4 hacks to keep your meal nutritious when eating at a restaurant or ordering in

• Takeout food often contains more sodium and fat than a home-cooked meal. 
• You can make eating out healthier by opting for these dietitian-approved swaps.
• Paying attention to the way your food is cooked is key.

Cooking your meals is typically more nutritious than eating out, but there are always ways to make your restaurant orders healthier.

Restaurant food tends to be higher in sodium so that it stays shelf stable for longer, Jordan Hill, a registered dietitian and sports dietetics specialist working with Top Nutrition Coaching, told Business Insider. These foods also tend to be higher in fat.

Since you don't have control over what ingredients are used or how big portions are, you could also end up unknowingly eating more calories than you intended. But that doesn't mean you should avoid eating out, she said.

Hill shared four tips for keeping your meals nutritious when eating out or ordering in.

Choose lean proteins

Make your order healthier by choosing high-protein dishes, Hill said, as these will help you stay full for longer.

You should go for lean forms of protein, such as chicken, turkey, and fish, over fattier versions, such as pork and beef, she said, because they are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. Plant-based protein sources like tofu are also leaner than red meats.

Avoid cream-based soups, sauces, and dressings

When ordering a salad, pasta dish, or soup, try to avoid anything that has a creamy base, Hill said. That usually indicates a dish has lots of butter or heavy whipping cream, which means added saturated fat.

If you're getting soup, a broth-based soup such as Pho or chicken noodle soup is leaner than cream of tomato or chowder, she said.

For salad dressing, she recommended an oil-based dressing rather than ranch or Caesar. "Oil is still a fat, but it's going to be the healthier unsaturated fat versus saturated fats that you see in creamy dressings," she said.

Similarly, you might want to opt for a tomato-based pasta sauce such as arrabbiata, over a creamy carbonara, she said.

Be conscious of the cooking method

The way an ingredient is cooked can make it more or less nutritious, Hill said. For example, foods that are baked, roasted, grilled, or sauteed are probably going to be healthier than those that are pan-fried or deep-fried.

The cooking method will usually be in the title of the item, she said, like fried chicken or mashed potatoes. But if it's unclear, just ask the question and your server will be able to tell you how the food is prepared.

Opt for whole grains

Choose dishes that contain whole grains, Hill said, as they are good sources of fiber.

Whole grains are a crucial element of the Mediterranean diet, which is largely considered the healthiest way to eat, and feature heavily in the diets of residents of the world's Blue Zones – where people live a decade longer on average than the rest of the population.

Brown rice, bulgar wheat, and quinoa are good alternatives to white rice, pasta, and other white counterparts, she said.