How to Avoid Trans Fats at Restaurants

Trans fats are dangerous and are a leading cause of obesity in this country. Unlike food you buy at the store, restaurants are not required to tell you the nutritional information and ingredients of their dishes. You will have to know how to ask and what to look for in order to avoid the trans fats at restaurants.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Frequent restaurants that provide nutritional information for their foods. Find out where you can get the nutritional information. Sometimes, you can find it on their website, printed on their menu or contained on a handout at the restaurant.
2. Stop ordering appetizers when you eat out at a restaurant. Most appetizers served at restaurants are batter-dipped and fried with a dipping sauce or covered in cheese. Some appetizers contain a day's worth of calories and three days worth of fat.
3. Choose a salad. Most of them are low in trans fats. However, be careful of the saturated fat the cheese or dressing can contain.
4. Stay away from anything that has been fried. Unless you know they are frying with canola or olive oil, stay very clear of any type of fried food at a restaurant that can be fried in trans fat.
5. Go to ethnic restaurants. Ask questions about what fat they use. Most of the time Chinese, Indian, Mexican and Italian restaurants can have healthy dishes that don't use trans fats.
6. Be wary of pastries served in restaurants that may contain margarine instead of butter. If the pastry is inexpensive, they are more likely to have used margarine to create it instead of butter.