It's one thing to make healthy food choices when you eat at home, but it gets more challenging when you eat out.  When you eat out, someone else gets control of the salt shaker and the fat and sugar content. So, how do you decide what to eat?

If you are stopping at a chain restaurant, check the website in advance to check out the nutrition information.  You might be surprised at what you find.  That side salad may be high in calories and fat because of the processed dressing and toppings like cheese and bacon.  In some cases, a salad can have more calories than a small order of french fries!  Some entrees at Chinese restaurants have days' worth of sodium. I know that I surprised to learn that the highest calorie item on the McDonald's menu isn't the Big Mac but the large caramel or mocha frappe.

If you go to a place frequently, it's worth taking the time to evaluate your options.  Restaurants often post the nutritional info, but you don't want to be reading it when you're hungry.  Hunger is not conducive to good nutritional choices.  Some restaurants have started putting nutritional info right on the menu, so you can make better choices.

If you don't have access to the nutritional info, do your best to pick out the least processed foods.  Feel free to ask if salad dressings are homemade or commercial.  Alternatively, just go for vinegar and oil. More simply prepared foods are likely to be better choices.  Also, higher end restaurants that focus on seasonal foods are more likely to keep processed garbage to a minimum.

One final thing to keep in mind: if you're eating healthy and cooking at home most of the time, it's ok to splurge for a special occasion.