Fattiest Restaurant Words to Avoid

 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

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