What are you having for dinner tonight? Beware - if you order an Indian takeaway, you may end up eating enough food for two people and far too much saturated fat and salt.

According to a new report by Safefood, a typical starter, main course and pilau rice from an Indian takeaway contains significantly more calories than a person's total daily requirement, as well as twice the recommended maximum level of fat and very high amounts of salt.

Furthermore, some varieties of naan bread contain one-third of an adult's recommended daily calorie intake.

Researchers from Ulster University analysed 280 food samples from 36 Indian outlets throughout Ireland and found that the average portion of rice was enough for two people, while the average portion of pilau rice contained nearly 500 calories.

Salt levels were found to be very high, with on average, all starters containing one-third of an adult's total recommended daily amount (6g) and all main courses containing more than half of the recommended daily amount.

An average portion of Peshwari naan meanwhile contained a lot more calories and saturated fat than plain naan, with some samples containing almost 750 calories and 168% of an adult's recommended daily amount of saturated fat.

The researchers noted that less than 10% of takeaways offered healthier options. They also found big differences in the portion sizes of starters, with a five-fold difference among onion bhajis and an eight-fold difference in chicken pakoras.

"While traditional meals in India are low in fat, high in fibre and rich in fruit and vegetables, chefs here have adapted their recipes to suit local tastebuds favouring foods high in fat and salt and serving bigger portions. These dishes have become very popular, but the Indian dishes tested in this survey were less than healthy," explained Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood.

The three most popular dishes were chicken tikka masala, chicken korma and chicken jalfrezi. The average portion of chicken tikka masala was found to contain1,249 calories, which is 63% of an adult's daily recommended intake of calories (2,000).

Each average portion also contained over 90g of fat, which is 130% of the daily recommended intake (70g), and 4.7g of salt, which is 79% of the daily recommended intake (6g).

The average portion of chicken korma contained 1,248 calories, 91.4g of fat and 2.9g of salt, while the average portion of chicken jalfrezi contained 721 calories, 37.4g of fat and 5.2g of salt.

"Our advice is not that consumers should avoid these takeaway foods, but rather consider consuming them less often and in moderation, by either choosing smaller portions, sharing portions or limiting the added extras such as starters and side orders," commented Ruth Price of Ulster University, who carried out the research.

Safefood offers the following tips to consumers:
-Eat Indian takeaways only occasionally and consider sharing one portion between two people
-Consider shop-bought options as these tend to be smaller and contain less fat and salt
-Opt for boiled rice over pilau rice and share one portion of rice between two people. Try to choose rice or naan, rather than both
-Avoid poppadoms and dips - an average portion contains over 100 calories
-Avoid dishes labelled crispy, battered or deep fried, as they will be higher in calories, fat and salt.
-Try to minimise your intake of sauces as they tend to be high in calories, fat and salt
-Add extra vegetables where possible.

For more information on what is in your Indian takeaway, click here