[Effie_drine]

These days, dining out and eating healthfully can seem like contradictory terms. Between supersize portions and Americans' love affair with fried foods, a fitness-focused diner faces serious obstacles. According to Healthy Dining, a San Diego-based company that works with restaurants to lean down their menus, the average restaurant meal contains 1,000 to 2,000 calories and 50 to 100 grams of fat -- and that's without bread, drinks, dessert or appetizers! It's no wonder that more than half of all Americans are overweight.

1. Decipher the fat. Restaurants don't like to describe their entres as "slathered with oil" or "swimming in a sea of butter." Instead, they communicate their food's fat content a bit more delicately: "lightly breaded" or "crispy coating." Can't tell from the menu how an item is prepared? Ask!
Ask your waiter for sauces and dressings on the side; for meats to be grilled, not fried.

2. Don't say "cheese." Cheese may be a great source of calcium, but it's also very high in fat, containing between six and 10 grams per ounce. Since most restaurants don't use reduced-fat cheese, cheesy dishes can be big diet spoilers. Your best bet? Eat cheese at home -- you can shop for low-fat varieties.
Ask your waiter to go easy on the Parmesan or hold it altogether.

3. Shun salt. To protect both your heart from high blood pressure and your bones from being leached of calcium, it's important to limit your sodium intake to 2,400 milligrams a day. Unfortunately, chefs tend to have a heavy hand with the saltshaker, since salt enhances the flavor of their cooking. Popular high-sodium foods include soup, pickles, cocktail sauce and cured meats, such as bacon and ham.
Ask your waiter for soy sauce or teriyaki sauce on the side; for no added salt or MSG to be used in your food. Also, request recommendations of dishes that use fresh meats, such as roast chicken or turkey, rather than deli meats or sausage.

4. Downsize your portions. There's no doubt that restaurant meals are getting larger every year. And the problem is by no means limited to McDonald's and its ilk. A recent study by New York University's department of nutrition and food studies found that sit-down restaurants are using bigger plates and that pizzeria pans are growing, too.
Ask your waiter for a doggie bag. When you get your meal, eat half and save the rest. Another option? Split a single entre with a companion.

5. Reject refills. Second helpings of sugary beverages, bread baskets, and chips and salsa add up to plenty of extra calories.
Ask your waiter to serve bread or chips with the meal (you'll be less tempted to scarf down the side calories). Also, choose a low-cal beverage, such as unsweetened iced tea; if you really want soda, ask for a glass of water as well and alternate sips.

6. Slim that sandwich. What's the more healthful option: tuna or roast beef? Believe it or not, at 720 calories and 43 grams of fat, the classic tuna sandwich is one of the fattiest choices around, whereas a roast beef sandwich (no mayo) is one of the most nutritious (460 calories and 12 grams of fat), according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Ask your waiter for dishes labeled "light," "low-fat" or "healthy"; nutrition labeling laws ensure that menu items bearing these descriptions are truly better bets. Hold the mayonnaise on sandwiches and opt for low-fat salad dressing on the side.

7. Dodge decadent desserts. While no one expects to get health value from dessert, nutritious sweets do exist (think fresh-fruit sorbets and chocolate-covered strawberries).
Ask your waiter to skip the dessert-tray routine, so you can consider the options sensibly; to bring extra forks and plates so you can split one or two desserts among the table.
By Evelyn Tribole, R.D.,

[ttuPrincess]

nice!

i work in a restaurant and i just laugh when i see someone order a salad with extra ranch.. BUT on the side and a soda.. lol

[enoldbond]

Here are a few things to look out for and some advice on where to look:

1) Be Wary of Excessive, Seemingly Everywhere Advertising
2) Do Your Homework in Advance and Ask Lots of Questions Upon Arrival
3) Follow Your Nose and Your Eyes
4) Dare to Stray Off the Beaten Path