Small Steps to Health

Make the Smarter Choice – Italian Food

April 23rd, 2008 by asithi · No Comments

Last time we discussed the smarter choices when eating at fast food restaurants and American restaurants. Here is the third post of our making smarter choices when eating out series. We will be discussing what to avoid, the smarter choice to make, and special requests we should be making when we eat at restaurants that serve Italian food.

For Italian food restaurants the fat traps to avoid are:

• Alfredo or other cream based sauce.
• Cheese based grain dishes (I love cheese raviolis!).
• Double cheese pizza.
• Garlic bread.
• Large portions with rich sauces.
• Thick crust pizzas (especially the cheese filled ones).

The smarter choices are:

• Bean and pasta soup.
• Whole grain pasta with veggies.
• Wine based sauces.
• Pasta marinara (no meat).
• Salad.
• Thin crust pizza with extra veggies.

Consider making these special requests:

• Hold the cheese (or make it light).
• Add veggies to pizza or pasta.
• Plain bread with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.
• Light on sauce or oil.

Whenever I eat at a spaghetti and pizza place, I tend to eat more than I normally do. Yet I feel hungry within a couple of hours. Carbs taste great, but I really need to bulk it up with extra veggies. Maybe it is the sugar, but I used to love getting my pasta swimming in sauce. Now when I make pasta at home, I make whole grain pasta (yes, it takes some getting used to), bulk the sauce with veggies, and only lightly coat the pasta with sauce. So the key here is to bulk up your pasta or pizza with veggies and light on the sauce or cheese. Make the smarter choice.

PS. I know Italian food consist of more than pasta and pizza.

Until next time and thanks for stopping by.

Tagged Dining Out, Dining Out

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Related Posts:

• Make the Smarter Choice - Indian Food
• Make the Smarter Choice – American Food
• Make the Smarter Choice - Mexican and Greek Food
• Make the Smarter Choice - Asian Food

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