Boston Italian Restaurants Italian Restaurant in Boston

Eating Italian Food

To most people, Italian food means "pasta." And that's good news, because pasta itself is low in fat. It's the pesto and cream sauces that add all the fat and calories. So bring on the fettucine and breadsticks, and load up on marinara sauce. That's amore!
Tips: Enjoy pasta as a main entree rather than as an appetizer. Share foods among your dinner companions. Ask your waiter to hold the Parmesan (grated) cheese, and the bacon, olives and pine nuts. If you order pizza, choose healthy ingredients like spinach, mushrooms, broccoli and roasted peppers.

Instead of Try:

Instead of -> Fried calamari
Try -> Roasted peppers or minestrone soup


Instead of -> Cheese or meat-filled pastas or casserole-type dishes (such as Alfredo sauce)
Try -> Pasta primavera (with sauteed garden vegetables) or pasta with white or red clam sauce


Instead of -> Pasta with butter or cream sauces
Try -> Pasta with marsala sauce (made with wine) or marinara sauce (made with tomatoes, onions and garlic)


Instead of -> Any scallopine or parmagiana (floured, fried and baked with cheese) dish
Try -> Marsala and piccatta dishes


Instead of -> Italian pastries such as cream cake
Try -> Italian ices

from: http://www.americanheart.org