Nutritionist-Approved Fast Food and Takeout Meals

Best bet: To start, get summer rolls over spring rolls—the former is wrapped in rice paper instead of fried. For your entree, try chicken sate with sauce on the side, or Thai basil chicken, which is just chicken and basil in a spicy sauce.

Stay away from: Curries or coconut milk–based sauces and soups. "Coconut milk and peanut or fish sauces are the usual culprits in high-calorie Thai dishes," Bella says. If you're not sure what the sauce or soup base is, just ask. And know your limits with spice. "If a dish is too spicy for you, you'll reach for that box of white rice to cut the heat," McDaniel says.