Posted on: Wednesday, May 11, 2005

SHAPE UP
Eat out, but don't blow your diet

By Charles Stuart Platkin

The National Restaurant Association estimates that we eat almost six meals per week outside the home.

Many of those are eaten at "casual dining" restaurants.

Dining at these restaurants can cost you more calories than eating fast food. It's important to know how to eat out and not take in an entire day's worth of calories (1,800-2,500) at one sitting. Here are a few healthier choices and tips to keep in mind:

T.G.I. Friday's

• Chargrilled Chicken Fajitas on a bed of grilled onions and peppers: Order the dish dry, without oil. Avoid the cheese, rice, sour cream and tortillas, but keep the guacamole and pico de gallo and you'll have yourself a pretty good meal. It's also served with black bean soup — make sure there's no sour cream on top. 590 calories (estimate).

• Barbecue Jack Chicken with black beans and corn salsa, herbed rice, grilled vegetables and steamed broccoli: 500 calories, 10g fat.

• Jack Daniel's Salmon: This chargrilled salmon fillet is served with vegetables. Skip the mashed potatoes — try a baked potato instead. Also, request no oil or butter on your salmon. 615 calories (estimate).

• Santa Fe Chicken Salad: Get the Chipotle Ranch dressing on the side. 500 calories, 10g fat.

Fit tip: Avoid most items on the menu unless you can ask for it grilled or broiled without oil and served without cheese or sauces. This includes appetizers (often loaded with fat), salads (may have more than 700 calories with dressing), steak and ribs (T.G.I. Friday's is known for these particularly fattening foods) and everything on the Atkins menu.

Outback Steakhouse

• Chicken on the Barbie: Order a baked potato and a house salad. 640 calories.

• Steamed vegetables: Order without butter. 75 calories.

• Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie: Order with cocktail or barbecue sauce and no butter. 275 calories.

• Salmon: Order it without butter or seasoning, and ask for cocktail sauce or fresh lemon instead of Remoulade Sauce. 415 calories.

• Victoria's "Center Cut" Filet: Order the 7-ounce size with steamed vegetables (no butter) and a baked potato. 440 calories.

Fit tip: Almost everything has butter, seasoning or some fattening sauce, so make sure to ask that your dish be prepared without. As far as steak is concerned, your best bet would be sirloin (about 700 calories for 12 ounces), one of the leanest cuts you can order. Or go with filet mignon, which is smaller — typically 9 ounces and about 450 calories, with approximately 9 grams of saturated fat. Avoid the Outback Style Prime Rib or the Rockhampton Rib-Eye. Do not order the Aussie cheese fries: They have more than 2,000 calories!

Chili's

The Guiltless Grill menu of low-calorie choices is great. Chili's will also make adjustments to other food items because they're all made to order.

• Guiltless Chicken Platter with rice, corn on the cob and steamed vegetables: 580 calories, 9g fat, 85g carbs.

• Guiltless Chicken Sandwich with black beans, steamed fresh veggies and Parmesan cheese: 490 calories, 8g fat, 63g carbs.

• Guiltless Grill Salmon with steamed fresh veggies and black beans: 480 calories, 14g fat, 31g carbs.

• Guiltless Tomato Basil Pasta — skip the cheese to lower the calories: 650 calories, 14g fat, 107g carbs.

Fit tip: Forget the Awesome Blossom. In fact, skip all the appetizers. Avoid the fajitas: You may think they're a low-cal option, but they're far from it at more than 1,000 calories. Steer clear of the margaritas, too.

Red Lobster

Don't think that because it's seafood it's healthy. However, LightHouse choices at Red Lobster are low-calorie.

• Live Maine Lobster (1 1/4 pound) with a baked potato (topped with pico de gallo) and a garden salad with red wine vinaigrette: 431 calories, 8g fat, 53g carbs.

• Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail Dinner with seasoned broccoli and wild rice pilaf: 511 calories, 8g fat, 50g carbs.

• King Crab Legs: 490 calories, 9g fat, 0g carbs.

• Grilled Chicken with Rice Pilaf: 528 calories, 14g fat. Replace the rice with broccoli and it drops to 380 calories and 9g fat.

Fit tip: Substitute cocktail sauce whenever a dish comes with a side of butter sauce — that saves 115 calories per serving. Pico de gallo on your potato adds only 6 calories, for a total of 185 calories. Avoid the New England Clam Chowder and the Shrimp Lover's Combo. Watch out for the salads; they have high-cal dressings, cheese and other unhealthy goodies.

Ruby Tuesday

One amazing thing this chain has done is to offer full nutrition information on its Web site. Another is that they've asked all their suppliers to remove trans fat from their products, and they've switched from hydrogenated soybean oil to trans-fat-free canola for cooking. They also have a Smart Eating menu with nutrition information printed right on it.

• Salad Bar Extravaganza: This is packed with delicious and healthy fruits and vegetables. Avoid high-calorie dressings, nuts and croutons. Go for the light ranch dressing at 55 calories per ounce.

• Petite Sirloin: 222 calories, 8g fat.

• Smart Eating Onion Soup — NOT the French Onion: 198 calories, 13g fat.

• Asian Steamed Dumplings (appetizer, has six dumplings): 486 calories, 21g fat.

Fit tip: Avoid the Buffalo wings at 912 calories. The salads are also high in calories, particularly the Carolina Chicken Salad at 847. Avoid the Cheesy Spinach Dip at more than 1,200 calories. Many of the "low-carb" items are high in calories. Avoid all the Platters.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "The Automatic Diet" (Hudson Street Press, 2005). Write to info@thedietdetective.com.