Mmmm...Mexican food. We're lucky enough to have two authentic Mexican restaurants in our small city, and we've visited both plenty of times. However, though traditional Mexican fare is actually pretty healthy -- lots of plant-based foods and fiber-rich beans -- Americanized Mexican food can mean diet disaster with its sour cream, fatty refried beans, and hefty servings of red meat.

Ediets wants you to enjoy Mexican food, but they want you to stick to your appropriate daily calorie intake too. So they recently created a list of five things to enjoy at a Mexican restaurant and five things to avoid. I'm going to have to keep this list in mind the next time we go out, since a handful of those freshly made nacho chips are usually the first thing I reach for!

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When you're tired of turkey leftovers next week, you just might find yourself calling up for Asian takeout. Often, people don't consider Asian takeout fast food, but depending on how it's prepared, it can have just as much fat, calories, and sodium as a meal from McDonald's. It doesn't have to be that way, however, and eDiets has some tips for lightening up your next takeout meal, including:

• Start with soup. Studies show that people who start their meal with soup eat fewer calories during the rest of the meal. Choose miso, egg drop, or hot and sour.
• Go for white meat, chicken, or fish. Better yet, pick a vegetarian dish.
• Ask to have your sauce on the side, and request the chef go light on the oil. Don't forget to ask for no MSG.
• Use soy sauce sparingly, and choose the low-sodium kind.
• Avoid words like "batter-dipped" and fried. Instead, look for entrees that are steamed, roasted, simmered, or stir-fried.
• Look to see if brown rice is on the menu. Otherwise, choose steamed rice over fried.

Finally, use chopsticks -- you'll eat less. What's your favorite way to trim down your favorite takeout meal?

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If you're trying to eat right, then eating out can be a challenge. Just choosing a restaurant with a healthy image isn't enough to ensure that you're getting a healthy meal, however. That much was proven by researchers who found that diners eating at Subway routinely underestimated the number of calories in their meal. Not only that, diners who ordered subs also were more likely to add on a high-calorie side item, apparently because they thought their meal was light enough to warrant it. But when you put a 12-inch BMT and a Big Mac side-by-side, the BMT actually has an additional 300 calories!

The study authors insist they aren't trying to slam Subway, but are just trying to draw attention to the role marketing plays in people's eating habits. Subway -- and other similar restaurants -- can offer you a healthy lunch, you just have to be a savvy consumer.

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Eating out can be tough for the health-conscious consumer these days; restaurant portions are growing seemingly every day and choosing healthy fare can be a struggle. Fish -- low in fat and high in protein -- is usually a good choice for someone watching their waistline or cholesterol levels, but if you're eating out early in the week, you might want to think twice before ordering that broiled salmon or grilled mahi mahi.

Chef Anthony Bourdain, from the Travel Channel, reminds restaurant customers that fresh fish markets are closed over the weekend. So if there's a fish dish on the special board Monday night, and especially if that dish is made with a strong or acidic sauce, chances are you're eating the chef's weekend leftovers. Bourdain is quick to point out that the the three-day-old fish is unlikely to hurt you, but that fish doesn't keep as well as other foods. If you're concerned about getting the freshest fish out there, hitting the seafood restaurant later in the week is probably your best bet.

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The next time you go out to eat, take a look at the portions in front of you. Chances are your plate holds 3 to 5 times the amount one person should be eating. A common recommendation is for restaurant diners to box up half their meal upon arrival and save it for the next day, but how often does that happen? Probably not as often as it should.

A concerned consumer group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, is speaking out against humongous restaurant portions that often contain a day's worth of calories and sometimes over 100 grams of fat. Saying that these kinds of dishes promote an era of "extreme eating," the group wants government to step in and force these establishments to list nutritional information on the menu. Restaurant industry leaders defend themselves, saying that many restaurants do make the information public, and offer healthier alternatives as well.

Interestingly, I found this blog that has the intriguing argument that restaurant consumers themselves are to blame for the growth in portion sizes. What do you think? If calorie and fat gram information were listed next to each item on a menu, would it help you make better choices? Or would you still order that bacon double cheeseburger and fries..and enjoy it?

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