Fast food. It's not healthy but it's quick and convenient. Not to mention cheap and filling – ask any hungry young man! We all eat it when we're in a tearing hurry (or want a night off cooking). So as you're walking around that food count checking out the options, check out my handy guide to the nutrition profile of fast food. My guide to the best and worst of fast food ...

The traditional Japanese diet comes close to the perfect diet - and it's delicious too. Sashimi, prawn tempura, chicken teriyaki, beef yakitori and seafood ramen noodle soup. There's lots to love about Japanese food. It's light, fresh and flavoursome. And here's the best reason of all - it's one of the healthiest cuisines to eat in the world.

Yummm! There's something so enticing about the aroma of hot chips on a cold winter's day that it's hard to say No. Whether straight-cut, crinkle-cut, fries or wedges, Australians consume a staggering 250 million serves of chips each year. They are the standard accompaniment to most fast food and also to kids' meals at restaurants.

Sushi for lunch? Linguine marinara for dinner? Or Thai red curry? In our multi-cultural world, visit any food court and in two minutes, you'll walk by Chinese, Lebanese, Japanese, Mexican, Thai and Italian outlets. They can be good or bad, depending on the chef. But if you're after healthier offerings, there are three cuisines that always get the tick of approval from nutritionists.

You're running late on your way home and there's nothing for dinner! The easiest thing to do is to grab a barbecued chook along with a few roast potatoes and a tub of cole slaw or salad. It's hot, tasty and looks more like a healthy meal than pizza, nuggets or laksa. But how healthy is it really?

I wish I had something kind to say about fast food. But no matter how I try, it's hard to spot the positives. Everything is high in fat, saturated fat, salt and kilojoules with very little in the way of fibre or vegetables. On its own, it doesn't make a balanced meal, even though it's often advertised as a ‘complete meal'.

Everyone loves a dinner out, but these days with big portion sizes and high-fat fare, it's an opportunity to overindulge. Chefs love to add cream or butter to just about every dish and give us "value for money" with jumbo-sizes dinners. Haven't you got through your entrée already feeling full before the main arrives?

Light, delicate yet sophisticated, Vietnamese is one of the most popular South-East Asian cuisines. With its emphasis on freshness, seafood and oil-free cooking, it's also a cuisine that has much to recommend it nutritionally.