Mexican food can certainly be one of the more challenging cuisines when eating out, as there aren’t many low-fat items to choose from, and several dishes are full of fried foods. Add on calorie-filled margaritas and tortilla chips to start and you are already filling up on unneeded fat and calories before having even ordered your main course.

Dishes at Mexican restaurants are usually on the larger side with the addition of rice and beans accompanying the meal. To help prevent overeating, I would first suggest ordering a house salad, which should entail tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and some avocado for your healthy fat. This starter salad will also help in the avoidance of eating the full entree when it arrives or you can ask for half the portion to be put in a to-go container.

Some terms that you should look to avoid on the menu are: fried, crispy, refried, breaded and cheese. Instead look for items that are baked or grilled and request sauces on the side so you can control the amount on your food.

I love eating all types of foods and when I’m asked what my favorite is my answer can range from Mexican to Thai to Indian to Italian to Spanish and the list goes on. It really just depends on what day you ask me. With that said, eating out in restaurants that specialize in these types of cuisines can be difficult to navigate, especially when trying to keep to a healthy, everyday diet.

Cooking at home you know exactly what is going into your food, but eating out we have less of that control and therefore, this month at DietsInReview.com, we are kicking off a series entitled “How to Dine Out.” Each week we will focus on a cuisine to help guide you through common choices you will find on menus at these types of restaurants.

In 2008, New York City was the first in the country to mandate that fast food restaurants post calorie counts on their menus. While I thought it was a good idea, if for no other reason than people should have a right to full disclosure of what is going into their bodies, I was a bit unsure that people would change. I figured people want what they want, even if they see their favorite sandwich packs 800 calories.

Full nutritional disclosure on menus leads to better choices.

But, I happily stand corrected.

The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released findings of a recent analysis on the impact of the city’s new menu label requirements. The results show that people became more selective with foods, choosing items with fewer calories. People chose lower calorie meals at 9 of 13 fast food restaurant and coffee chains that were included in the study.

Last week, I posted an article on a few menu options at Hardee’s that were - um, how should we say - less than healthy? (See the Fried Bologna Biscuit for yourself.) So in order to give this fast-food chain a fair shake, we took a closer look at their alternative menu, which is touted as being healthier and able to meet the specific dietary needs of its customers.

Rather than creating a menu of low-cal fast-food options, Hardee’s instead takes its traditional menu of burgers and sandwiches and gives you the option to reduce carbs, lower the fat, eliminate the gluten, trim the calories or lose the meat for a vegetarian option.

But is this alternative menu all that healthy? At closer inspection, it resembles a sneaky marketing ploy that slaps on catchy healthy lingo to high-fat and high-calorie fast-food eats.

Is it me or has the fast-food industry recently gone mad with their new and shameful creations of Angus burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and now fried bologna breakfast biscuits?

Wasn’t it just a few short months ago, KFC introduced their new grilled chicken menu and McDonald’s started placing ads in every parent magazine about how nutritious their small hamburger, apple slices and low-fat milk lunches are?

Maybe it’s a backlash to their healthier intentions, but Hardees has joined the low ranks of KFC and McDonald’s and just launched their new Oscar Mayer Fried Bologna Biscuit sandwich, which is being touted as a throwback comfort food of sorts. Apparently, Hardees like many other fast-food and chain restaurants is trying to appeal to the economically-downtrodden fast-food nation as we seek solace in cheap, processed, comfort foods like fried bologna and biscuits.