Do you eat out several times a week? Restaurant and take-out meals can be high in fat, sugar and sodium while being low in fiber. The large portions in many restaurants also cause us to overeat leading to obesity. How we eat affects our risk for chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Eating out is a challenge for good health but there are some survival skills that can minimize its negative effects.

First, choose your restaurant carefully. Find out what is on the menu before you go. Many chain restaurants list the nutrition content of their menus on the Web. In addition, some restaurants will fax you a menu ahead of time. If all else fails, call and ask whether the restaurant serves vegetables, salads, broiled and grilled items and whether they will prepare items without added salt or fat. If a particular restaurant does not have what you want, choose another restaurant.

The second survival skill complements the first. Know what you want to order before you arrive. When we are very hungry, we desire higher fat, higher sugar items. If you do not know what you want beforehand, you will be more likely to order that triple cheeseburger and regret it later.

Third, have it your way. Even if the menu does not list healthier items, ask whether fried items can be broiled, baked or grilled. See if the salad dressings and sauces can be served on the side or left off completely. Ask if a cooked vegetable or salad can replace the fries. It never hurts to check, and many restaurants are quite happy to honor special requests. After all, they want you to come back.

Fourth, don't go to the restaurant too hungry. When we are too hungry, we tend to make poor choices. Curb your appetite about an hour before you go to the restaurant with a piece of fruit, a cup of yogurt or a glass of skim or low fat milk. You will make better decisions when you order and you will be less likely to fill up on the bread and butter before the rest of the meal arrives.

Fifth, share a meal if the portions are large. Most restaurant meals are large enough to feed two people. Many restaurants are use to customers sharing. You can round out the meal with a salad or soup and even split a dessert if you don't overeat.

When you eat by yourself, ask for a doggie bag in or at least separate your portion from the rest before you start eating. Some people even bring their own storage bag from home to fill so they are less likely to overeat. You will save some money that way and you'll enjoy your delicious meal twice.

If a restuarant does have limited options, supplement the meal with food from home. Add a fruit for dessert or have some cut up vegetables or salad with the meal or for a snack later.

Finally, take your lunch occasionally. Pack nutritious food and not something just as high in calories and sodium as the restaurant food. Good choices are leftovers from the night before, sandwiches made with whole wheat breads, salads, fruit, soups and even frozen vegetables that you can microwave. Frozen entrees are easy, but choose them carefully. Most are high in sodium and many are high in fat. The lower calorie ones also do not contain much food, so add a salad, fruit, whole grain bread and/or low fat or skim milk to round them out.