Menu Decoder: Find Healthy Restaurant Foods

As parents, you want your children to eat a healthy balanced meal. At home, it's easy to control what the little ones put in their mouths, but at a restaurant, there are plenty of unhealthy dishes lurking on the menu. Here's a list of menu descriptions to avoid, along with some that are sure to be good for you and your little one.

Healthy menu words

Baked	Boiled	Broiled	Fat Free
Fresh	Grilled	High FIber	Light
Marinated	Multi-grain	Poached (simmered in water or broth)	Red sauce
Reduced (boiled until a mixture is thicker and more concentrated)	Roasted (baked uncovered to achieve a crispy exterior and moist interior)	Seasoned	Steamed
Stir-fried	Vegetarian	Vinaigrette	Whole-wheat

Unhealthy menu words

A la mode (topped with ice cream)	Au gratin (topped with cheese and breadcrumbs mixed with butter, then baked)	Basted	Battered
Bearnaise (French sauce made with butter, tarragon, egg yolks and wine)	Bet you can't finish it	Bottomless	Breaded
Buttery or Buttered	Casserole	Cheesy	Covered
Creamy or Creamed	Crispy	Crunchy	Escalloped
Fried/Deep Fried	Giant	Hollandaise (French sauce made from egg yolks, butter and lemon juice)	Loaded
Platter	Smothered	Stewed	Stroganoff
Stuffed	Value	Volcano	White sauce (a sauce made from flour, butter and cream)

Note: Pregnant women should avoid eating deli and processed meats, soft cheeses, and some types of seafood due to the risk of illness to herself and her unborn child. Eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry or seafood also poses health risks. Find more information on which foods to avoid here.

About The Author

Stepfanie Romine A former newspaper reporter, Stepfanie now writes about nutrition, health and fitness, with an emphasis on whole foods and from-scratch cooking. She is a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher who enjoys Spinning, international travel and vegetables of all kinds. See all of Stepfanie's articles.