Here are some numbers to chew on relative to calorie and weight management when dining out:

• Meals prepared outside of the home – be it takeout or delivery or eaten right there on a nice white linen table cloth – constitute between 34 and 45 percent of total caloric intake for the American population (source: Restaurant Confidential, Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. and Jayne G. Hurley, RD, Workman Publishing, NY 2002).

• Meals prepared outside of the home average 55 percent more calories than those made in one’s own kitchen (ibid).

So in other words, we as a culture eat out quite a bit, and when we do we are getting more calories per meal. That factors in all kinds of restaurants, and in sit-down establishments the portion sizes have gotten much bigger in the past decade. The phrase “supersize me” isn’t restricted to the drive-throughs.

No one expects our dining patterns to change much in the near future. Busy lives and both social and career pressures require that we eat in restaurants. So how can you limit the damage? I suggest three things: look for certain words in a menu, look for smarter entrees, and consider every restaurant meal an opportunity to eat things that are both smart and perhaps too challenging to make at home.

Look for key menu words

The adjective that precedes the noun is more than an English class exercise. Broiled fish is a lot lower in fat and calories than fried fish. Black or whole beans beat out refried by a Baja mile. Broth-based soup (Manhattan clam chowder) is far lower in saturated fat than cream based (Boston clam chowder).

Other good adjectives: Grilled, steamed, stir-fried, sautéed, tomato (as in sauce or broth).

Words to avoid: deep-fried, crispy, cream, butter, breaded, battered, batter-dipped and lightly coated.

Still not sure? Ask your server how a meal is prepared – a nutrition-conscious patron is no longer unusual and better restaurants know they need to cater to your concerns.

Smarter entrée choices: Rankings by protein-to-fat ratios

What one considers “healthy” may vary between individuals. Of course, healthy proportions of plant-based foods in a meal are preferable for almost everyone. Anyone who exercises will also look for protein content; culturally, meat and its variants are simply what we expect regardless of physical activity. That’s why the star of the meal is the entrée, a protein sourced from fish, fowl or four-legged beast (vegetarians: you have your beans and soy and are way ahead of the rest of us carnivores on this one – unless the beans are refried or soaked in butter).

But fat, particularly the saturated kind found in animals with feet (excluding the healthier, unsaturated fish fats), should be limited. The following list factors protein against fat overall, serving as a good guide when ordering food eaten out – items listed first are preferable in the protein:fat equation over those that follow. This assumes consistent use of healthiest preparation methods (broiled or grilled, not fried unless specifically indicated), and none served in butter or cream sauces.

1. Cod, Crab, Monkfish, Octopus, Pike, Pollock, Scallops, Scrod, Skate

2. Striped Bass, Mussels, Northern Lobster, Oysters, Perch, Red Snapper, Sea Bass, Squid, Turbot

3. Abalone, Halibut, King Mackerel, Sea Trout, Shrimp, Smelt, Yellowfin and Skipjack Tuna

4. Freshwater Bass, Bluefish, Catfish, Mullet, Salmon, Sturgeon, Swordfish, Rainbow Trout, Salmon (Chum and Pink)

5. Turkey (white meat, no skin)

6. Lamb (chops and leg of lamb)

7. Chicken (breast, no skin)

8. Halibut, Carp, Orange Roughy, Whitefish, Shark

9. Turkey (dark meat, no skin)

10. Milkfish, Salmon (Coho and Atlantic), other varieties of Trout, Bluefish Tuna, Yellowtail

11. Beef: Sirloin steak, New York, Club, Delmonico, Strip Steak, Filet Mignon, Filet Steak, Medallions, London Broil, Kabob, Roast Beef, Post Roast, Stew and Soup meat, Stir Fry meat. Pork: Ham, Pork Tenderloin

12. Atlantic Herring, other Mackerel, Haddock, White Perch

13. Pheasant (with skin), Turkey (white with skin), Chicken (white with skin and dark no skin), duck (no skin)

14. Chinook and Sockeye Salmon, Pompano, fish cakes (fried), squid (fried), Abalone (fried)

15. Chicken (dark, with skin), Turkey (dark, with skin), Goose (no skin), Chicken (white and “fingers,” fried)

16. Veal (roast, fat trimmed), London Broil (fat on*), Roast Beef (fat on), Kabobs (fat on)

17. Fat trimmed** beef: Prime Rib, Rib Steak, Rib Eye Steak, Brisket, Corned Beef, Beef Fajitas, Ribs, Porterhouse, T-Bone

18. Trimmed pork: Pork Loin, Pork Chop

19. Fried Abalone

20. Greenland Halibut, Shad, Pacific Herring, Atlantic Mackerel, Sablefish

21. Chicken (dark, fried)

22. Sirloin steak (fat on), Beef Short Ribs (fat trimmed), Pork Ribs (fat trimmed), Beef and Pork Tongue

23. Fried (all) Scallops, Pomfret, Croaker, Catfish, Ocean Perch, Red Snapper, Shrimp

24. Fat on beef: Porterhouse steak, T-bone, Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, “chicken fried” steak; Beef Chitterlings; Fat on pork: Pork Loin, Tenderloin

25. Goose (skin on)

26. Beef and Pork Sausage

27. Fat-on Beef Ribs, Meatloaf, Lam b Chops, Pork Chops, Pork Ribs, Spareribs

28. Chicken Wings (fried), Duck with skin

29. Bass (stuffed and baked), Eel (fried), Mackerel (fried), Smelt (fried)

30. Beef brisket (fat on)

31. Short ribs (fat on)

(Sources: “A Guy’s Gotta Eat, the regular guy’s guide to eating smart,” by Russ Klettke with Deanna Conte, MS RD LD, Marlowe & Co., 2004 and derived from “Dining Lean: How to Eat Healthy in Your Favorite Restaurants [Without Feeling Deprived],” Joanne V. Lichten, RD, Ph.D., Nutrifit Publishing, 2000)

*Also described as “untrimmed”

** Must be specified on the menu or by wait staff as “trimmed” as all cuts come in untrimmed versions as well.

The restaurant meal as an opportunity

Lower fat should not be your only rule on eating out. Note that certain fish items fall toward the middle of the above list. This is because fish, particularly cold-water varieties such as salmon, herring and anchovies, have highly desirable Omega 3 fatty acids, which are largely deficient in modern diets.

That’s where restaurant meals become opportunities. You can take in nutrients – and new taste experiences – through meals you may not be inclined to making yourself at home (“Hmmm, was that scrod in garlic you made last night?”). While you’re at it, let the chef prepare a nice dark leaf salad and a good berry-laden dessert. The fiber and micronutrients in each might be difficult to muster if trips to a fresh grocer just don’t happen on your schedule.

Finally, if you’re currently ordering with reckless abandon in restaurants – fries with everything, perhaps? – you can simply make a few changes to achieve a big fat difference. For example, if you weekly eat three servings of French fries equivalent to McDonald’s large (6 oz.) size, you can reduce your intake by 88,920 calories per year (including 4680 grams of fat) by cutting those out – and lose approximately 20 pounds in 12 months.

Getting the vegetable substitute never looked so good.