Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles area are home to some of the nicest restaurants in the world, but with premier dining often comes premier calorie consumption. Dining out regularly can severely interfere with your efforts for weight loss in Beverly Hills and LA. Unless, that is, you learn how to eat healthy when you are on the go. For those of us who aren’t culinarily-inclined, menus can sometimes seem like they are speaking a different language (and sometimes they actually are). The words sound great on paper, but don’t offer much insight into how the dish is prepared or what we can expect when it is brought out to the table. When you are on a weight loss plan this is a dangerous situation. One moment you think you are making a wise and healthy choice, and then just a few minutes later you are face to face with a bed of cheese and fried foods. Have no fear. Learning a few basic terms can help you order healthy foods from any menu you are faced with.

Here are a few terms to avoid, and why:

• Broasted: Fancy way to say breaded and fried
• Crispy: Again, breaded and fried
• Pan fried: It is still fried
• Breaded: And then it is fried
• Au gratin: With lots of cheese
• Basted: Extra animal fats cooked right into the meat.
• In gravy: In calories
• Smothered: With extra calories
• Sautéed: In what? Sometimes this is okay, but more often just another way to say fried

You can usually avoid the above terms by sticking with healthier key terms like the ones below:

• Baked
• Broiled
• Grilled
• Poached
• Roasted
• Steamed

When you are ordering pasta or other items cooked in sauce, try to opt for entrees that use a tomato base or cook an item “in its own juice,” as this usually reduces the amount of cheese, butter and other fats used. What is dinner in Beverly Hills without dessert? Once you manage your way through the dinner menu there are a few additional tricks to keep in mind in case you find yourself face to face with anything a la mode.

Here are a few tips for maintaining your weight loss efforts as you order dessert:

• Just have some tea: If you are dining out for a social occasion, sometimes just ordering tea at dessert and claiming you are too full from dinner will satisfy those you are with.
• Ask for fresh fruit: Many restaurants have fresh fruit options that may not even be listed on the menu. Ask your server for health-conscious sweet items you might not know about.
• Split the cake: If dessert is ordered, be adamant that you only want one bite and split the item with a friend. Better yet, order one item for the whole table and restrict your share to as small a portion as possible.

Keep these quick tips in mind the next time you head out to eat, and let us know how it goes in a comment below!