Watching our daily caloric intake isn't that hard when we are at home. We can portion our food, read the nutrition labels, choose the healthy alternative and think before we eat. But what happens when we decide to go out to eat?

According to the NPD Group, there are more than 580,000 restaurants scattered across the United States. These restaurants can be a landmine of calorie packing items. Restaurant meals average 1,000 to 1,500 calories, says Milton Stokes, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Add to this that according to a recent study, women who eat out five times a week consume an average of 290 additional calories per day.

So how can we avoid busting our bellies when we go out to eat? Here are five simple tips to help you navigate through your next dining out experience:

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1. Skip appetizers and desserts.
Appetizers can have more calories than a main course. An order of Outback cheese fries contains more than 3,000 calories and 217 grams of fat, including 90 grams of saturated fat. And the Outback Bloomin' Onion with an average serving of dipping sauce contains about 2,200 calories. Even if you split these appetizers between two people it is still more calories than a normal meal.

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2. Share an entree or ask for half to be put in a to go box.
Sharing an entree is an easy way to cut the calorie content of a meal in half, not to mention also cutting the cost of the meal in half. If you don't want to share, ask your server to box half of the entree to go. This will remove the temptation to overeat and you can still clean your plate.

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3. Go online prior to review the restaurant menu.
Reviewing a restaurant's menu online prior to going to the restaurant will allow you the time to examine the choices and make a better informed decision, and allow more access to nutritional information. Many restaurants now have special sections for "healthy meals" or "low cal meals". This exercise can help you avoid surprises. The classic burger at Ruby Tuesday, for example, has a jaw dropping 1,013 calories and 71 grams of fat. The chain restaurant butters their burger buns, contributing to the high calorie count.

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4. Baked, broiled, roasted or steamed instead of fried.
One cup of fried chicken breast meat with the skin contains 350 calories, including 160 calories from fat. In contrast, one cup of broiled, skinless chicken breast meat contains only 220 total calories, with only 43 of those calories being from fat. And one cup of roasted, skinless chicken breast comes in very close with only 221 calories, and 43 calories from fat. Hungry for fish? One fillet of battered or breaded and fried fish contains 210 to 270 calories while a single fillet of baked fish contains about 140 calories

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5. Choose water, unsweetened tea, coffee or diet drinks.
Eliminating sugary drinks can greatly reduce the number of calories when dining out. A large Chik-fil-a lemonade contains 340 calories and 85 grams of sugar. Compare that to a diet lemonade which is a scant 20 calories and 2 grams sugar.

Following these five simple tips could lower your caloric intake by anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 calories, or even more, during a single meal at a restaurant. Bon appetit!