Restaurant food needn't be a diet-killer

Gannett News Service

Your diet doesn't have to fall apart every time you order take-out or eat in a restaurant. The editors of Fitness magazine offer these suggestions for foods to choose — and avoid — in a variety of styles.

If you like Thai, go for:

• Thai-style chicken. It's usually served with a load of vegetables. Occasionally you might see it served in a hollowed-out pineapple.
• Summer rolls. They are usually wrapped in low-calorie rice paper and filled with bean sprouts and other steamed vegetables, shrimp and/or fish.

Steer clear of:

• Peanut sauce. "It's delicious but loaded with fat," says Joan Carter, a registered dietitian and an instructor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
• Thai tea. Sweetened with condensed milk and loaded with heavy cream or half-and-half, it's virtually a dessert.

If you like Chinese, go for:

• Wonton soup. It's light, refreshing and flavorful. One caveat: It can be high in sodium, so drink a lot of water.
• Beef, chicken or shrimp with broccoli (heavy on the green stuff). Ask for the sauce on the side.
• Brown rice. It's richer in nutrients and higher in fiber than white rice, so you'll crave fewer fortune cookies.

Steer clear of:

• Chow mein noodles and anything else that's crispy, crunchy and deep-fried.
• Sweet-and-sour pork. Underneath all that calorie-packed sweet sauce are big chunks of deep-fried pork.
• Kung Pao chicken. A typical order could be "garnished" with up to a half pound of cashews (30 grams of fat).

If you like Mexican, go for:

• Chicken or vegetable fajitas. Sauteed with just enough oil to prevent sticking, they're one of the healthiest choices at many Mexican eateries. Ask for whole-wheat tortillas for more nutrients.
• Plain bean burrito. Nix the cheese and sour cream to keep the calorie count down.

Steer clear of:

• Nachos. They're tasty, but the deep-fried chips, full-fat cheese and sour cream and guacamole are a dietitian's nightmare.
• Tacos and taquitos. The shells are often deep-fried, and the meat is usually dripping with grease.

If you like pizza, go for:

• Vegetable-topped pies. Pile 'em on, but go easy on the olives, which add fat grams.
• Thin, whole-wheat crust, which has extra fiber.

Steer clear of:

• White pizza. Lots of butter or oil, plus full-fat ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.
• Stuffed-crust pie. It's like a pizza within a pizza, which means twice the calories.