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You can choose your friends - but you can't always choose the restaurants they want to eat in. Story by Paula Goodyer.

It was a Friday night and we were asked to meet friends at an Italian place where we'd never eaten before - and which clearly knew nothing of the Mediterranean Diet. Okay, there was grilled fish but it was served with chips. There was bruschetta - but so soaked in olive oil you could have picked up the bread and wrung it out. Apart from that it was hard to find anything that wasn't crumbed, deep fried or finished with cream.

If you eat out only occasionally, then breaking out with creamy pasta and profiteroles is no big deal. But if you eat out a lot - as more of us do - and you're keen to eat leaner, healthier food, it makes sense to be a bit choosy about what you eat.

Read full story here.

If you eat out a lot, do you find it easy - or difficult - to eat lighter? Have you got any tips to share?