Decoding restaurant menu descriptions in search of healthier fare can require some serious detective skills. Here's a helpful glossary of words to steer clear of when you're trying to avoid heavy, high-cal dishes while dining out.
STEAKHOUSE MENUS
Au Gratin: Baked side dish (using potatoes, cauliflower, or another vegetable) typically made with cream or whole milk, butter, and cheese and topped with buttery bread crumbs
Hollandaise: Heavy, classic French sauce made with butter and egg yolks
Scalloped: Baked side dish (usually potatoes) made with heavy cream and/or whole milk
Creamed: Cooked with cream (as in creamed spinach)
Smothered: Usually covered in some sort of heavy sauce or gravy
ITALIAN-AMERICAN RESTAURANT MENUS
Parmigiana: Coated in a mixture of bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese and fried
Alfredo: Heavy sauce made with butter, cream, and grated cheese
Scampi: Sauce often served with shrimp or other seafood that's typically made with lots of butter
Fritto (Fried): Fried in oil (*Some restaurants in all cuisines have gotten more savvy in an effort to sound healthier and now refer to deep-fried foods as "lightly fried" or "crispy" on their menus. Don't be fooled; if you have any doubts ask the waiter to explain the preparation.)
Breaded: Coated with bread crumbs and then typically deep-fried in oil (where it can soak up lots of calories, especially if not fried at the proper temperature)
Carbonara: Pasta sauce made from bacon, whole eggs, cheese, and sometimes cream
MEXICAN/TEX-MEX RESTAURANT MENUS
Con Queso: Topped with cheese
Refried: Fried, often in lard
Deep-Fried/Crispy: Fried in oil
Loaded/Supreme/Grande: Often used in reference to nachos, quesadillas, or burritos; this indicates that a dish is served with ALL the toppings, including cheese, sour cream, refried beans, and sometimes meat
Chimichanga: Burrito stuffed with meat and fillings, then deep-fried
CHINESE TAKEOUT MENUS
Egg Rolls: Vegetables and meats wrapped in dough and deep-fried in oil
Fried: Fried rice, dumplings, meats, seafood, and more soak up excess oil which adds more calories to your plate
Chow: "Chow" indicates that a dish has been stir-fried, typically in liberal amounts of oil; chow mein and chow fun (or chow foon) are both dishes made with pan-fried noodles
Egg Foo Young: Egg dish (similar to an omelet) made with whole eggs, pan-fried, and usually smothered in salty brown gravy
Sweet and Sour: A sugary, syrupy sauce that's very calorie-dense
General Tso: Bits of meat (most commonly chicken) are coated in an egg and cornstarch mixture, deep-fried, and mixed with vegetables in a high-salt sauce
