Italy
is famous for its history, beautiful countryside and stunning
architecture, but one of the biggest reasons why millions of people
holiday there each year is because of the amazing foods and wine. If
you’ve ever experienced real Italian food, then you’ll know then there’s
a big difference to the way it is served outside of Italy, with
emphasis on grains, vegetables, olive oil and beans.
Furthermore,
the amount of red meat used in Italian cooking is limited, with the
majority of the ingredients coming from plants. It just goes to show how
healthy traditional Italian food really is, showing how easy it is to
stay in shape whilst travelling. Let’s take a look at how to eat healthy
in Italy on holiday.
Fast Food Joints
This
isn’t just a rule for holidaying in Italy, it’s a rule forever! There’s
nothing good or nutritional that comes from eating in fast food
establishments, and if you’ve been eating healthy for a number of weeks
prior to your holiday, then a Big Mac meal or some processed meat and
carbohydrates will certainly cause distress to your bowl movements.
Over
the last ten years, there have been a number of fast food chains that
have begun to spring up all over Italy, excluding the big dogs like
McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut. The continued commercialisation of Italy
will cause even more of these high calorie, high fat fast food chains to
open, meaning people might just turn to a quick burger in a time of
hunger need. However there’s nothing nutritional in these meals, and
you’ll be much better off spending the extra time finding a traditional
place to eat.
Restaurant Eating
Italy
is the home of traditional cooking, but don’t be fooled into thinking
that every restaurant offers the same style, ingredients and favourite
traditional dishes. When it comes to tourism, the more successful
businesses are the ones who find and adapt to niches in the market, and
there’s always money to be made with western food!
If
you’re eating at a real traditional Italian restaurant, you should see
that the menu only offers the best local ingredients combined with
grains, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats – basically all the best
parts of the Mediterranean diet. As soon as you see that dreaded burger
on the menu, keep on walking! Instead of settling for an easy meal, why
not rent a car from Auto Europe and undertake your own traditional food road trip.
Processed Ingredients
If
you want to keep healthy on your holiday to Italy, then watching out
for processed ingredients is a must – even in supposedly ‘traditional’
places to eat. Cream based products really give the game away, as well
lots of menu dishes containing red or processed meat. Not only will
these dishes contain high amounts of calories, but they’ll also have
their fair share of saturated fats, meaning you’ll find it hard to keep
the weight off.
Limit Your Portions
There’s
nothing wrong with pasta, especially the way the Italians cook it.
However the Italians also love to feed, and their portions are
traditionally huge! That much pasta on a regular basis, no matter how
good it tastes, will be wasted carbohydrates, meaning it will just go
straight to your wasteline.
