Maybe not a shocker here, but restaurant food apparently was found by patrons to have much MORE fat and calories than they expected. From my 20 years, RESTAURANTS DON'T COOK TO BE HEALTHY, GET IT?? It's not at all to say that a Chef doesn't think about that, but we are in business to keep people going "Wow! What a tasty meal! We'll be back!". Given, if you're in California, or other areas of the country that are EXTREMELY health conscious, you will find many more restaurants that are focused on healthy, low fat, low carb, low sugar items, maybe even whole concepts that are about that. But for most major cities, bigger restaurants are focused on large numbers of guests, and the main stream patron is going out to enjoy a meal, celebrate, INDULGE? that is the treat. It doesn't mean that everything is ladened with butter and salt, but in America, those things do taste good! You need to be very specific about what you want and don't want in your food. Ask the questions of the server and Chef. Any restaurant worth it's salt (sorry for the pun) will make accommodations for your diet and do as much as they can. HINT: it also helps if you have a lot of special requests, to go to your restaurant of choice in the slower times. This would generally be like the first 30 minutes after opening, mid afternoon from 2ish to 5:30ish, or later in the evening (but! reference my post for those facts). BE POLITE, AND FIRM, BUT REALIZE YOU ARE OFTEN ASKING A LOT OF THE CHEF! Many restaurants can be less than accommodating, not good, but true.

What should be obvious, to eat "healthy" is a very generic term, but usually would mean, low in fat & carbs, watching sugar content and higher in vitamins and as fresh as possible. Any restaurant that makes their dishes to order can be more flexible. Look for elements around the menu of how they prepare their food and see if you can combine a few things to make the meal you need. I ALMOST CANNOT BELIEVE I'M RECCOMMENDING THIS, BECAUSE THESE TYPES OF ORDERS CAN MAKE CHEFS CRAZY!! But we really all know, that the guests keep us in business, and deep down, we are all about pleasing other people. Just try to be reasonable and understand that YOUR DISH YOU'RE CREATING may cost you a little more. A restaurant has the right to charge as they see fit to accommodate your request. The waiter or Chef needs to tell you what those costs