Mexican:

• Gazpacho soup, without sour cream
• Lean meat (chicken or fish); fajitas, light oil (avoid flour tortillas)
• Salsa
• Tostada salad with grilled chicken or fish - but hold the shell, and skip the added cheese, sour cream, guacamole, rice or tortilla chips.

Italian:

• Avoid the bread and spread. Keep yourself busy with iced tea or hot water and lemon while waiting for your order.
• Some soups that seem harmless, like tomato and basil, are thickened with day-old white bread. Ask your server to make sure it's as healthy as it seems.
• Choose a grilled fish prepared with very light oil.
• Skip the potatoes and ask for a double portion of steamed spinach topped with flavorful, health-enhancing marinara sauce. Sprinkle a 20-calorie teaspoon of Parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

American:

• Roasted, baked, broiled, grilled lean meats or low-mercury fish (wild salmon, cod, white fish), and poultry without added oil or butter.
• Avoid carb overload by ordering a burger without the bun. For example, try a mixed green salad with a turkey patty on top.

French:

• Order broiled lean meats or low-mercury fish without added butter or oils.
• Opt for poultry without skin.
• Steamed vegetables
• Order sauces on the side, and dip sparingly.

Chinese:

• Steamed or lightly sautéed dishes (request very light oil); sauces on the side (dip sparingly).
• Clear soups with non-starchy vegetables; no won tons, noodles, corn, etc.
• Opt for steamed chicken or fish. Many of the steamed dishes have a hint of ginger, so they won't be flavorless.
• Request your sauces on the side, and you'll realize that the flavor from a teaspoon of sauce goes a long way. Save yourself from a potential caloric disaster.
• Order a Mu Shu dish. It's more interesting than steamed vegetable dishes, but be sure to request very light oil and hold the pancakes.
• Skip the rice, considering that 1/3 cup, or a measly 3 tablespoons, of white or brown rice is equal to a slice of bread.
• For dessert, enjoy fresh orange slices or a fortune cookie for 30 calories.

Japanese/Sushi:

• Start with a miso soup, it will help you fill up and save you calories.
• Ask for a simple mixed-green salad with sashimi.
• Instead of dressing, mix in a mineral-charged seaweed salad.
• Order hand rolls, hold the rice and spicy mayonnaise sauce.
• Use reduced-sodium soy sauce. Ponzu sauce is also a yummy option.
• Skip the edamame. Like nuts, they're a healthy snack but the calories add up quickly.
• Carb shocker: The rice alone in two cut rolls and a hand roll is equivalent to eating 5 to 7 slices of white bread. Imagine yourself eating just over three fish sandwiches!

Fast Food, If You Must:

• Ask for protein wraps without sauce (i.e. burger wrapped in lettuce)
• Salads with light dressing on the side. Again, be aware of added ingredients such as cheese, croutons, corn, etc. Just one ounce of buttery croutons can add up to 130 calories!