Italian dishes are famous for their rich calorie-filled varieties. It sure is tasty, but eating Italian food regularly in restaurants is not recommended as it is not a healthy diet choice for people who tend to gain weight easily. The calories from cheese, cream sauces, and rich toppings soon add up. But you need not be worried; having a balanced diet in Italian restaurants is also a possibility if you follow these six steps:
Cancel the breads:
Almost all Italian meals have breads as a part of them which can be a trap for the ones who are not aware of the drawbacks. Garlic bread-sticks are saturated with oil or butter that is high in calories. Sometimes the fats might even be trans-fat in some lesser quality places. You can, instead, go for alternatives like unbuttered, plain Italian bread, or plain Italian bread along with balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dipping. The other option for appetizer is the bruschetta or you can ask for grissini that are dry sticks like crackers.
Careful about appetizers:
These can increase the overall calories of the meal. The healthy option for appetizers are vegetables marinated on the antipasto plate and go for feta cheese if need be. A bowl of soup can be a great appetizer. The common hazardous appetizers are the fried cheese cubes, fried mozzarella sticks, and fried calamari rings. These can add over 800 calories to your meal so think before you order your food.
Go easy on the cheese:
I know it’s too hard to resist the cheese in Italian restaurants; the tip is to go for the dishes that need not have been cooked in cheese, rather it is sprinkled on the top. In this case, you always have the option to ask the chef to cancel the cheese altogether or cut the amount to half. Some of the dishes that you should be careful about are lasagna, cannelloni, ravioli, and all baked and stuffed pasta dishes.
Pasta sauce should be without cream:
Preferably go for simple tomato sauce like marinara or pomodoro, meat sauce without cheese or cream, pasta which is tossed in fresh garlic or herbs, and clam sauce. Avoid Alfredo and Carbonara.
Go for the Salads
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Check out the healthier sauces they put on the salads, and you are ready for a healthy and delicious dish for yourself in your favorite Italian restaurant. Go for green vegetable salad, pasta salad, or bean salads. Ask the waiter to go easy on the croutons, extra cheese, or dressings, and you can dig into the plain Caesar salad. Else, the cold vegetable salads like potato salad and green bean with a little olive oil can be good options.
Choose a light dessert (dolce):
The best options for dessert are biscotti or fruit sorbet because of their nutritional value. Tiramisu lovers should know that even a normal size portion contains over 300 calories. Always try to stick to fresh fruit options. You can share them with your partner so that the prices do not seem to bother much!
Author Bio:
Jeremy Canter authors blog posts on Casamundo villa rental and deals for the same. He has been in the realty business for over 20 years now. His love for what he does reflects in the satisfaction that his clients go home with. He also writes very helpful posts for buyers to make wise decisions.
