Healthy Restaurant Food Choices

• When ordering drinks, it is always better to ask for water, unsweetened tea or coffee, lemonade, or diet soda. Stay away from regular soft drinks and alcoholic beverages because they are loaded with empty calories.

• During appetizer time, stick to either broth-based soup, or salad with no croutons and dressing on the side.

• The entree is typically where you will find the most calories of a meal, so this is where attention to detail is important. For example, if you want to order chicken, fish, or seafood, remember to request that they steam, broil, grill, bake, sautee, or poach the food instead of frying it.

• If it's meat that you want, order leaner alternatives such as turkey burgers, beef sirloin, skinless chicken breasts, or pork loin.

• For pasta dishes, remember that water-based pasta is always healthier than cream-based pasta because the cream is extremely high in fat and calories. Try to avoid foods such as chicken or fettuccini alfredo and opt for spaghetti or linguine with marinara sauce instead.

• An excellent tip is to look for food items that are cooked with herbs and spices because not only do they brighten up the food's flavor, but they are low in fat, calories, and sodium content.

• Another good idea would be to order something that is high in whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, pasta, tortillas, or brown rice.

• With side dishes, choose low calorie options such as baked potato or steamed vegetables rather than french fries because they are prepared in a healthier way.

• If you're in the mood for a sandwich, the condiments can make or break you. Stick to ketchup or mustard instead of mayonnaise or "special sauce" because ketchup and mustard are very low in calories and high in flavor. You should also use whole wheat buns and avoid the cheese. Topping your sandwich with vegetables instead of bacon and fried onions would also be a better alternative.

• When dessert time rolls around, don't panic. You can still have dessert without feeling guilty as long as you make smart choices. For example, stick to foods such as sorbet and parfait that use fruit as a key ingredient because fruits are much better for you than sugar and fat. A great trick is to share your dessert with your dinner date so that way, you only have half of the calories that you would normally consume.

• Another tip is to only eat half of your food at the restaurant and take the rest home in a doggie bag so you can finish it the next day as lunch.