MANILA, Philippines?Eating out at restaurants has become a common problem for people who are always trying to control weight. You might be aware about your lifestyle, but still clueless on which strategy to do and which foods to choose when faced by this high-risk situation.

Once you become aware of current eating behavior at restaurants, the next step is to get educated about the best food choices. Regardless of the restaurant type, a consistent weight loss of at least .5-2 pounds per week is still achievable. Of course, do not forget that a sensible and balanced diet should always be accompanied by regular physical activities.

The following will serve as your guide as you eat at your favorite restaurants so you can make sure that your calorie intake is not exceeding more than 800 calories per meal which is almost half of the daily requirement of an average person trying to lose weight.

Italian

For your appetizer, choose plain breads and do not use as much olive oil as your dip. Olive oil still contains the same number of calories just like any type of oil.

Focus on portion control. A cup of pasta which already includes the toppings and sauces are enough for a regular meal. Skip the garlic bread. You can still order salad with limited dressing on the side.

Choose red sauce with vegetables or tomatoes rather than a meat ball sauce or white sauce with butter, cheese and cream for your pasta.

Choose boiled, poached or grilled fish or chicken as your protein source.

If you order pizza, choose the thin crust type with vegetable toppings.

Mexican

Skip the nachos and ask for tortillas instead and dip them in salsa instead of sour cream or cheese.

Ask the server to remove refried beans when you order a burrito. As much as possible, order chicken or vegetable burrito instead of beef or pork.

Skip the enchiladas and quesadillas since it contains lots of cheese. A soft chicken taco or chicken fajitas contains less calories.

Avoid deep-fried chimichangas and crispy taco shells.

Chinese

Ask for hot tea before you eat instead of finishing a serving of prawn crackers or kropek.

Order vegetable or chicken dumpling instead of pork and make sure you don't choose the fried ones.

Choose steamed fish and sautéed or steamed vegetables instead of pork or beef dishes.

Avoid deep-fried viands like lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork and kung pao chicken.

Choose plain rice instead of yang chow or rice with salted fish.

Ask the server to remove the MSG and soy sauce from your food.

Use chopsticks so you can avoid the sauces. This can also make you eat slower.

Filipino

Choose grilled chicken or sea foods and avoid breaded and fried pork dishes like lechon and pork liempo. If you do so, remove the pork fat and pork skin.

Limit consumption of sauces up to 1-2 tbsp like adobo, kare-kare, kaldereta.

As much as possible, choose steamed vegetables or stir-fried vegetables like chopsuey.

Avoid dishes made with coconut milk since it contains more fat calories.

Avoid condiments like soy sauce, bagoong and patis. Go for vinegar or calamansi.

Thai

Choose plain over flavored rice dishes.

If you order dishes with curry sauce which is usually made of coconut milk, just limit the sauce up to 2 tbsp.

Thai dishes are known for its flavorful soups which are high in sodium. If you do so, do not finish the soup.

Avoid fried noodles like phad thai since it contains more sodium and fat from oil.

Japanese

Start your meal with tea and Japanese salad with dressing on the side.

Choose grilled fish or chicken dishes with sauces on the side as your main course instead of deep-fried pork tonkatsu.

According to Dr. Howard Shapiro of Picture Perfect Weight Loss, the worst Japanese food that you can order is tempura which is 3 times the calories of chicken teriyaki or assorted sushi.

Limit your consumption of soy sauce and miso soup as much as possible to cut down on your salt intake.

American

Choose grilled or roasted fish or chicken without the skin.

For steaks, the best choices are filet mignon and sirloin.

Order gravies and sauces on the side and limit consumption up to a tablespoon only.

If you want sandwich, choose grilled options instead of a burger loaded with bacon, cheese and mayonnaise. Skip the fries which just add up to your calories.

You can always request to remove butter and cheese from your dishes.

Choose fresh fruits or any non-fat options for dessert.

E-mail the author at mitchfelipe@gmail.com