Eating out: make the right choices

Making good low-fat choices is fairly easy at a Mexican restaurant assuming you avoid piling on the sour cream, cheese and guacamole. A meal of chicken fajitas and tortilla with a large salad, for example, has only 14g fat and 458 calories. Where possible, ask for reduced-fat cheese on the side.

Coconut milk, which abounds in Thai cooking, is high in fat and calories so try to avoid dishes and soups which use it as a main ingredient. Fish cakes, grilled chicken satay and plain boiled rice are smarter choices (24g fat and 715 calories) compared to a soup, curry, and coconut rice (66g fat and 1114 calories.)

To cut down on fat, hold back on the Parmesan, as well as creamy sauces like carbonara, opting for a plain tomato sauce instead. Also, try to avoid dressed salads such as coleslaw or potato, and go for a green salad or an undressed one so you control the amount of dressing added; this will make a big difference to the amount of calories you consume. Finally, skip the garlic bread altogether, and fill up on salad or where possible, steamed vegetables.

Next page: General eating out tips