A glass of lard with your Chinese takeaway

A REGULAR Chinese takeaway contains the equivalent of a wine glass full of lard, a study has found.

A meal including prawn crackers, crispy duck, chicken balls and spring rolls has 2,823 calories and 132.5 grammes of fat - the equivalent of a small wine glass, the research for weight loss product Lipobind found.

Overall, the average takeaway has around 1,500 calories.

In contrast, the Food Standards Agency lists a "high" fat content as more than 20g per 100g. Women are advised to limit their calorie intake to 2,000 a day and men to 2,500.

The poll of 10,000 British adults found 35 per cent eat at least two takeaways in a typical week.

A further 11 per cent have a takeaway five times a week, while 5 per cent admit to eating one every day.

Almost a third voted a Chinese takeaway as their favourite meal, followed by 26 per cent who preferred Indian food.

Just under a fifth of those polled (19 per cent) ordered a side salad or diet drink to make their meal healthier.

However, 20 per cent ordered a side of chips with their Chinese or Indian meal, adding 250 calories and 15g of fat.

Some 8 per cent of people surveyed said they had concerns about the fat content of their takeaway.

Nutritionist Mary Strugar said: "Takeaways as an occasional treat are fine.

"However, when such high volumes of fat and calories, not to mention salt levels, are consumed on a more regular basis you are in serious danger of putting your health on the line.

"If you do not exercise regularly, just two high-fat takeaways a week could contribute to a substantial weight gain, adding more than 3,000 calories to your weekly allowance.

"This increases your chance of type 2 diabetes and other weight-related health problems such as hypertension and coronary heart disease."