It saves time, but not all home-delivered (or takeaway) food is prepared with your health in mind.

These foods are often high in fat and salt or low in fibre and nutrition, meaning they’re likely to help you stack on the kilos while contributing to your risk of heart disease. The good news is, if you order the right way you can get home-delivered food that’s not bad for you.

Think before you dial and follow a few simple rules to stay on track for good health when ordering out.

- Go for the salads instead of the chips. You can get some great salads from providers of just about every cuisine and you’ll enjoy some new and interesting flavours.

- Avoid the 'extra large' sizes, especially those dishes you know are high in fat and salt. If you get a meal deal with options choose the side salad instead of chips and ask for fruit juice instead of fizzy soft drinks.

- Ask if the menu has a selection of low-fat dishes or 'healthy' meals. Many places do and they're usually just as tasty as anything else on offer.

Home-delivered and takeaway food can actually be healthy. Just be sure you choose meals with a high vegetable content. Order foods that are grilled or steamed, and include fresh fruit and salad and wholegrain breads whenever possible.

Let's take a look at our four most popular home-delivered cuisines and see how to apply these principles:

Pizzas – It's so easy to go wrong here if you go for the extra cheese or 'meat lovers' varieties. But vegetarian pizzas or the smaller gourmet variety with lean meat or seafood toppings are fine.

Seafood – Fish and chips has been a staple cholesterol-raiser for years. Plain grilled fish is delicious and goes well with a salad and bread roll.  Give the battered fish and calamari a miss.

Chinese – The biggest choice of all. Ask for the steamed rice and dim sims, and the vegetable dishes with seafood or chicken and you'll be eating well.  Skip the duck!

Chicken - BBQ chooks can be the basis of a great meal, but to keep them lower in fats take the skin off before you eat. Deep fried chicken and chicken nuggets are best avoided, but skinless chicken is a great white meat that’s good in everything from sandwiches to curries.

See? It's really easy to order something - fast food, home-delivered, takeaway - that isn't bad for you. Just think before you order and then, dial away.