Pitfalls and Solutions of Eating Out Well...

We all struggle with the dilemma of eating out while also keeping some semblance of a balanced diet. Check out these common pitfalls and how to make good choices:

• I need a large portion to feel full (but I'm REALLY hungry).

Start your meal with soup (broth, not cream based) or a salad (dressing on the side, please). Then share an entree or take the other half home for lunch the next day. With two courses, you feel more satisfied, work on pacing yourself and your willpower by saving that extra portion!

• I don't know what to eat at restaurants! (A.K.A. Translate this menu!)

Watch for red-flag words such as crispy, fried, hand-breaded, battered, creamy, smothered, glaze or demi-glaze and twice-baked (full of dairy). Replace with the healthy words grilled, baked, olive oil, broth, saute (depending on the type of oil used-ask!) vinaigrette, seared and steamed.

• I'm vegetarian, so I usually eat fries or salads...I'm sick of salads!!

Choosing salad is often a pitfall in and of itself, since it includes lots of cheese, croutons and nutritionally void iceberg lettuce. Pasta is awesome but the refined, processed carbs at most restaurants aren't easy on the hips. A good alternative is having a (shared) stuffed mushroom appetizer with a bowl of minestrone soup as your meal. Not only do you satisfy your carb craving from the breadcrumbs in the mushrooms and the pasta in the soup, but you end up spending a lot less than what you'd pay for a full entree.

• What can I do for fast food? I'm hungry and in a hurry!

Here's some good options at some of the usual places:

*Wendy's: Order a small chili (227 calories), a grilled chicken sandwich with no sauce or mayo (300 calories) or a sour cream and chive potato (370 calories).

*McDonald's: Order a grilled chicken Caesar salad with fat free or reduced fat dressing (100 calories).

*Taco Bell: Order "fresco" items such as the taco fresco (170 calories).

• Run FAR away from these foods:

-Ruby Tuesday's Bella Turkey Burger has 1,145 calories!

-Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce has 2,430 calories!

-Outback Steakhouse Fries with Cheese and Ranch dressing has 2,900 calories!!

-Chili's Awesome Blossom has 2,710 calories!

-On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos has 2,100 calories!

-PF Chang's Pork Lo Mein has 1820 calories!

-Chipotle Grilled Chicken Burrito has 1,179 calories!

And please parents, DO NOT feed your child Macaroni Grill's Mac & Cheese, it has a whopping 1,210 calories. It is equivalent to feeding your child almost 2 boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese!!

"We must eat to live, and not live to eat." Henry Fielding