How can I make healthy choices at restaurants?

To make healthy choices at a restaurant, it helps to know a few cooking terms. These are clues about ingredients and preparation methods that can help you make better selections from the menu.

Choose foods that are described as:

• Steamed
• In its own juice
• Garden fresh
• Broiled
• Roasted
• Poached
• Dry broiled (in lemon juice or butter)
• Lean

Avoid foods that are described as:

• Buttery, buttered, in butter sauces
• Creamed, in cream sauce, in its own gravy, hollandaise
• Au gratin, Parmesan, in cheese sauce, scalloped
• Sautéed, fried, pan-fried, crispy, braised
• Breaded, stuffed
• Casserole, prime, hash, pot pie
• Marinated (in oil), basted in butter or gravy, in brine