Is Nando's healthy? Breaking down the menu

A big part of any weight loss journey is a focus on healthy, home-cooked meals. But, that doesn't mean there's no room for dinner at a restaurant or a Friday night takeaway.

It's really about making smart choices. By keeping an eye on the fat, sugar, and salt content of your chosen meal — eating out can be just as good for you as your own cooking.

To help you out, we're breaking down our top choices at Nando's; from their famous grilled chicken to which salads you should dish up and the one to avoid.

Is Nando's considered fast food?

The simple answer is yes; Nando’s does count as fast food. The definition of fast food is mass-produced food products that are made and served quickly [1].

A lot of the time, this comes from a restaurant chain or franchise, but you can also find it at street stands and convenience stores.

The connection between fast food and health

One of the biggest criticisms of fast food is its lack of nutritional value; with many options being highly processed and full of salt, saturated fat, sugar, and refined grains [1].

But, there are also problems with how easily accessible it is. Studies tell us that your environment can contribute to weight gain. For example, living or working near fast food outlets is typically associated with a higher body weight [2].

A recent study of almost 5,000 adults in the UK found that living or working close to fast food did seem connected to a higher body fat percentage [2]. But, mindset and behaviour also played a role.

People with higher cognitive restraint tended to have lower body fat percentage. People with certain eating behaviours, such as emotional eating, tended to have a higher body fat percentage. 

These researchers believed that helping people lose weight requires a mixed approach — both reviewing access to fast food and supporting healthy eating behaviours.

The holistic approach to weight loss

At Juniper, we know that changing your diet is only part of the story for long-term weight loss. For real change, we need to change our lifestyle too.

Juniper’s Weight Reset Programme combines clinically-backed weight loss medications (Wegovy or Mounjaro) with a behavioural reset. We have a team of clinicians and health coaches who support you with practical advice that is personalised to your needs.

We also provide access to a supportive community of people on a similar weight loss journey, because we know it’s harder to do it on your own.

Navigating the Nando's menu when you're trying to lose weight

So, is Nando’s completely off the menu when you’re trying to lose weight? We're glad to say it doesn't have to be.

Here are 3 tips for making it a healthy part of your weight loss diet, plus the menu options we recommend.

Keep an eye on calories

While calorie counting may not be right for everyone, we do know that keeping an eye on the calories in a meal can be helpful.

It’s less about being precise and more about being aware of how much a single meal might contribute to your daily energy intake.

For example, the recommended daily calories for an adult woman is 2,000 calories. On a weight loss diet, this can drop back to about 1,400 calories [3]. 

Most fast food menus include the estimated calories and nutritional profile of the meal. This can help you compare options when deciding what to order. 

Typically, choosing menu items with fewer calories is helpful for weight loss. However, it’s still important that you’re filling up on all the necessary nutrients — like protein, fibre, and healthy fats.

Fill up on whole foods

It’s important for a balanced diet that you’re enjoying plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

For a main meal, the NHS recommends [4]:

• Having 2 or more portions of vegetables
• Always include a serve of protein
• Focus on meals that include healthy fats, like vegetable oils
• Keep carbohydrates to 1/3 of your meal and aim for wholegrain varieties 

Aim for smaller portion sizes

Fast food is well-known for having large portion sizes. Where possible, it’s good to order a small serve.

If there’s no smaller size, you can always share. Whether it’s friends, family or your housemate — we bet there are more than a few people who would be happy to have a cheeky Nando’s with you.

Healthy options to consider

From starters to side dishes; here are our top items to order at Nando’s for a weight-loss-friendly meal [5]. Did your favourites make the cut?

Spicy mixed olives

Olives are not a bad way to start a meal as they’re packed with vitamin E, which is great for your immune system [6].

A serve of Spicy Mixed Olives is a light option for those salty and savoury cravings. Remember, this dish serves 2.

Houmous with Peri-Peri drizzle 

Another starter that we recommend is the houmous. With plenty of fibre, healthy fat, and plant-based iron — it’s a delicious and nutritious opener to a Nando's meal [6].

It does serve 2-3 people, so either gathering your friends or taking some home to eat another time is best.

Peri-Peri chicken

With plenty of healthy protein, chicken is well-known to be a good option for weight loss. And as most everyone knows, the main event at Nando’s is flame-grilled chicken.

From the Nando’s menu, the best option for 1 person is a quarter chicken. For 2 people we’d suggest a half chicken and for a family, you can probably handle the whole chicken. 

But, it’s important to keep in mind the cut of meat. Dark meat like thighs, legs, and wings have more fat than lean meat like chicken breast.

Another healthy meal option is the Chicken Butterfly which has 2 chicken breasts. It's a big meal, but since it's lean meat it's lower in fat than the quarter and the half chicken.

The other thing to choose wisely is your spice levels. Not only is the extra hot basting a lot to handle but it's got the most calories of all the options.

A healthier choice would be lemon & herb sauce with only 10 calories or sticking with Medium spice levels for a respectable 21 calories.

Peri-chicken gravy

If you’ll be adding an extra sauce to your meal, we think the Peri-Chicken Gravy is the healthiest choice. It has only 39 calories per serve and 2g of protein, not bad for a simple sauce [5]. 

Beanie wrap 

What about vegetarian options? The Beanie Wrap is a top choice with almost 1/3 of your daily fibre needs and a solid hit of protein [6].

There’s also the veggie burger which uses the same patty, so packed with almost the same amount of fibre and protein. The big difference with this one is the burger has a little less fat and carbs [5]. 

Both are good options — so the choice is yours.

Spicy rice

A lot of people think starchy carbs are a one-way ticket to weight gain. The truth is, gram for gram, carbs actually contain less than half the calories of fat [8].

What’s important is you stick to 1 of these per main meal. If you’re having a wrap or burger, that’s probably your carb needs covered.

But if it’s chicken on its own; you could add a serve of rice on the side. The Nando’s Spicy Rice is a great option that not only tastes great, it’s low in saturated fat [5].

Creamy mash

Craving potato? Who could blame you? While a serve of chips might be the classic side dish, we would suggest taking a look at the Creamy Mash instead.

It’s lower in calories and has less fat and carbs compared to the signature Peri-Salted Chips.

A side of veggies

The healthiest option for side dishes is really a serve of veg. Remember, you’re aiming for 1-2 serves of vegetables per main meal.

Our top choices from Nando’s would be the Rainbow Slaw, Macho Peas, Portuguese Tomato Salad, or Long-Stem Broccoli.

For a budget-friendly option, take a look at the extras menu which includes a 1/2 avocado or grilled portobello mushroom.

Least nutritious options to avoid

Skipping some menu items is obvious, like the Fully Loaded Chips. But there are others which might surprise you. 

In general, what you need to be aware of is hidden fats, salt, and sugar in your meal. From dishes cooked in butter to fatty cuts of meat, these are the items we’d think twice before ordering [5]. 

Creamy sauces

A big source of hidden fats is a creamy sauce. From adding on a serve of the PERinaise to opting for Coleslaw doused in mayo; these dishes are not exactly weight-loss friendly.

We’d consider the Peri-Chicken Gravy or Chilli Jam instead. For the veggies, opt for Rainbow Slaw which has a lighter dressing. 

Chicken thighs and wings

You might think all grilled chicken is good for you, but it does depend on the cut of meat.

We mentioned earlier that dark meat tends to have a higher fat content than lean chicken. For this reason, we would probably skip the Boneless Chicken Thighs and Chicken Wings.

Corn on the cob

Flame-grilled corn on the cob might seem like a great veggie side, but since it’s cooked in butter, it’s adding 3g of saturated fat to your meal.

Caesar salad

It seems unfair for a salad to deceive you like this, but Caesar salad is not the best for weight loss. It has too many hidden fats; from the rich and creamy dressing to the grated cheese and croutons.

Garlic bread

Trust us, we know how good it feels to bite into a slice of crunchy garlic bread. But we also know how many calories can be packed into such a small dish.

A single serve of garlic bread from Nando's has 15g of fat and 365 calories, so we'd keep it on the sometimes list.

Soft drinks

Sorry to burst your bubble, but most soft drinks — even diet ones like Coke Zero — are not recommended for weight loss [8].

They contain high levels of sugar which has not only been linked to weight gain but also to poor health.

Tips for staying on track while eating out

We’re all about balance at Juniper, which is why we want you to know that eating out a restaurants can be part of your weight loss journey. 

Here are a few ways you can help yourself, enjoy the experience and stick to your goals (even with fast food like Nando’s).

Check the menu online

We know it takes time to narrow down your meal options when you’re comparing calories and nutrition. Luckily, most restaurants now have their menu online, so you can check before you go.

It’s a good idea to select 2-3 menu options for yourself, in case one isn’t available on the day [7].

Get dressing on the side

Sauces and dressings are the unexpected downfall of many a well-planned meal.

Where possible, ask for these on the side [7][9]. This can help you eat less of them as it allows you to dip your food in.

Share your meal

Sharing is caring! Whether you’re headed out for a meal or picking up a takeaway, see if you can get a few friends or family on board too.

This can help you indulge in less healthy options while still keeping portion sizes small [7].

Dining on your own? That’s okay. If portions are big, you can always ask to take some home. For takeaway; try and split it up into multiple serves before you eat [9]. 

Eat slowly 

Eating slowly is a good daily habit to build and it’s known to help with weight loss. It takes time for your body to register that you feel full and eating slower helps with this process [7]. 

Make smart swaps

Even small changes can add up to big results. For example, you could have a burger with no cheese or ask to swap chips for a side salad [9].

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