Some high-fat, high-calorie items found in restaurants are obvious, and I've mentioned them previously. (See: Watch Your Waistline While Dining Out.) Others, however, can be deceptive, and most restaurants don't have their nutritional information on display.

You can find low-fat, low-calorie, and great-tasting foods in just about any type of ethnic restaurant. Here are my pointers for selecting healthier options:

Chinese

Lower-fat choices: wonton and hot-and-sour soups, steamed dumplings, broccoli with mushrooms, chicken or vegetable lo mein, shrimp with broccoli, steamed rice, spring rolls

Limit these: egg-drop soup, crispy whole fish, double-cooked pork, "General" anything (usually fried), egg foo young, sweet-and-sour pork or chicken, fried rice, egg rolls

Indian

Lower-fat choices: broth-based soups (e.g., Mulligatawny, Dal rasam), skinless chicken and shrimp, seafood that's not fried (e.g., chicken tandoori, tikka, or vindaloo)

Limit these: cream-based soups or dishes (e.g., coconut soup, chicken kandhari), dishes made with ghee, molee (coconut), coconut milk (e.g., red curry dishes), fritters, anything deep-fried (e.g., samosas) or dipped in batter, korma (cream sauce), cream curry sauce

Italian

Lower-fat choices: minestrone soup, angel hair pasta with clams, chicken cacciatore, grilled meat or fish, pasta primavera, pastas with tomato-based sauce

Limit these: breaded veal or chicken, carbonara sauce, Alfredo sauce, veal, chicken or eggplant parmigiana (parmesan), pepperoni, prosciutto, salami

French

Lower-fat choices: consommé or broth, fish stews, grilled poultry, poached or grilled fish, steamed vegetables

Limit these: escargots (snails), mussels au gratin, stuffed mushrooms, hollandaise sauce, beurre blanc, duck à l'Orange, quiche, Veal Oscar

Japanese

Lower-fat choices: broth-based soups such as miso, suimono, yahi-udon, and su-udon; edemame (soybeans); vegetable salad; broiled meat or seafood; sashimi; sushi; teriyaki; noodle dishes; steamed rice; shabu-shabu; sukiyaki or yosenabe dishes; seafood sunomono

Limit these: soups or dishes with tempura (fried vegetables), agedashi tofu, deep-fried dishes (e.g., agemono or donburi dishes), tonkatsu

Mexican

Lower-fat choices: black bean or tortilla soups, gazpacho, ceviche, bean or chicken burritos and enchiladas, grilled shrimp, Mexican rice, tortillas, salsa

Limit these: nachos, queso (cheese), carne asada, cheese enchiladas, chimichangas, flautas (fried taquitos), guacamole, refried beans. You also might want to forgo those often greasy chips they bring you at the beginning of the meal, which could pack on more calories than the entrée!

Thai

Lower-fat choices: hot-and-sour soup, stir-fried noodles, chicken satay, garlic shrimp, sautéed ginger chicken, scallops bamboo, Thai salad, tom yum; Pad Thai (this is stir-fried so less fat is absorbed, but watch the fat in peanuts, etc.), green and red curry (these curries contain coconut milk, but are lighter than Mussaman curry)

Limit these: curries and soups made with coconut milk (e.g., red curry), crispy or deep-fried Thai rolls, fried rice, chili or crispy duck, deep-fried dishes (e.g., hot Thai fish, royal tofu), Mussaman curry

Of course, this isn't an all-inclusive list, and each restaurant may prepare their dishes differently -- it's a good idea to ask your server how the food is prepared. Bon appétit!