MANILA, Philippines – Eating well and eating healthy have become top priority in these times when growing affluence means diverse choices, and global health consciousness means going for a low-cal, low-carb diet.

But are healthy food choices really possible when fastfood joints have become part of the landscape as well? Sure, their signage show that these chains have latched on to healthy menus as a cool, trendy idea, but just how accurate are the claims of “low sugar” tacked on the marquee of coffee shops and juice bars? How reliable are other claims of “zero trans fat” in burgers?

Cristy Marasigan, operation manager and resident nutritionist at Gold’s Gym Robinsons Galleria, says the only real assurance that you’re eating healthy is to have your dishes made from scratch. Unfortunately, studies show that in an urbanized community, only 20 percent of the population have the time, means and inclination to cook their own food. That’s why fastfood joints are making such good business in the first place.

Fortunately, you can still choose to eat healthy even when dining out. The secret is in ordering right. Here are eight ways to make sure that you do:

1. Choose living food. Order the freshest food available on the menu, usually a green side salad in fastfood places. Fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain are known to lower the chances of heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. They contain enzymes and fiber that help flush out toxins from your system. Careful with the salad dressing though, since most of them are highly processed. Use balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil if available. Better yet, hold the dressing, or use sparingly.

2. Choose steamed or grilled over fried. Most fastfood chains use oils that are heat processed, thus diminishing their nutrient content. Studies also show that frying at high temperatures converts the oils to free radicals that wreak havoc on the liver, and coat the heart with cholesterol. Go for the steamed instead of fried vegetable dumplings, or barbeque instead of fried chicken.

3. “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’re dead.” Once and for all, this is the most concise explanation why white bread is not good for you. All bread starts from whole grain; but to make white bread, the manufacturer rids the grain of its outer shell or bran, which contains healthy fiber and vitamin B. Then the nutrition-packed wheat germ is extracted as well and usually, both are resold separately to health food stores. Meanwhile, what remains of the processed grain is the denuded white flour with only 20 percent of the nutrients left. Next, the flour goes through a milling process which turns it gray. And, since no one fancies gray bread, the product is further bleached, thus destroying the grain even more. Sugar, yeast and other low grade vitamins are added to make an appetizing white bread— which ultimately transforms to sugar as soon as it gets into the digestive tract, shooting up sugar and cholesterol levels—all bad for the body. So when it comes to bread, white is not right.

4. Say no to trans fat. Trans fat, also known as hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats, is a staple in many fastfood menus. Hydrogenation is a process where cheap oils like soy, corn or canola are mixed with a metal catalyst like nickel and infused with hydrogen gas at high temperature and pressure until the product is saturated. This process alters the structure of fat, transforming it into an unnatural fatty acid, an enemy of the heart because it raises bad cholesterol (LDL) and lowers the good cholesterol (HDL). Trans fat is very harmful to the arteries and are found to be involved with heart disease and cancer. Studies have already proven that an increase of only 2 percent trans fat in a person elevates the risk of heart disease by 36 percent.

5. Choose safe meat. White meat is a better choice than red meat, but it’s not a totally perfect choice. Most chickens and turkeys now are injected with antibiotics to counteract bacteria and salmonella, and subjected to growth hormones to increase their size and value. The residue of these chemicals resides in animal fats that, once ingested by the body, could be fatal. A lot of different restaurants now serve organic or free-range chicken which contain lower levels of animal fat. But then again, without an assurance that the chicken served us is organic, you’re better off choosing roasted chicken if you must have fowl. Choose breast over thigh—and skin is always a no-no. If you must have steak, get the leanest cut of fillet mignon and tenderloin, grilled with no char. Fish is also a smart choice because they are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, although some studies show that most ocean fishes like tuna have been found to have high mercury content which is harmful to pregnant women and children’s brains. Good fish choices are tilapia, milkfish (bangus), halibut, and striped sea bass.

6. Tame your soft drinks cravings; have a natural fruit juice or just water. This is a fact—a 12-ounce can of carbonated soft drink contains eight to 10 teaspoons of sugar. As for diet soft drinks, a clinical study has found that the risk of becoming overweight by drinking one or two cans of soft drinks per day is 32.8 percent, but the risk increases to 54.5 percent if you drink one to two cans of diet soft drinks instead. Yes, you read it right! This is because the manufacturers may add stealth sugar to products you may not consider sugary, but which have an addictive power instead. So if you want to lose weight or maintain it, a diet soft drink is clearly not the best choice. Same goes for so-called fruit juices made with artificial flavors. Get natural buko juice instead. And, of course, nothing beats safe drinking water—it has zero calories and works well in regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients and oxygen to cells, removing waste, cushioning joints and protecting organ tissues, on top of its high nutritional content in delaying aging and enhancing memory.

7. Dessert smarts. Go back to rule numbers 1 to 4. Get natural—fruits and nuts are sugar-free desserts. Fried desserts are sure to have loads of trans fat so steer clear of them. Ditto for candies and sugar-based goodies. Good news for chocoholics though: studies show that dark chocolate consumption is linked to longer life and has been shown to reduce blood pressure and bad cholesterol. It also opens up blood vessels and allows blood to circulate freely. Cacao beans have higher levels of antioxidants than fruits and vegetables, tea and wine. Provided you do not have a weight problem, eating one to three ounces of chocolates per day is good for you—as long as it has 60 percent cacao content, is low in sugar and has no dairy content.

8. Microwave alert. Microwave cooking causes greater destruction than any other cooking technique. Microwaved broccoli loses an incredible 97 percent of its cancer-protecting antioxidant compounds. Just six minutes of microwave cooking destroys half the vitamin B12 in dairy foods and meat. Recent studies have also proven that ingesting microwave food increases the carcinogenic cells in the blood. So next time you order steamed vegetables, be sure they're steamed and not microwave heated. It may be better to eat cold veggies with their nutritional content intact.