Healthiest Foods When Eating Italian: What to Order in an Italian Restaurant When on a Diet

The Bread Issue

First of all, let’s put to rest the Italian diet notion that you must request the bread be taken off the table or abstain from eating it while it is sitting in front of you. In general, it’s a ludicrous suggestion unless you’re eating alone or with other dieters. Are your dining companions really to lose out on the bread because of your diet? Furthermore, it is cruel and unusual punishment to expect yourself not to enjoy a little bit of fresh bread. If you abstain, it will most likely this will backfire; as you become bitter and overly deprived, you are bound to blow the diet altogether and really go overboard.

Instead, make a deal with yourself that you’ll only have a piece or two of the bread. Set the goal in your mind ahead of time and visualize it. When eating the bread, take the time to enjoy it. Don’t take too much – an average slice of Italian bread is about one ounce (about the width of your thumb) and will be around 100 calories.

Beyond the Pasta Primavera

Inevitably, any Italian restaurant with dieter’s options is going to point you to the pasta primavera. If this is good enough for you, then you are well on your way to dieting success. However, if the thought of another plate of pasta primavera makes you want to gag, consider other options. While eggplant parmesan is breaded and fried, the insides are eggplant, so the caloric damage still isn’t as bad as a plate of fettuccini alfredo, pizza or a meat-and-chese-stuffed lasagna or pasta dish. (Speaking of lasagna, consider the vegetable lasagna.)

The trick with not going the primavera route is to watch your portions. Whether you decide to make an appetizer your entire meal or go for the eggplant parmesean or veggie lasagna, you will want to carefully watch the potions. When it comes to entrees, unless it is incredibly low in calories, you will want to stop at half, maybe even one-third if the portions are extremely generous. In addition, supplement the meal with brothy soup, salad, and/or fruit.

Dessert

If this meal is a special occasion, don’t skip out on desert. Additionally, if you grazed a salad during the main course, eel free to indulge in a little dessert. When ordering dessert at an Italian restaurant, share the desert with another – sharing with two is even better. There are even restaurants that offer dessert “shots,” which are parfaits or a small piece of desert placed in a shot glass. However you decide to indulge, the key is to find something you like and watch the portions. If you had too much bread or main course during the meal, consider skipping the dessert in favor of coffee.