Just because you're engaging in healthy eating doesn't mean you must skip restaurants, cursed by some health experts as notorious dens of gargantuan portions of calorie-laden foods and beverages.

But here's the skinny: your challenge is making healthy, low-fat choices, just like you do at home and in the grocery store.

Here are 10 tips to remember when dining out:

•  Go for the restaurants that give you choices, such as low-fat foods, broiled and vegetarian offerings, and the customary salad bar;

•  Order a green salad without dressing or dressing on the side;

•  Choose a plain baked potato or use plain yogurt or salsa as a topping;

•  Order steamed vegetables rather than french fries or fat-laden coleslaw;

•  Avoid foods, even soups, slathered in cream sauces, gravies, butter and oils - and go with tomato-based sauces;

•  Get low-fat and meatless meals that are steamed or stir-fried when eating in ethnic establishments;

•  Pick fresh fruit, sorbet, sherbet or angel-food cake rather than typical calorie-dense desserts or split the dessert with your dining partner;

•  Ask the waiter or waitress to show you low-fat meals on the menu if it isn't clear;

•  Ask that they prepare your food without high-fat items.

And last, but not least:

•  Ask for a to-go bag so you can take half of your meal home. You won't sound foolish. Waiters and waitresses expect it in these times.

Source: National Restaurant Association, PRNewswire

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