It’s fun to eat out. It’s particularly enjoyable to eat at ethnic restaurants. The food is tasty and we have the opportunity to eat foods that we may not know how to prepare ourselves. But if you are watching your calorie intake, eating out can sometimes be tricky. So, we’ve created some tips for eating out in a variety of different venues that will allow you to have tasty meals without feeling guilty afterwards.

Chinese Food:

Healthy Choices: Dishes with lots of vegetables, particularly steamed or stir-fried with a minimum amount of oil. Hot and sour soup is also a good choice.

Try to Avoid: Deep fried foods like sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls, fried wontons, General Tso’s chicken, Kung Pao chicken, fried rice and lo mein dishes as well as spareribs and dishes made with duck.

Italian Food:

Healthy Choices: Marinara and most red sauces, lightly sautéed items, piccata dishes, grilled meats, salads with low fat dressing alternatives on the side, poached and sautéed meats with lots of filling vegetables

Try to Avoid: Most appetizers, heavy pasta dishes especially filled pastas, cream-based sauces like alfredo, fried dishes like eggplant or chicken parmesan

Mexican Food:

Healthy Choices: Grilled chicken and boneless beef, black beans (if cooked without lard), salsas, soft corn tortillas, fajitas without the fixings, salads without loaded cheese or guacamole

Avoid: Cheese sauces, fried tortillas, taco salad shells, excessive guacamole, beans cooked with lard

Mediterranean  Food:

Healthy Choices: whole wheat pita, Greek salad with lowfat dressing on the side, grilled chicken kebabs as well as grilled lamb or fish entrees, vegetarian grape leaves, tzatziki sauce, hummus in moderation

Avoid: Fried foods like falafel, anything prepared with phyllo dough like spanakopita and baklava