Many people love Italian food, and Italian eateries have sprung up across the country. However, if you are looking for healthy Italian food, you may want to think twice about eating. While many people consider Italian food to be healthy, the dishes served at your favorite restaurant may not be.
The Problem
Like fettuccine Alfredo? It has as much saturated fat as three pints of full fat ice cream. Eggplant parmigiana is about as healthy as eating five fried egg rolls and that appetizer of fried calamari? It has more cholesterol than an omelet made with four eggs. Healthy Italian food is hard to find in the U.S. In southern Italy, the diet used to be comprised mostly of pasta, bread, vegetables, and other healthy foods, and that part of the country had fewer cases of heart disease, cancers, and obesity. Meat and cheese are used sparingly in the south. In the north, the use of meat and cheese is more common, as it is in the United States as well, and so are the rates of heart disease and other ailments.
How Pasta Helps
Pasta helps create healthy Italian food because it cuts down on the amount of fat in the meal. If the meal is largely pasta, you will have no problem staying below the 30% of calories coming from fat. Of course this assumes that you are staying away from cream and cheese based sauces like Alfredo, and sticking to tomato sauce. Even most meat sauces are OK to eat. This is also true for saturated fat, again assuming that you stay away from the cream and cheese based sauces. So ordering an order of spaghetti with tomato sauce is much healthier than other alternatives.
Lacking Veggies
While you can easily go with lower fat entrees at Italian restaurants, finding healthy Italian foods is more difficult than that. Many entrees are very high in sodium. Another concern is the lack of vegetables at Italian restaurants. Many dishes do not come with veggies on the side, or if they do it is a small amount and drenched in butter. A salad may help, but if you go for ordinary Italian dressing you are getting a lot of fat.
Making It Healthier
Finding healthy Italian food is easier if you know what to look for. Below are some of the better food choices. However, keep in mind that an actual portion size may be much less than what the restaurant actually serves - many Italian eateries pride themselves in their mega platters. Adding extras, such as Parmesan cheese, will affect your total numbers.
o Main dishes: Go for meatless marinara or a clam sauce. Avoid creamy sauces like Alfredo. If you have meatballs, ask for tomato sauce instead of meat sauce. Watch out for the amount of oil and butter in a dish, and skip cheese toppings.
o Olive Garden: One of the most popular Italian restaurants in the country, but it can be difficult to get the exact nutrition information. Take advantage of the unlimited salad; just ask for half the dressing. Again, go for grilled dishes over fried and avoid the cheese and butter sauces.
o Appetizers: Garlic bread is one of the big problems when trying to order healthy Italian food. Order plain bread instead, skip the fried calamari, and share appetizers with the entire table.
The Problem
Like fettuccine Alfredo? It has as much saturated fat as three pints of full fat ice cream. Eggplant parmigiana is about as healthy as eating five fried egg rolls and that appetizer of fried calamari? It has more cholesterol than an omelet made with four eggs. Healthy Italian food is hard to find in the U.S. In southern Italy, the diet used to be comprised mostly of pasta, bread, vegetables, and other healthy foods, and that part of the country had fewer cases of heart disease, cancers, and obesity. Meat and cheese are used sparingly in the south. In the north, the use of meat and cheese is more common, as it is in the United States as well, and so are the rates of heart disease and other ailments.
How Pasta Helps
Pasta helps create healthy Italian food because it cuts down on the amount of fat in the meal. If the meal is largely pasta, you will have no problem staying below the 30% of calories coming from fat. Of course this assumes that you are staying away from cream and cheese based sauces like Alfredo, and sticking to tomato sauce. Even most meat sauces are OK to eat. This is also true for saturated fat, again assuming that you stay away from the cream and cheese based sauces. So ordering an order of spaghetti with tomato sauce is much healthier than other alternatives.
Lacking Veggies
While you can easily go with lower fat entrees at Italian restaurants, finding healthy Italian foods is more difficult than that. Many entrees are very high in sodium. Another concern is the lack of vegetables at Italian restaurants. Many dishes do not come with veggies on the side, or if they do it is a small amount and drenched in butter. A salad may help, but if you go for ordinary Italian dressing you are getting a lot of fat.
Making It Healthier
Finding healthy Italian food is easier if you know what to look for. Below are some of the better food choices. However, keep in mind that an actual portion size may be much less than what the restaurant actually serves - many Italian eateries pride themselves in their mega platters. Adding extras, such as Parmesan cheese, will affect your total numbers.
o Main dishes: Go for meatless marinara or a clam sauce. Avoid creamy sauces like Alfredo. If you have meatballs, ask for tomato sauce instead of meat sauce. Watch out for the amount of oil and butter in a dish, and skip cheese toppings.
o Olive Garden: One of the most popular Italian restaurants in the country, but it can be difficult to get the exact nutrition information. Take advantage of the unlimited salad; just ask for half the dressing. Again, go for grilled dishes over fried and avoid the cheese and butter sauces.
o Appetizers: Garlic bread is one of the big problems when trying to order healthy Italian food. Order plain bread instead, skip the fried calamari, and share appetizers with the entire table.
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