Many diets recommend controlling carbohydrates as part of their plan. Diabetics in particular need to be weary of carbohydrates and the gylcemic index of the foods they take in. Italian restaurants over time have developed a reputation of a very bad place to go if you are watching carbohydrates.
It is true that many Italian restaurants may have large amounts of carbohydrates. But there are also many things that people can do to help control these carbohydrates. Learn the secret to controlling carbs in an Italian restaurant.
♦ Healthy Alternatives ♦
Check out the menu at the Italian restaurant. Many restaurants these days will have labels next to heart healthy/low calorie and reduced carbohydrate meals. This can make things a lot easier if they do. If the food is prepared in to be as healthy as possible this will lower your risks a lot to start.
♦ Breads: Try to Avoid Them ♦
Breads are full of carbohydrates. Many Italian restaurants offer plates of breads with their meals. Some breads like Chiabatta are naturally lower in carbs than many alternatives. That doesn’t mean you can pound down the breads. Have a small piece and be done with it. It is a matter of discipline, if you down a whole tray of breads, carbohydrate wise you will be in trouble no matter if it is a slightly lower carb choice or not. If they offer it, and you want –one piece- it your best bet carbohydrate wise is any whole wheat option.
♦ Pasta: make it Whole Wheat and Al Dente ♦
Pasta has a fair amount of carbohydrates, no getting around that. What they use to make the pasta is very important though. Make sure you go for whole wheat versions of the pasta. Ask for the pasta cooked, “al dente”. Al Dente means firm -but not hard- pasta. When pasta is cooked Al Dente it has a much lower glycemic index than pasta that is cooked soft. Lower glycemic index is the really important part of reducing carbohydrates.
♦ Salad : Watch Toppings ♦
Be careful with your salads. Tread lightly around bacon, cheeses, avocado and high fat dressings. Vinegar and oil are classics that are also pretty good carbohydrate and diet-wise.
♦ Soups ♦
Cream soups are bad. Stay away from them for the best carbohydrate soups stay away from potato,noodle and cream based soups. Go for nice broth based soups that will be much healthier.
♦ Sauces ♦
One of the best things about Italian eating is some wonderful sauces. This is pretty simple to learn what to avoid. Go for tomato and avoid any of the white sauces. It is pretty simple thing but can really help keep the carbs down and assist in healthier living.
♦ Reduce Portion Size ♦
One of the best ways to watch what you take in is to use one of many methods to decrease portion size. Italian restaurant portions are often particularly large. People often do not realize how big meals can be in comparison to normal portion sizes. A portion size cut of meat is the size of a deck of cards. A meal sized portion of rice, potato or pasta is about the size of a baseball. Sometimes at Italian restaurants there will be two-three times this amount presented. Being able to visualize portions like this is essential. It gives you a good idea of how much you are consuming so you know when to stop without waiting for your stomach to tell you.
To reduce portion size you can, ask for less, share a plate, plan to take ½ home and a lot more interesting little tricks. Make sure you try these, because portion size is one of the really bad things about eating out that can pack on the pounds.
♦ The secret to controlling carbs in an Italian restaurant ♦
Italian restaurant eating can be rough on someone watching carbs. There are lots of breads and pastas that are chocked full of carbohydrates. The best thing to do is get the pasta cooked Al Dente and ensure that both pasta and any breads use whole wheat alternatives. It is not easy, but even eating in Italian restaurants can be carb conscious if people watch and take care of what food they take in.
Written by GenePatterson