How to eat healthy while eating out.

What should someone look for when choosing a meal? It's easy when you are at home and can weigh your food. When you are looking at a menu it can be tough to know whether what you are reading will come out of the kitchen as you expected.

The first thing to consider is planning. Being healthy is about having a plan, whether it is what you eat, exercise, or any other factor. Before you go out, know where you're going to go and have a good idea what you're going to eat when you get there. There can be some fair choices at fast food restaurants, and most every chain offers information on the nutritional content of their food. They don't do a very good job of this in their restaurants, but most have nutrition facts online. Check their web site before you go, and over time you will build up a list of your favorites.

The same is true of chain restaurants like Chili's, Applebee's and Red Lobster. Interestingly, the meals at these restaurants are usually far unhealthier than those at fast food places like McDonald's or Wendys. It's probably not a good idea to go to such places without being armed with information about what is on their menus. In some cases meals that look like they might be healthy have thousands of calories as well as more fat and sodium than you can imagine.

So the chain places are pretty easy, because many of them tell you what's in their food (and if they don't, it's not a good idea to go there). What about your local café or favorite restaurant? Fish is usually a great choice. Simple is usually best, and there's nothing better than fresh grilled seafood. Most restaurants will serve you a piece that's about 8 ounces. For a lot of people this is two servings. The rule of thumb is that 4 ounces of fish or meat is about the size of a deck of cards.

Chefs love to sauce up their fish and the calories in the sauce can be twice what is in the fish. Choosing a grilled steak - filet, hanger steak or a sirloin - can be the good choice when eating out. One of the best parts is that restaurants will often list the weight of the steak on the menu, so it's easy for you to decide on how much to eat. If there's a sauce, ask for it on the side.

Don't hesitate to take some home with you for lunch the next day. Some restaurant servings are actually a reasonable size, but most today serve twice or more the amount of food you need. A great strategy is to box the half that you aren't going to eat before you begin eating.