Here's How to Order a Healthier Dinner at Olive Garden (Sorry in Advance For Nixing the Breadsticks)

Shrimp Scampi makes the cut for the Lighter Italian Fare menu thanks to a total of 500 calories for the entire meal (and if you've been to Olive Garden, you know how hefty those portions are). This is also a low number for the restaurant's menu, considering some of its classics are in the 1,200-calorie-per-dish range.

With this dish, you'll get hearty protein and branched-chain amino acids from the shrimp. You'll still get 19 grams of fat and 56 carbohydrates (it's still a bowl of buttery pasta, regardless of how light it is), and the sodium is high — but you'll get 26 grams of protein, six grams of fiber, and only one gram of sugar.