How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet

  • May 25, 2009
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You can eat Italian and still stick to your diet. Just follow these guidelines.

You Will Need

  • Knowledge of Italian menu items
  • Willpower
How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet: Skip the garlic

Step 1: Skip the garlic

Choose plain breadsticks or bread over the garlic variety, which is saturated with butter.

If you’re dipping your bread, watch the olive oil! It’s healthier than butter, but bread soaks it up like a sponge, making it easy to consume hundreds of extra calories without noticing.

How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet: Pick at the antipasto

Step 2: Pick at the antipasto

If you are served an antipasto plate – usually a spread of marinated vegetables, cheeses, and cured meats – stick with the veggies.

How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet: Dress your salad

Step 3: Dress your salad

If you order a Caesar salad, ask the server to hold the croutons and extra grated cheese.

How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet: Soup up your meal

Step 4: Soup up your meal

If you feel like having a starter, fill up on a bowl of vegetable-heavy minestrone.

How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet: Have the pasta

Step 5: Have the pasta

Enjoy an unstuffed pasta dish; just order it with marinara, meat, or clam sauce instead of cream sauce.

If you’re dying for a diet-buster like fettucine Alfredo or spaghetti carbonara, get a half portion.

How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet: Substitute

Step 6: Substitute

Ask if your chicken, fish, or veal can be broiled or grilled instead of fried or sauteed, and whether you can skip any breading or stuffing. Order vegetables on the side rather than pasta.

How To Order in an Italian Restaurant Without Blowing Your Diet: Satisfy your sweet tooth

Step 7: Satisfy your sweet tooth

Satisfy your sweet tooth by choosing fruit sorbetto or nibbling a biscotto for dessert.

Diners ranked Italian food their favorite cuisine in the Zagat Europe’s Top Restaurants 2009 guide, followed by French and Mediterranean.

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Comments (1)

Sarah_Topacio

j'aime bien mon restaurant justement. Merci

over 2 years ago by Sarah_Topacio

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