Curry, fish and chips, Chinese... takeaways have traditionally been a weekend treat – time to stay out of the kitchen, relax and indulge in our favourite meal.

But new research reveals that they're rapidly creeping into our weekday meal plans too.

A survey of 2,000 people, by DW Fitness, reveals that almost one in 10 of us orders in on a Monday night, and just as many do the same on a Thursday.

It's a regular habit too – a fifth have a takeaway once a week, with an average spend of £9.75 per person – that's a whopping £507 a year.

But it's not just our wallets that take a bashing. Too many takeaways frequently means our waistlines start suffering, thanks to the calorie overdose.

Regularly eating too much fat, saturates and salt – all common in takeaways – can also play havoc with our long-term health.

So nutritionist Juliette Kellow has come to the rescue. Here she reveals the best – and worst – choices to make when ordering in…

CHINESE

A huge 35% of us choose Chinese – making it our favourite takeaway.

Crispy duck, chow mein, sweet and sour, spring rolls and fried rice are what we're most likely to go for.

Take it!

 For starters, choose chicken satay skewers – the chicken is usually grilled and comes with cucumber chunks. Or opt for steamed dumplings – just 40 calories each.

 Soups are a filling choice. Clear varieties contain the fewest calories –hot and sour has just 80. But even crab or chicken and sweetcorn soup come in at a reasonable 170 calories.

Avoid battered and deep fried foods

 Choose main dishes made with beef, chicken or prawns (that aren't battered or fried). A serving of beef with green peppers and black bean sauce has 410 calories, while Szechuan prawns with vegetables contains 300.

 Noodle-based chow mein is good for controlling portions – it's just one carton of food. Studies show the more food we're faced with, the more we eat.

 Use chopsticks to slow you down – that way your body will have more time to recognise when you're full.

Break it!

 "Crispy", "battered", "deep-fried" and "stir-fried" all mean it's been cooked in lots of oil. Anything described as "sticky" or "sweet" means it contains lots of sugar.

 Most starters are a calorie nightmare. A portion of barbecue spare ribs has a huge 870 calories. Wontons, pancake rolls, spring rolls, crispy seaweed, sesame prawn toast and battered prawns are all deep-fried, so best avoided.

 Prawn crackers might be free with your order, but they'll cost your waistline – each bag has 570 calories.

 Fried rice – egg, vegetable, chicken or special – means oil is added, so stick to boiled or jasmine.

 Anything named "special" – fried rice, chow mein, chop suey – usually has lots of extra ingredients like meat, prawns and eggs, so more calories.

 Duck is normally served with its fatty skin and is often deep-fried (crispy aromatic duck, for example). Each filled pancake has 120 calories.

Swap

4 pieces sesame prawn toast = 610 calories

Sweet and sour battered pork = 960 calories

Egg fried rice = 560 calories

TOTAL = 2,130 calories

For

Chicken and sweetcorn soup = 170 calories

Chicken chow mein = 590 calories

TOTAL = 760 calories

Save 1,370 calories

INDIAN

Make healthier decisions with your curry

Around a quarter of us put an Indian at the top of our takeaway list.

Chicken tikka masala and chicken jalfrezi are most loved.

Take it!

 Poppadoms are deep fried, but if you can stick to just one, that's only 115 calories. Serve with raita (cucumber dip) and tomato sambal (chopped tomato and onion) rather than higher-sugar mango chutney.

 Chicken and prawn curries are usually lower in calories than beef or lamb. Partner them with boiled rice instead of oil-containing pilau, which has around 100 more calories per carton.

 Veggie curries – cauliflower, chick peas, lentil (dhal), aubergine or spinach – are good for boosting filling fibre.

 Dry dishes, such as tandoori, tikka or bhuna, are usually much lower in calories than those with sauce. Tandoori has around 370 calories per serving.

 The spicier the curry, the better – a small portion will satisfy your taste buds and you'll eat more slowly, giving your body the 20 minutes it needs to send a message to your brain to say you're full.

 Biryani is a great choice as it includes rice as part of the dish, so you don't need to order an extra portion on the side.

Break it!

 Bhajis and samosas are deep-fried, so high in calories. A typical serving of bhajis contains 430 calories.

 Sauces are usually made with stacks of oil or ghee (clarified butter), so spoon the meat and veg on to your plate but leave out the sauce.

 Curries cooked in creamy sauces are the highest in calories. Masala and korma dishes, for example, are made with cream and ground almonds, while pasanda dishes are cooked with cream.

 Naan bread adds huge amounts of calories – 500 calories for plain and 750 calories for peshwari.

Swap

Onion bhaji = 430 calories

Chicken tikka masala = 1,250 calories

Pilau rice = 500 calories

TOTAL = 2,180 calories

For

Chicken tikka starter = 250 calories

King prawn balti = 605 calories

Plain rice = 390 calories

TOTAL = 1,245 calories

SAVE 935 calories

PIZZA

Thin crust pizzas are better for you than deep pan

Pepperoni is our top topping, followed by a classic margherita. It's the variety of base and what you put on it that makes the difference in calories.

Take it!

 You don't need a starter or side, but if you can't resist, potato wedges are usually the best option – just don't add dip.

 Traditional Italian and thin-crust pizzas are much lower in fat and calories. For example, from Domino's, a slice of cheese and tomato from a large pizza has 218 calories with a stuffed crust, 158 calories with a classic crust, 130 calories with a thin and crispy crust and 115 calories with an Italian-style crust.

 Good toppings include onions, chillies, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, olives, asparagus, pineapple, tuna, prawns, chicken, sweetcorn and extra tomato.

 Ask for half the amount of cheese to be used – and don't drizzle with extra oil.

Break it!

 Skip the garlic bread – it's loaded with 130 calories per slice, even more if topped with cheese.

 Skip the dips – they're packed with salt, and creamy dips are high in calories. Garlic and herb dip has 170 calories, while honey and mustard has 110 calories.

 Avoid meat toppings, such as salami, pepperoni, bacon and ham to help cut calories, fat and salt. Skip extra cheese too.

Avoid extra toppings

Swap

2 slices cheesy garlic bread = 340 calories

½ large stuffed-crust meat pizza = 1,050 calories

TOTAL = 1,390 calories

For

½ portion potato wedges = 170 calories

½ large thin and crispy crust vegetable pizza = 550 calories

TOTAL = 720 calories

Save: 670 calories

FISH & CHIPS

Fish is nutritious but cut back on the chips

There are around 10,500 takeaway fish and chip shops in the UK, serving around 333 million meals each year, so choose wisely.

Take it!

 Don't feel guilty about the fish – cod, plaice and haddock are nutritious (yes, even with the batter). They're packed with protein, which helps us feel fuller for longer – a small portion provides 40% of our daily needs.

 A portion of battered cod is a source of potassium, phosphorus and vitamin B6, and is especially rich in selenium, iodine and vitamin B12.

 Add mushy peas – a portion provides 13% of your daily fibre needs.

 Go for a fish cake – with around 200 calories it's usually half that of fish.

Break it!

 Size matters – choose the smallest available and share a portion of chips.

 Don't add curry sauce – it's an extra 110 calories, with few nutrients.

 Skip the salt pot – a typical portion of cod and chips contains 0.4g salt on its own. If you can't bear it without, try a salt substitute like LoSalt.

 Skip the "scraps" – all those bits of crunchy batter are packed with calories and fat.

 Don't add bread and butter – each slice has 150 calories.

 Avoid pies – the pastry makes them high in calories and fat (470 calories each) and they don't have as many nutrients as fish.

Swap

Large cod in batter = 540 calories

Large chips = 640 calories

Slice of bread and butter = 150 calories

TOTAL = 1,330 calories

For

Small cod in batter = 290 calories

½ portion large chips = 320 calories

Tub of mushy peas = 100 calories

TOTAL = 710 calories

Save: 620 calories

Fast food fixes

1. Downsize. Choose rice or naan, not both; skip chips; share dishes and limit (or better still, don't order) starters.

2. Use a napkin. Not to wipe your mouth, but to blot up fat from fried or greasy foods such as spring rolls, pizza, chips etc.

3. Hold the condiments Skip the mayo, ketchup and relish with your fries and burger, ditch the mango chutney with your curry and don't add soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce to Chinese dishes. Condiments are often high in sugar and/or salt, too.