Ethnic Foods: Eat Widely, Choose Wisely

The best rule of thumb to apply when eating Chinese food is to avoid foods that have been deep-fried. This includes dumplings, spring rolls, fried rice and chicken or pork that has been deep fried. Steamed foods are a great choice, including steamed vegetables and steamed brown rice.

A high-fat combination Chinese meal including fried rice, orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, and a spring roll will add up to 900 calories with 40 grams of fat. If you choose steamed rice, steamed vegetables, almond chicken and beef in black bean sauce instead, you'll save over 350 calories and 27 grams of fat.

Rich curries with creamy sauces can make Indian and Pakistani food a poor choice when you need to watch your calories.

Good food choices from Indian and Pakistani restaurants are steamed rice, dal (lentil puree) with no oil, Murgh Tikka and Tandoori chicken.

Even though the Mediterranean diet has been touted as a great way to eat healthily, many of the foods served in Italian restaurants are high in both fat and calories. Creamy sauces (such as Alfredo), plenty of cheese and large portion sizes are the biggest problems with this style of cuisine. If you're dining out on Italian food, try to skip the cream sauce wherever you can. One way to monitor portion size is to order an appetizer for your main meal.

Even foods such as antipasto, bruschetta, ciabatta and foccacia can be high in calories, so choose carefully from what's offered. Try to avoid cheese, salami-type meats, pesto, and butter, as these will add a lot of fat to your meal. If possible, order your food without these types of ingredients.

When ordering pizza, go for a vegetarian option and ask for half the cheese. Better still, make your own healthy pizzas at home on a pita bread base with low-fat ingredients.

When it comes to dessert, skip the Tartufo or Tiramisu and go for a gelati or sorbet instead. Choose a skim cappuccino or latte instead of a full-fat one.

The ever-increasing popularity of Japanese food makes life easier for those watching their weight. With sushi bars popping up all over the place, a low-fat, low-calorie lunch, dinner or snack is never too far away. On average, a sushi lunch pack has 360 calories and 6 grams of fat.

Other than sushi, Japanese foods can be quite high in fat and calories, especially fried noodles or tempura. Your best choices include miso soup or udon noodle soup.

There are lots of healthy, low-fat foods to choose from in Lebanese and Greek cooking styles. Dips, in particular, are a good choice, especially if low-fat varieties are available. Hummus, tzatziki and baba ghannouj make great choices.

Other good choices include Greek salad with low-fat dressing, and tabouli (cracked wheat salad). Try to avoid pastries, such as spanakopita (spinach triangles), as well as moussaka and deep-fried calamari. Go easy on falafel, kebabs and souvlaki. When it comes to desserts, baklava and other pastries are laden with fat and calories, so try to avoid these if you're watching your weight or your fat intake. Opt for a gelati or sorbet instead.

Mexican food can offer some healthy choices if you're prepared to forego the cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. Try chicken or beef fajitas – at 200 calories each, they won't break the calorie bank. Bean burritos have up to 380 calories each, while tacos with meat, cheese and garnish have 250 calories each. Steer clear of the nachos – a large serving of nachos can have as much as a whopping 65 grams of fat. Guacamole brings the good fat of avocados, but calories as well, so keep your portion to one or two tablespoons.

If you're dining out Spanish-style, you could try a bowl of Gazpacho at a low 60 calories with no fat, a serving of Clams Marinara at 330 calories with 16 grams of fat, or how about Arroz Abanda (fish with rice) at 340 calories and 8 grams of fat? Keep your eye on the calories and the portion size of a paella – a large serving can have as many as 900 calories and 42 grams of fat. A homemade paella may be a better option than choosing paella when you're dining out.

And don't forget the calories from alcohol! A margarita has about 160 calories.

Thai cooking offers plenty of exciting flavors but the thing to avoid is full-fat coconut milk. If you're cooking Thai at home, use low-fat coconut milk instead.

When dining out, choose hot and sour soups, spicy salads and vegetable stir-fry with steamed rice or steamed rice noodles. Avoid fried noodles, creamy coconut curries and coconut-based soups.

Fresh vegetables, herbs and spices are a predominant feature of Vietnamese cooking. Fresh rice-paper spring rolls offer a healthy choice and stir-fry vegetables, meats, poultry and tofu with steamed rice also make good choices.

Things to avoid are prawn fritters, deep-fried spring rolls and creamy coconut curries.