Our appetizers tonight are ... loaded with calories

Watch out! Appetizers can be nutrition disasters. Making choices that don't add too many calories can go a long way toward controlling your diet. Can you identify the more healthful appetizer?

French onion soup vs. minestrone

If you thought French onion soup would start your meal off healthfully, think again — this starter can have more than 500 calories. Skip the bread and cheese, and the soup comes in at about 100 to 200 calories per 8 ounces. A vegetable-packed minestrone soup has about 150 calories (8 ounces), which can increase by as much as 75 calories depending on the amount of pasta and Parmesan cheese. Still, compared with regular French onion, it's more healthful and has more nutrients.

Steamed veggie dumplings vs. fried spring rolls

Steamed options usually are better, but they aren't always a ticket to good health. First of all, consider how much you're going to eat. Four steamed vegetable dumplings have about 300 calories — not too much less than fried veggie dumplings, which have 340, although you do save 4 grams of fat. If the spring rolls are small (about 2 ounces) they are a better calorie bet at 80 to 100 calories than the egg-roll-size spring rolls, which have 250 to 300 calories each.

Crabcakes vs. New England clam chowder

Go with the soup. Research shows it can help decrease overall calories during a meal. But watch the serving size: Some restaurants serve 10-ounce rather than 8-ounce bowls, which adds about 100 calories. An 8-ounce bowl of New England-style chowder comes in at around 300 calories. (But the version at Denny's has more than 600 calories in 8 ounces.) An average 3-ounce crabcake contains roughly 220 calories, but make sure you know how many are in an order because the calories add up fast.

Mozzarella sticks vs. onion rings vs. fried calamari

Those batter-dipped, deep-fried onions can be a diet catastrophe. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Outback's Bloomin' Onion has about 1,700 calories and 116 grams of fat. But there are other items to be wary of as well. Fried calamari usually comes in hefty 3-cup servings — that's about 1,000 calories before you even start using the mayonnaise-based dipping sauce. At 60 to 100 calories each, mozzarella sticks are OK if you limit yourself to a couple, and you will get some calcium.

Baked potato vs. french fries vs. potato skins

A 10-ounce potato has only 270 calories, is filling and is packed with nutrients (e.g., fiber, potassium and vitamin C). But you still need to watch out for its sidekicks — sour cream, butter, bacon and cheese — which send the calories soaring to 500 or 600. Potato skins are even worse: A typical 12-ounce serving with cheese and bacon comes in at 1,100 calories and 80 grams of fat. And that's before the sour cream. As for french fries, a 6-ounce order has about 500 calories and 25 grams of fat. The healthful option is a baked potato topped with salsa or ketchup.

Antipasto vs. bruschetta

Antipasto generally includes a selection of deli meats, such as pepperoni, salami and prosciutto, accompanied by olives, brie, deviled eggs, roasted vegetables in olive oil and crackers — all of which are full of fat and calories:

• Italian grilled peppers (3 ounces): 124 calories

• Salami (2 ounces): 230 calories

• Prosciutto (2 ounces): 140 calories

• Brie (1-inch cube): 60 calories

• Olives (15 large): 90 calories

• Deviled eggs (two halves): 145 calories

Bruschetta is a better option with its heart-healthy olive oil and lycopene (antioxidants) from the tomatoes. But a single slice can have more than 200 calories, so watch your portion size.

Oysters or clams on the half shell vs. shrimp cocktail

Both are good options. Although shrimp is high in cholesterol, it's very low in unhealthy saturated fat. However, raw oysters and clams have a high risk for contamination, so pregnant women and those with suppressed immune systems should avoid them. Six large shrimp or Eastern oysters have about 60 to 150 calories. Six Pacific oysters have about 240 calories.

Caviar vs. foie gras

The name says it all — "foie gras" is French for "fatty liver." One ounce comes in at more than 100 calories, and most restaurants will give you at least a couple ounces. Caviar is usually a better bet at only 40 calories a tablespoon. It's typically served with crackers or bread, but it has a very strong flavor, so you don't need much to get your fix.

Aperitifs and salads

Alcohol is packed with calories (100 to 150 calories), which can more than double when you add mixers like soda, juice, cream or sugar (150 to 200 calories).

Plus, a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that meals last longer and calorie intake is higher when people have aperitifs beforehand.

Keep your drink simple and on the rocks. Avoid creamy, frozen or fruity. Light beer (12 ounces) and wine (5 ounces) are your best choices at about 100 calories.

Salads are a better way to begin your meal. Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Penn State, recently found that eating a low-calorie, large-volume first course, like a large low-cal salad (or soup) enhances feelings of satisfaction and reduces subsequent calorie intake. Ask for low-fat or fat-free dressing, and get it on the side. When all else fails, opt for oil and vinegar — 3 tablespoons contain 134 calories, a savings of about 100 or more calories compared with other dressings. And avoid high-calorie add-ons like cheese and croutons.

General tips

• Make a meal out of appetizers and sides.

• Say no to butter, mayo, tartar sauce, creamy dressings or extra cheese.

• Use mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper or vinegar as fat-free seasonings.

• Watch out for salad dressings. Here's what can be found in three tablespoons (a standard restaurant serving) of some popular dressings:

Blue Cheese: 231 calories, 24g fat, 3g carbs

Caesar: 210 calories, 21g fat, 3g carbs

Ranch: 270 calories, 27g fat, 4.5g carbs

Thousand Island: 195 calories, 18g fat, 7.5g carbs

Creamy Italian: 165 calories, 18g fat, 3g carbs

Olive Oil and Vinegar: 134 calories, 13.5g fat, 3g carbs

Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate, author of the best seller "Breaking the Pattern" (Plume, 2005) and founder of Integrated Wellness Solutions. Write to info@thedietdetective.com