chilli con carne recipe

6. Is tomato soup healthy?

A tin of tomato soup isn’t a bad choice once in a while. The main issue is the salt content – a tin of cream of tomato soup typically contains 2.2g salt, which is more than a third of the recommended daily maximum.

Cup soup (the kind you buy dried in a packet) is similar from a nutrition point of view – again, it’s the salt that you need to watch out for. The chilled soups from shops may seem healthier, but don’t necessarily have any less salt, and may even be higher in saturated fat and/or sugar.

How to make a healthy tomato soup

Making your own tomato soup means you can avoid the added cream and keep the salt low by using low-salt stock. Use flavourings like basil, garlic or chilli to make a healthy tomato soup that has less salt, but is still packed with flavour.

• Try our roasted tomato and lentil soup

7. Are fish and chips healthy?

Fish and chips is one of the nation’s favourite dishes. But both the fish and the chips are usually deep-fried, so can be high in fat and calories. Even oven chips have usually been fried at some point and can have added salt, too. If you’re getting a takeaway, stick to a small portion and ask them to hold the salt. Mushy peas on the side will add healthy fibre to your meal and reduce the fat content overall.

Some fish and chip shops will do grilled fish, if you ask nicely. When not deep-fried, fish can be a healthy choice, and we’re all recommended to eat at least two portions a week (one of which should be oily fish like salmon or sardines).

How to make fish and chips healthy

Make your fish and chips healthier by baking white fish in wholemeal breadcrumbs, and serving with home-made oven-baked potato wedges.

• Try our healthy fish and chips recipe

8. Is lasagne healthy?

Lasagne is a classic comfort food, but can be high in saturated fat and salt, because of the bechamel sauce, mince and cheese. A large portion can contain over 1000kcals, which is half of what most of us need in a day.

How to make a healthy lasagne

With some tweaks to reduce the saturated fat, home-made lasagne can be a healthy balanced meal. Choose extra-lean minced beef, reduced-fat cheese, and make a white sauce with unsaturated spread instead of butter.

• Try our healthy vegetarian lasagne

9. Is quiche healthy?

Quiche is bad news when it comes to a healthy diet. It’s usually made with cheese and cream in the filling as well as butter in the pastry case, so it’s often high in saturated fat and calories. Ingredients like bacon will add salt and more saturated fat.

How to make a healthier quiche

A home-made crustless quiche can be a healthier alternative to a traditional quiche, because there’s no pastry. Watch out for ready-made crustless quiches though, as the creamy, cheesy filling can mean they’re not necessarily better than a traditional quiche.

• Try our crust-free salmon quiche recipe

10. Is chicken korma healthy?

It’s one of the UK’s most popular curries, but sadly, it’s not a healthy choice. Double cream and butter are traditionally used to give the creamy texture, so whether you get it from your favourite restaurant or ready-made from the supermarket, it’s likely to be high in saturated fat and potentially salt, too.

How to make a healthy chicken korma

If you make your own chicken korma, you can use fat-free Greek yogurt instead of cream for a healthy korma that will give your local takeaway a run for its money. Take the dish off the heat and let it cool a little before stirring in the yoghurt. Serve with wholegrain rice and some vegetables or salad.

• Try our healthy korma-style chicken curry with green beans

11. Are cereal bars healthy?

Cereal bars are a quick, filling snack that will keep you full and give you energy. But they’re not the healthy choice you might think. Many bars that you can buy are high in sugar and calories, and many are “amber” for total fat and saturated fat (the kind that contributes to high cholesterol levels, which can raise your risk of heart disease).

For quick and easy snacks that won’t come with added sugar, choose a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts and dried fruit, or vegetable sticks with hummus.

12. Are chicken nuggets healthy?

Whether frozen or from a fast-food restaurant, chicken nuggets and chicken dippers come with added saturated fat and salt, so are best kept for an occasional treat.

Ready-to-eat grilled chicken pieces are a healthier and convenient alternative, though check the salt content before you buy.

13. Are fish fingers healthy?

Fish fingers are coated and usually fried, so aren’t the healthiest way to eat fish. They tend to have amber traffic lights for salt and fat, which means we should eat them in moderation. Still, they count towards the two portions of fish we’re all encouraged to eat each week, and are generally a healthier choice than some other convenience options like burgers or pizza.

• Try our healthier jumbo fish fingers

14. Is peanut butter healthy?

Pure peanut butter is a healthier choice containing unsaturated fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. Many peanut butters contain added sugar, palm oil or salt, which makes them a less healthy choice, so check the ingredients carefully or choose one that says 100% nuts.

All peanut butter is high in fat and therefore calories, so try to stick to a 30g portion, which is two heaped teaspoons.

Avoid flavoured nut butters with additions like coconut, cocoa or maple syrup, as these can increase the saturated fat and sugar content.

15. Are chips healthy?

Whether it’s chips from a pub or takeaway, or frozen oven chips, most chips have been fried at some point, so aren’t the healthiest choice. Many have added salt too.

Thick cut chips or wedges tend to be lower in fat than crinkle cut, curly fries or French fries. ’Gastro’ or premium chips are usually highest in saturated fat because they are often cooked in beef fat as well as vegetable oil. Watch out, too, for seasoned chips or wedges, which are more likely to be salty. They can be easily made at home – follow the recipe from our healthier fish and chips.

Published August 2021