Monday, September 20, 2010

Food Around the World Part #6; Italy:

Okay so when you think of the “American Italian” cuisine most of us think cheesy fatty super high calorie, diet destruction, lasagna! And yes a lot of Italian food is high in refined foods, heavy creamy sauces, and rich fatty cheese. But in true Italian cuisine this are all served in much smaller portions and without so much cheese and refined carbohydrates.

So what makes this type of cuisine good for us? Well the main true Italian ingredients are tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley and basil. Tomatoes contain lycopene, which helps protect women against breast cancer. Garlic and the fresh Italian herbs are full of Vitamin A and C! Plus we all know how amazing olive oil is at lowering cholesterol, fighting heart disease, and burning belly fat.

Most true Italian cuisine is not based around fatty cheese. Yes, Italians do use Parmesan, but it is used more as a garnish and harder cheeses are much better for you in general. So make sure to stay away from the American-Italian extra cheese pizza or the fatty lasagna!!


1 comment:

  1. Also, I hear that Italians either eat pasta or they eat bread but never both in the same meal! Not sure if that's true or not but it's a good rule of thumb nonetheless...

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