Ultimate Guide to Healthy Italian Cuisine

Italian food is one of the most popular ethnic cuisines in the United States. Italian cuisine follows the Mediterranean style of cooking by using olive oil, complex carbohydrates, with smaller portions of meats and cheese. However, Italian cuisine can be harmful to the waistline if one is not aware of how to order healthfully. Here is the ultimate guide to healthy Italian cuisine.

For starters, enjoy the crusty Italian bread, but limit the butter and olive oil. Or better yet, eliminate the butter and olive oil altogether. Share the basket with your fellow diners to limit your portion to one slice.

Italian restaurants offer fabulous insalata, or garden salad, usually featuring an array of vegetables such as radicchio, arugula, and tomatoes. These salads are usually dressed in a vinaigrette dressing. Ask for the dressing on the side, and use it sparingly to enjoy the flavor of the fresh vegetables. Beware of the traditional antipasti dish, which is usually loaded with high-calorie meats and cheeses.

Many Italian restaurants also offer delicious, healthful soups that are low in calorie and high in fiber, vitamins and minerals, such as minestrone and pasta fagioli. A nice soup and salad can make a nice light meal with a flavorful glass of red wine.

For your main entree, choose meals that offer tomato-based sauces such as marinara, and try to limit entrees with alfredo sauces. Pasta is a very healthy complex carbohydrate, and when served in a marinara sauce, quite delicious.

When choosing meat entrees, look for cacciatore and marsala style over parmigiana to limit fat and calories. Primavera dishes usually indicate fresh vegetables. However these are often prepared with cream sauces. Be sure to read the menu description carefully, or ask your server.

Portion sizes at Italian restaurants can be large. It is okay to request smaller portions, or ask for the to go box to enjoy the rest of your meal the next day.

Keep in mind that vodka sauce, though delicious, is cream-based and therefore high in calories. Fried mozzarella is full of fat and calories. Fresh mozzarella, on the other hand, is fine in a nice salad served with tomatoes and lettuce. Pesto is very flavorful and is great if used sparingly, but bear in mind that it is mostly olive oil and therefore high in calories.

For desserts, it is best to choose Italian fruit ice or sorbets, rather than something like tiramisu.

Thanks for reading the Ultimate Guide to Healthy Italian Cuisine. Bon appetito!