![\"plate](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/19152140\/what-to-order-italian-restaurant-600-cheesestick.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nItalian restaurants have a welcoming atmosphere and a menu full of comfort foods \u2014 what\u2019s not to love? But the food at Italian restaurants is often \u201cloaded with fat and calories,\u201d says Andrea N. Giancoli, M.P.H., R.D.<\/p>\n
So does that mean you have to give up your favorite dining spot in order to stay healthy?<\/p>\n
Nope \u2014 we\u2019ve rounded up the healthiest foods to order at an Italian restaurant (along with a few menu items to avoid).<\/p>\n
Navigating the menu at an Italian restaurant can be a bit daunting, but Giancoli uses one trick to help zero in on the healthier fare: Look for the veggies.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs with any restaurant, the more vegetable-packed dishes you order, the better,\u201d she says. Veggies help fill you up without a ton of extra calories \u2014 and you don\u2019t have to settle for plain old steamed veggies.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpinach and garlic saut\u00e9ed in a little olive oil is both delicious and healthy,\u201d Giancoli adds. \u201cJust make sure you ask them to go light on the oil.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are seven other healthy Italian foods you can enjoy (in moderation, of course) without wrecking your healthy eating goals.<\/p>\n
Fried calamari, a.k.a. squid, can be a calorie-laden seafood appetizer \u2014 but its grilled counterpart can be a healthier option.<\/p>\n
Unprepared calamari clocks in at just 99 calories and 17 grams of protein per 4-ounce serving.<\/p>\n
Of course, olive oil is common in Italian recipes, especially grilled calamari, so just be sure to request that the chef goes easy on the oil to reduce the calorie count.<\/p>\n
Bruschetta offers a balance of macronutrients: carbohydrates (bread), fresh vegetables (tomatoes), and healthy fats (olive oil).<\/p>\n
Again, ask them to go light on the oil \u2014 olive oil \u201cdoes have a lot of calories, so it\u2019s easy to overdo it without realizing,\u201d says Giancoli.<\/p>\n
While the fresh mozzarella in a caprese salad packs a calorie punch \u2014 72 calories per ounce \u2014 the tomatoes and sweet basil balance it out. And \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 try to limit the olive oil to keep the calorie count down.<\/p>\n
Like calamari, mussels offers plenty of protein \u2014 27 grams in a 4-ounce serving.<\/p>\n
And although white wine sauce is often made with butter, Giancoli says it\u2019s still a healthier option because you typically don\u2019t polish off the whole bowl of sauce: \u201cAs long as you\u2019re not licking up every drop or soaking up the sauce with bread, you\u2019re good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wait \u2014 gnocchi?! You might be surprised to see these pasta dumplings on the \u201cgood\u201d list, but it depends on what type of gnocchi you order.<\/p>\n
Gnocchi can be \u201ca pretty heavy dish,\u201d Giancoli notes \u2014 especially if made with ricotta cheese or topped with pesto.<\/p>\n
The trick, she says, is to order potato gnocchi \u2014 it\u2019s made with fewer ingredients, and has around 250 calories and 5 grams of protein per 1-cup serving.<\/p>\n
Order it with checca sauce if available, and \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 ask them to go light on the oil.<\/p>\n
Ordering a charcuterie board packed with meats is a smart move \u201ceven though it\u2019s comprised of all meat and cheese,\u201d says Giancoli.<\/p>\n
The reason: You typically share it as an appetizer, so you won\u2019t load up on fat and calories before your entree even arrives.<\/p>\n
Minestrone is one of the healthiest soup options at Italian restaurants because \u201cyou get a ton of vegetables with only a little bit of pasta,\u201d says Giancoli.<\/p>\n
An eight-ounce serving of broth-based minestrone at Olive Garden is only 110 calories with one gram of fat, making it an ideal option to help fill you up before the main course.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rule number one for Italian cuisine: If it\u2019s fried or made with cream, it\u2019s probably not the healthiest option. That said, sometimes the wording on the menu can trick you into thinking it\u2019s healthy Italian food.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what to watch out for when you order.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just packets of fat,\u201d says Giancoli. Need we say more?<\/p>\n
Sure, eggplant is a healthy food that has potassium, niacin, and other nutrients \u2014 but at most Italian restaurants, this dish is served deep-fried and covered in cheese.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t necessarily have to avoid it altogether,\u201d says Giancoli. \u201cJust order it as an appetizer and have a couple of slices, instead of as a meal.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Or you could always whip up a healthier eggplant Parmesan at home.)<\/p>\n
The breading and oil in fried calamari add a lot of unnecessary fat and calories \u2014 stick with the grilled version.<\/p>\n
Salad is healthy, right? Not necessarily. \u201cCaesar salads are made with a lot of cheese and oil \u2014 not exactly light fare,\u201d says Giancoli.<\/p>\n
If you do order it, she adds, make sure you ask for the dressing on the side so you can enjoy the flavor without overdoing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cItalians are famous for their bread,\u201d says Giancoli. It can be hard to resist a basket of breadsticks, especially when they arrive at the table while you\u2019re still waiting for your meal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re trying to cut down on calories, ask them to take it away or not bring it at all,\u201d Giancoli advises. If you want a stick of bread, try asking for a whole-grain option.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s best to avoid cream-based dishes like fettuccine alfredo because \u201cthey have sky-high amounts of saturated fat and calories,\u201d Giancoli says.<\/p>\n
For example, a side order of fettuccine alfredo at Carrabba\u2019s Italian Grill is 690 calories with 49 grams of fat. And a dinner-sized portion at Olive Garden has over 1,000 calories.<\/p>\n
Zuppa toscana is packed with veggies like kale and celery, along with protein-filled beans and other healthy ingredients \u2014 but the broth is cream-based instead of broth-based, which increases the calorie count.<\/p>\n
A serving of zuppa toscana at Olive Garden has 220 calories \u2014 double the calories in their minestrone.<\/p>\n
![\"soup](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/19152149\/what-to-order-italian-restaurant-600-soup-salad.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
Here are a few other simple tricks for staying (relatively) healthy when dining at an Italian restaurant.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t want to spent time scouring the menu for the healthy Italian recipes (or trying to resist the eggplant parm)?<\/p>\n
Many Italian restaurant chains now offer special lower-calorie menus that feature lighter versions of popular favorites.<\/p>\n
The portion sizes at Italian restaurants can be epic, so ask your server to put half of your meal in a to-go box before you start eating.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of us just eat what\u2019s in front of us,\u201d says Giancoli. It\u2019s easier to stop when you can\u2019t see the rest.<\/p>\n
Bonus: You don\u2019t have to worry about what to cook for dinner tomorrow!<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t overeat if you\u2019re already full from healthier fare.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a salad without a cream-based dressing, or a broth-based soup like minestrone first, it can help you eat fewer calories overall,\u201d says Giancoli.<\/p>\n
While it may seem counterintuitive to add extra cheese to an Italian dish, parm is actually \u201cvery flavorful, so you don\u2019t need much to add that extra punch to your food,\u201d Giancoli says.<\/p>\n
If possible, add it yourself so you can control how much goes on your food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Italian restaurants have a welcoming atmosphere and a menu full of comfort foods \u2014 what\u2019s not to love? But the food at Italian restaurants is often \u201cloaded with fat and calories,\u201d says Andrea N. Giancoli, M.P.H., R.D. So does that mean you have to give up your favorite dining spot in order to stay healthy? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1585"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1587,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585\/revisions\/1587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}