How to Eat at Nando's Without Derailing Yourself

• Peri-peri chicken is lean protein. The problem is almost always the sides.

• Skip the chips. Corn on the cob, side salad, or coleslaw are your best options.

• A whole chicken and two sensible sides is a solid, filling meal. No guilt required.

Grilled chicken is one of the best things you can eat when you're trying to lose weight. That's the foundation of the entire Nando's menu, which puts you in a better position than you'd be at most high street chains before you've even sat down. The issue isn't the chicken. It's the sides, the extras, and the bread that arrive around it. Get those right and a Nando's meal works hard for you. Get them wrong and you've had a large portion of chips, a round of garlic bread, and a full-sugar Coca-Cola before the bill arrives. This guide tells you exactly where the line is.

Start with the chicken itself. A whole chicken, a butterfly chicken burger, or a half chicken are all solid choices. If you're having a wrap or a pitta, that's fine too — the bread isn't the end of the world, and you're still getting a decent amount of protein. Avoid the cataplana, which is cooked in a creamy sauce, if you're being careful. For sides, corn on the cob is the one most people overlook — it's filling, it takes a while to eat, and it's not swimming in anything. The side salad is straightforward. Coleslaw is reasonable in the portion size they serve it. Macho peas are a strong choice if you like them; they're seasoned well and have a bit of substance to them. The fino couscous side is worth considering too. What to avoid or at least think twice about: chips, cheesy rice, and garlic bread. None of those are catastrophic if you have them occasionally, but they are the reason a Nando's that could have been a clean meal ends up being something else entirely. The chips at Nando's are good, which is exactly the problem. If you know you'll eat them, don't order them. If you're fine leaving half, order them and leave half. Know yourself.

A full-sugar fizzy drink at Nando's is a large one. If you're having one every time you eat out, it's worth swapping. Diet versions taste almost identical at this point — order one and see if you notice. Water is free, tap, and nobody is judging you. The frozen yoghurt dessert is relatively light if you want something sweet at the end, but if you're not bothered, you don't need it. The peri-peri sauces on the table are fine. Spicier food tends to slow you down a bit and makes the meal feel more of an experience, which is no bad thing. Extra hot if you can handle it.

Eating out with friends or family is not a problem to be managed. It's part of your life. The goal isn't to sit at Nando's with a side salad and half a chicken while everyone else shares halloumi and bottomless drinks. That's miserable and it doesn't last. The practical approach: order what works for you without making an announcement about it. Nobody needs to know you swapped chips for corn. If someone's doing a shared platter, have some. Being roughly right most of the time is what moves the needle. One Nando's with chips is not the reason things aren't working. The pattern across the week is. If Nando's is a once-a-fortnight thing, order what you enjoy and don't overthink it. If it's twice a week, the sides matter more. Adjust based on your actual life, not an idealised version of it.

Not at all. It's grilled chicken in a bun with sauce. The bun adds some carbohydrate but you're still getting a high-protein meal. It's a much better option than most things you'd get from a fast food drive-through. If you're having it with a sensible side instead of chips, it's a solid lunch or dinner.

Halloumi is high in fat and quite calorie-dense for the portion size. That doesn't make it off-limits, but if you're having a starter, a main, and sides, it adds up quickly. If you love halloumi, have it and adjust elsewhere. If you're indifferent, skip it and you won't miss it. The peri-peri nuts are easy to overdo — small portion, easy to eat mindlessly while you're waiting.

Yes, if you're ordering sensibly. Grilled chicken and good sides a couple of times a week is not the obstacle. Weight loss comes from your overall pattern of eating and movement across time, not from avoiding specific restaurants. Nando's with corn and a diet drink is a perfectly decent meal. The version with extra sides, garlic bread, and a large Coke every visit is a different picture. The restaurant isn't the variable — what you order inside it is.