Italian
Italian restaurants love to use olive oil. Though it's a comparatively healthy oil, it still contains 13 grams of fat per teaspoon and won't help you get lean. Look out for vegetables and meat grilled with olive oil, and request that your pasta be boiled in oil-free water. Since pasta is a processed food (and therefore calorically dense), try to eat moderate portions of it. An example of a good meal in an Italian restaurant would be a half order of pasta with grilled chicken and a Caesar salad with the dressing on the side.
EAT
- Grilled portobello mushrooms with balsamic vinegar and garlic (no oil)
- Grilled shrimp (no oil) with oil-free sauce on the side
- Grilled chicken Caesar salad with dressing on the side and no croutons
- Baked potato
- Skinless chicken in a light wine sauce
- Tossed green salad with dressing on the side
- Grilled vegetable plate (no oil) with sauce on the side
- Vegetable stuffed peppers
- Pasta with grilled chicken and vegetables (no oil)
- Steamed vegetables
- Pizza with your favorite vegetables (no cheese or just half the usual amount of cheese) and grilled chicken or shrimp
REDUCE
- Cream sauces
- Fatty meats like pepperoni, sausage and prosciutto
- Anything breaded or fried like veal or eggplant
- White breads
- Olive oil
- Olives (both black and green)
- Garlic bread
- Plain pasta that's been cooked with oil
- Pizza (except as previously described)
- Lasagna
- Artichoke hearts soaked in oil
