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Dining with an international flair Some foreign cuisines have become synonymous with healthful eating. Chinese, Japanese, and Greek menus, for example, all contain dishes that meet the most stringent requirements for healthful dining. Other cuisines, such as French and Mexican, are presumed to contain too much fat or salt. In reality, however, every international cuisine has dishes that are more healthy than others. For example, it's not necessary to avoid French food just because some dishes contain cream sauce. Instead, try a crisp salade nicoise (salad with tuna and green beans) or a delicious bass provencal (sea bass with tomatoes). It's a good rule of thumb to keep your international culinary adventure to less than 800 calories, with no more than 30 percent coming from fat, as well as to downplay the salt. When ordering in any ethnic restaurant, ask what ingredients are in a dish, and how it is cooked. Look for obvious ways to minimize the fat content.
Italian
Mexican
Take your cues from the names of the menu items. As a rule, foods that are prepared "asada" are grilled, which is a nonfat cooking process. "Fajitas" are made up of grilled meat or chicken, and then rolled into a soft (non-fried) tortilla. Seafood served "Veracruz style" is baked in a tomato sauce and "chile verde" is pork simmered with vegetables and green chiles. "Salsa" is made with tomato, onion, chiles, and herbs -- virtually fat-free and bursting with vitamins A and C. The soups on most Mexican menus are relatively healthy; try starting off with gazpacho or black bean and vegetable soup instead of chips and nachos. Did you know that restaurant refried beans are usually cooked in lard and then mixed with cheese, making them very high in fat? Ask for whole, nonrefried beans instead. Use salsa on your main course instead of sour cream and cheese, or ask for reduced-fat sour cream. The hallmark of many Mexican restaurants is the enormous size of the portions; choose the regular plate, not the "deluxe combo". This should be plenty for one person. Mexican desserts offer a variety of choices, from fresh fruit to honey-sweetened cookies. A fruit plate of mango, guava, and papaya tastes as good and is far less calorie-dense than sopapillas (deep-fried sweet pastries) or fried ice cream.
Chinese Chinese foods emphasize rice or noodles and vegetables. Even though many Americanized Chinese restaurant dishes are fried, the overall saturated fat content is usually lower than in most American food. However, Chinese food is often high in salt. Oyster, black bean, and soy sauces are major sources of sodium, as is monosodium glutamate (MSG). Deep-fat frying is a common Chinese cooking technique for many menu items, including appetizers. You may want to go easy on (fried) crab rangoon, wontons, and some egg or spring rolls. Instead, try steamed egg or spring rolls, beef teriyaki, or clear broth soups. Have an order of steamed white rice or plain noodles instead of the fried versions. Choose dishes that are steamed or baked rather than fried or sautéed. Any menu item named "crispy" is usually deep-fried, as is most of the meat in any dish labeled "sweet and sour." Ask instead for roasted or grilled meat with the sweet and sour sauce on the side.
Greek In the United States, Greek food is the most popular example of the Mediterranean diet. Due mostly to the presence of Greek fast-food outlets in shopping malls, American consumers have become familiar with gyro sandwiches, Greek salads topped with kalamata olives and feta cheese, moussaka, and baklava. However, because a typical full-service Greek restaurant has a much greater variety of offerings, why not treat yourself to a five-course traditional Greek meal, armed with some tips to keep it healthy (and tasty). To the surprise of some, pasta is almost as popular in Greek restaurants as in Italian restaurants. Rice is also featured in many dishes. Sauces are based on wine, stocks, tomato, and yogurt, rather than milk or cream. Lentils and beans are commonly used in appetizers and main courses, and vegetables are prominently featured in appetizers, soups and main courses. Ready to order? Instead of starting with tarmasalata, a delicious, though calorie-rich, cream-based dip, experiment with pita bread spread with a yogurt-based dip (for example, tzatziki, made with yogurt, garlic, and cucumber). Or try bread sticks dipped into baba ghanoush (eggplant and olive oil) or hummus (sesame paste and chickpeas). If you order soup, try torato, which is a cold soup with eggplant, peppers, and yogurt. This has more fiber and less cholesterol than the better-known avgolemono soup, which has a lemon and egg base. If you're watching your fat and cholesterol intake, you may want to pass up moussaka and pastitsio casseroles made from eggs and cheese for grilled or broiled meat, poultry, or seafood. Too nervous to order unfamiliar menu items? Maybe this will help: souvlaki is Greek for "lamb marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and herbs, and then skewered and grilled"; fish in "plaki" sauce is broiled with tomato sauce and garlic; and "dolmas" are grape leaves stuffed with ground meat, rice, and pine nuts. Because they're steamed or baked, there is usually no need to add extra fat for cooking. Although the signature of a Greek salad, remember that "Greek" olives and feta cheese are very high in sodium; ask to have the feta rinsed before it is served if you need to limit your sodium intake. And if you will simply perish without baklava for dessert, remember that the usual single portion size can serve two or three people more than adequately.
Japanese "Tempura," "agemono," and "katsu" refer to foods that are breaded and fried. You can control your fat intake by ordering foods that are "yaki" (broiled or grilled), "nimono" (simmered), or variations thereof. For example, beef teriyaki is marinated in soy sauce and rice wine and then grilled. Chicken yakitori is skewered, then grilled or broiled. "Sashimi" (raw fish) and "sushi" (vinegared rice prepared with seaweed, raw fish and/or vegetables) are good low-fat choices. Sushi and sashimi are also excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to be heart healthy. A note of caution, however: sushi and sashimi should be eaten only in restaurants that are clean and have had no sanitation violations. Such restaurants are likely to employ highly trained chefs who are experienced in buying fish that meets safety and sanitation standards, as well as handling raw fish safely. If you're watching your sodium intake, pass on the "miso" (fermented soybean) soup and the salted, smoked, or pickled fish. Ask for fresh lemon as a dressing for your salad instead of the traditional miso dressing. Soy and teriyaki sauces are also fairly high in sodium. As an alternative, ask for dishes prepared without soy sauce or request low-sodium soy sauce. For flavor without sodium, use a tiny bit of shredded "wasabi" a very strong horseradish.
Indian Among your more healthy choices: "pulkas," "nann," "chapati," and "kulcha" (various types of baked, low-fat breads); salad or vegetables with yogurt dressing; mulligatawny (chicken) or "del rasam" (lentil) soups; chicken and fish cooked tandoori (marinated and baked) or vindoori-style (marinated and braised). Among your less healthful choices: "samosa" (fried meat or vegetables); "pakori" (deep-fried breads and vegetables); and thick cheese puddings and honeyed pastries. Instead, opt for "khur," a sweetened rice pudding, or fruit chutney.
Menu cues
If you are on a limited sodium diet, watch out for foods that use these cooking methods or ingredients, as they all add significant amounts of salt:
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But you can eat healthfy
even in a northern-Italian style restaurant. Just skip the ravioli, pasta
Alfredo, and other cheese-filled pastas in favor of pasta with red clam
sauce or meat sauce. Remember that a standard antipasto contains heavily
smoked and salted meats and cheeses. Opt instead for a green salad (insalata)
or tomato and Mozzarella salad (panzanella). Instead of veal or chicken
piccata, marsala, or saltimbocca, try grilled meat or poultry, fish in
cartoccio (baked in parchment), or marinated calamari. For dessert, resist
the cannoli or cream-filled pastry. Instead, order an Italian ice or fresh
fruit.
It's not hard to see
why many Mexican dishes contain so much fat. Enchiladas are tortillas
fried in oil and tacos are deep-fried tortillas. Chimichangas, chili rellenos,
and flautas are all deep-fat fried. Cheese and sour cream toppings add
more fat and calories. But, if you keep balance and moderation in mind,
you can definitely make healthful, delicious choices in a Mexican restaurant.
Among international
cuisines, it is difficult to find a more healthful cuisine than the so-called
"Mediterranean diet", which provides an abundance of grains,
fruits and vegetables, olive oil, and very little meat. In general, Mediterranean
cuisine is considered one of the most healthy in the world, and has received
international recognition from the European office of the World Health
Organization, and Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust. 
Interest in Japanese
restaurants is fairly recent, and was originally piqued by the Japanese
steak house concept. Today, sushi bars comprise the fastest growing restaurant
segment of the "ethnic food" industry. The native Japanese diet
is very low in fat and rich in magnesium, iodine, and sodium. Because
the terminology of a Japanese restaurant menu may be unfamiliar to you,
here are some hints for keeping your Japanese meal as healthy as possible.
The basic ingredients
of Indian food are grains, vegetables, beans, and yogurt accented with
meat or fish. Typical dishes contain lentils, chickpeas, rice, beans and
spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. However, plenty of fat
is added during food preparation. Many dishes are cooked in "ghee"
(clarified butter), which can raise the proportion of calories from fat
to almost 50 percent. Other dishes are made with coconut oil, which contains
almost all saturated fat. Most restaurant currys are made with coconut
milk, although you may be able to order a yogurt-based version. Always
ask your restaurant server how food is prepared; lighter oils are often
available on request. Items that include the words "kandhari,"
"malai," or "korma" indicate dishes high in cream
or coconut milk.