Dining Strategies for Specific Cuisines

Sometimes, general dining out strategies can only help so much. When you eat at a privately-owned or ethnic restaurant, there’s no pamphlet or website with nutritional information. How do you know what to order, especially when you don’t understand the language?

That’s why we researched and collected tips for the most popular restaurant cuisines—from Chinese to Vietnamese, and Caribbean to Indian, it’s all here in our Cuisine-specific guide.

The “Menu” below serves as a table of contents. Click on each cuisine type to learn more about it and how to make your next sit-down meal at that particular restaurant a healthy one.

MENU


Caribbean— combining African and Spanish cooking, spices and fruits are its signature

Chinese—reflects many cooking styles, traditions, ingredients and flavors from multiple regions

French—rich textures and flavors are high in fat, but usually served in small portions

Greek & Middle Eastern—overall, a healthy way to eat

Indian—menu feature rich curries, creamy sauces, and a variety of intense spices

Italian—simple menu items with lots of flavor

Japanese—smaller portions with an emphasis on rice and soybean products

Korean—a unification of Japanese, Chinese and Mongolian traditions, known for variety

Mexican—huge portions that are often fried, topped with cheese, and served as large platters.

Steakhouse—hearty, filling heartland food

Thai—hot, spicy, flavorful, and packed with fresh ingredients

Vietnamese— a mixture of subtle Far East and French flavors