Thought that salad was a good choice?

A hot chicken Caesar salad at earls is 1,120 calories, 11.9 grams of saturated fat and 1,531 grams of sodium! As a reference, McDonald's big mac is 540 calories, 10g of saturated fat and 1,020 grams of sodium.

The Vancouver Sun has compiled a database of many of the popular chain stores around Vancouver. Rate your meal to make sure you are on track with your diet. Become educated about your choices. (click on the title of this post to bring you to the fat-a-base)

Team Fitness' Top 10 Tips on Eating Out:

Now that we know that your favourite salad may not be as healthy as you once thought, you may need some ideas of how to choose a healthy meal when dinning out.

1. Learn this phrase and use it often: "on-the-side" as in, "dressing on the side", "sauce on the side" etc. A lot of the fat and sodium are found in the sauces and dressings that come globed on top of your meal.

2. Choose brown over white: Whenever you have the choice ask for brown rice instead of white, whole wheat bread instead of sour dough or white.

3. Do like your mom said and share: Portion sizes in restaurants are typically bigger than any person should be eating in one sitting. Ask whoever you are with if they would like to share the meal with you.

4. Choose wise sides: fries or salad, hmmm I know tough choice, but when it comes to your health pick the salad and use the phrase you now have burned into your memory, "dressing on the side"

5. Don't be afraid to modify: I know you don't want to be the annoying customer who can't just order from the menu but just ask nicely and give a nice tip when they are able to accommodate you. One example of an easy trade is asking for steamed veggies instead of white rice if they do not have the choice of brown.

6. Know your lean meats: skinless chicken breast (NOT breaded, fried or served with a cream sauce), fish, if you want to go with beef try a tenderloin, pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of pork - a 3-ounce serving contains 120 calories and 2.98 grams of total fat – as lean as a skinless chicken breast.

7. know your cooking terms: "Sauteed" or "fried" means they use oil. Choose things that are roasted, steamed, broiled, poached, or raw.

8. Always couple a carb with a protein: Stay away from meals that are mainly carbs!

9. Portion your foo:. Ask your server to bring you a side plate and use this as your guide. Fill the side plate with about 1/2 cup 'brown' carb, 4-5 oz of your lean protein choice and the rest with veggies. Most restaurants serve their meals on huge plates that can fool you into eating too much.

10. Drink water and ask for the bill after you order your main meal: Water is always the best choice! If you ask for the bill after you have ordered your main meal you will avoid the temptation of asking for seconds or desert.