This also ties in with promotions on unhealthy food and drink in shops – we know they can actually increase how much you spend overall. I repeat: those ‘bargains’ often result in you spending more than you intended, not saving you money!
Tips when using food delivery apps
So, what can you do? If you’re using an app to order food, keep the following tips in mind to try to shift towards a healthier order (and likely spend less money!)
- Turn off notifications/ unsubscribe from their emails and texts to avoid temptation of offers when you weren’t planning on ordering.
- Try not to order when you’re already hungry!
- Consider if saving on delivery is really worth the extra money to make it up to the minimum amount. Alternatively, you can add a side or starter, but choose something that will be a good snack or lunch the next day (and make sure you put it aside when the delivery comes!)
- Look into the nutrition details – you may need to add some calorie totals together for different parts of a meal (like sides and sauces) to get the real amount for the whole meal.
- Know you’re being encouraged to buy as much as possible! Having this awareness can help question whether you go for deals because they’re what you want, or because the deals make it seem like a good idea. Remember, they usually mean you end up spending more money overall.
All about balance
Of course, getting a takeaway delivered every so often isn’t going to increase your risk of getting cancer if you’re mostly eating a healthy balanced diet overall. But by knowing how food delivery apps try to make us order more food than we really need, we can make more informed choices when using them.
Overweight and obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK, so keeping a healthy weight cuts your risk of cancer and other serious diseases.
We know it can be difficult to keep a healthy weight. Lots of things impact our weight, and the world we live in affects how healthy we are. But there are changes we can make to be healthier.
That’s why, along with British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK, we have partnered with Tesco with the aim of ‘helping you live healthier’. You can read more about our Trolley Trends research, which explores attitudes and behaviours around healthy eating and food shopping, on our website.
