Continued

Beware of beverages: When dining out, avoid beverages that have added sugars, such as soft drinks or mixed drinks. If you like a glass of wine or a beer with your entree, keep it solely for your entree, and order a glass of water to sip while you're eating your appetizers. If alcohol isn't a must-have, continue with water during the main course, or another safe choice such as unsweetened tea, or even low-fat or fat-free milk.
· Dress your own salad: Oftentimes, people look at salads as extremely healthy. While this is true in theory, it's not always reality. That's because salads can be smothered in salad dressing, which isn't necessarily healthy. When ordering a salad, ask for the dressing to be served on the side. This allows you to control how much dressing you'll eat. In addition, ask for low-fat dressing, as the difference in taste is hardly noticeable.
· Watch the bread you break: Most restaurants bring bread or breadsticks to a table once a dinner party sits down. In such cases, ask a waiter or waitress if the restaurant has whole wheat bread. Unlike white bread, whole wheat bread does not have its bran and germ removed by milling, making it a better source of fiber. Because those ingredients aren't removed, whole wheat breads also make people feel full more quickly, encouraging dieters to eat less throughout the rest of the meal.
· Flee the frying pan: People tend to throw their diets out the window when they dine out, but this can be a costly mistake, especially with the main course. Don't order dishes that are fried or sauteed, as these dishes typically feature lots of trans fats that are very detrimental to your health. While many restaurants have either cut back or stopped their use of trans fats entirely, it's hard to decipher who has, and it's hard to know which dishes still include trans fats, which restaurants use because they extend the storage life of foods and also contribute positively to a dish's flavor.
So what to order? Dishes that are steamed, grilled or broiled are often far healthier and just as delicious. When ordering such dishes, ask for vegetables to replace unhealthy side orders like french fries.
· Bolt from the buffet: Buffet-style eating, while tempting (especially to dieters), should be avoided at all costs. Rare is the person who doesn't overeat in this setting, and dieters will regret overindulging at the buffet.
· Finish with fruit: Part of the joy of dining out is ordering dessert. While most are quick to go the ice cream and pastry route, for dieters this should be avoided. In lieu of the traditional dessert fare, order some fruit, which can be a nice, light complement to your entree.