After eating lunch with a dieting friend the other day, who was, for lack of a better description, wigging out over the task of ordering something that would be both satisfying and diet friendly, I decided I haven’t been sympathetic enough to those who are actively attempting to lose weight while still living a normal life.

Her anxiety stemmed from recent news reports, articles, and books about the subject of hidden calories in restaurant menu items, and exorbitant amounts of fat in seemingly healthy options.

After my friend quizzed our poor waitress for no less than ten minutes, sending her on two trips to the kitchen for answers from the chef, between four rolls of the eyes from her dining mate (moi), she was frustrated, and I was HUNGRY and annoyed.

So, I decided that I owe it to the servers in every restaurant across the land, to do my part in saving them from future run ins with patrons who make them feel like they are taking a test in a college nutrition course rather than waiting tables.

Not to mention, my guilt over being less than patient and understanding about my friend’s plight the other day, is pushing me to redeem my *f.a.t. soul by opening my eyes to the difficulty that all of my health conscious *f.a.t. readers may be having when eating at a restaurant while trying to lose weight.

So, we have to think of restaurants as foreign countries, and menus as the language of that country. As with any foreign language, you commit to memory a few basic rules before ever starting to speak it, right? Masculine words in Spanish end in “o” and so forth.

So, with the language of menus, it comes down to remembering a few basic words to guide you. I talked to a chef-friend to interpret the foreign language that is a menu, and he gave me the 401 on all diet-busting words.

Be wary of items with these descriptive words:

“aise” sauces like Hollandaise (always fattening)

Crispy (fried)

Beurre Blanc (Butter Sauce)

Creamy (lots of butter or high fat dairy)

Sauteed (lots of butter and oil)

Smothered (almost always means lots of cheese)

Stuffed (think stuffed potato, etc.) Usually high in fat

Loaded (same as stuffed)

Whipped (usually a lot of fat)

Diet-Friendly Words:

Grilled, Steamed, Broiled, Roasted, Baked, Poached, Seared.

Also, red sauces are safer than white sauces. Italian is usually safer than Ranch. Olive oil instead of butter. When in doubt, order all sauces on the side so you have the control of how much goes on!