Going out to eat almost always means bigger portions and more calories, but those meals may also contain hundreds of unwanted extras from "free" items that find their way to your plate. Here are pitfalls to avoid.
1. Bread
We all know to watch out for the bread basket, but it's often hard to resist. It might help to know that each roll or slice averages 100 calories; then add another 120 for every tablespoon of olive oil. Butter only has 100 calories per tablespoon, but is also higher in unhealthy fat.
2. Chips and Salsa
While salsa won't get you into too much trouble, the fried chips are another story. Each ounce (about 12 chips) has 140 calories and 7 grams of fat.
3. Free Refills
Free refills of soda and other sugary beverages may seem like a bargain, but your waistline is paying the price. Each 16-fluid-ounce serving of soda has 130 calories.
4. Pickles
Who doesn't love a big crunchy pickle along with a deli sandwich? If you have high blood pressure, you might want to think twice. Along with those salty cold cuts comes another 400-plus milligrams of sodium from each pickle -- that's 17 percent of the daily recommendation.
