Italian food, a cuisine of the Mediterranean Diet, can be among the healthiest, with flavors from fresh vegetables, herbs and local seafood. But if you choose overly cheesy, creamy or fried items, you aren’t doing yourself a favor!
Here are a few of the “healthiest” Italian choices:
- Pasta primavera or pasta with red clam sauce
- Pasta marinara
- Minestrone soup
- Pasta Fra Diavolo (with spicy tomato sauce and seafood)
- Chicken cacciatore
- Broiled or grilled fish
- Steamed mussels or clams in brodo (broth)
- Grilled eggplant
- When you see Parmigiana—it means the food is floured, fried, then baked with cheese.
- Always ask the server to request salt be omitted from the preparation of your dish. You can add your own since most chefs are heavy-handed when it comes to cooking with salt.
- To learn about the healthiest choices when dining out, check out Beyond The Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets Of The Super-Healthy. There is an entire chapter devoted to “Being Bold When Dining Out.”