Italian food
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drpsamin
Posts: 265 Member
Going to an Italian restaurant for lunch tomorrow. What shall I eat that's lowest in cals and healthiest?
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Replies
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I recently went to an italian restaurant and before I went, had a quick browse on their website to get a good idea of the nutritional information. If you can do this I would recommend. The healthiest I found was the chicken and spiced meat dishes. However I still had a pizza (more italian) and made room in my calories to squeeze it in.0
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Great idea glancing online at their nutritional values. And like stated, try to accommodate through other meals for more calories in this meal. If you go over your calories 1 day don't freak out, it takes 3500 calories surplus to gain a pound. If nothing else go for salad and chicken0
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I third looking at an online menu, if possible. Lighten up your other meals, do some extra cardio, and take a maintenance day and you should be able to order whatever you like. I see no point in going out to enjoy your meal if you aren't actually going to enjoy it because you are worrying too much about the nutritional value. If several dishes sound good to you and you have no particular preference, pick the one with the lowest calorie content. If you have a certain preference then have that regardless of calories.3
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I find risotto is a decent choice, or a roasted meat. If I get a pasta I see if it comes in a smaller plate option. If a huge plate is the only way it is served I ask for a box right away and do my portion control before I start to eat.
I generally don't eat out much, so I don't worry if it's a splurge. But those are my go-to's if I feel like I've been over doing it on the eating.0 -
For dessert consider an affogato. It's usually a pretty reasonably sized scoop of vanilla gelato served in a shot of hot espresso. Ask them to leave out any sugary added liqueurs. Total deliciousness & a much leaner choice than anything on the pastry cart!0
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Thanks for the tips0
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I avoid Italian restaurants like the plague. Seriously, they don't have any healthy choice... everything's breaded and covered in buttery or oily sauce and has hundreds of calories!
The best option might just be a half plate of pasta with some tomato sauce, but that's not exactly great for protein. Or some ravioli... I'm guessing it's usually around 300 calories a cup... Or ask if you can have some grilled chicken with veggies. Or ask for the sauce on the side and the meat not breaded.
If I go to an Italian restaurant I make sure that I have 1000 calories available frankly, that way I can eat pretty much anything (but obviously dessert will put me over, although most cannolis are 'only' 400ish calories).0 -
Hahaha... I'm married into a northern Italian clan. There's no avoiding it! Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories. Like I said: risottos that aren't overly cheesy and are made with homemade bone broths stand out. Soup of the day can be great. Roasts and chickens cooked al forno are no different than what you would make at home. Fresh fish is very good. Italians don't cheese up their fishes. The salads are sublime, and if prepared properly will be under dressed by gloppy salad bar standards.
That said, my husbands 97 year old uncle passed away in January leading to two huge Italian funerary luncheons, the first at his internment & the second a month or so later on his birthday. Both at very fine Italian restaurants. I didn't count calories. I ate what I wanted. I drank the wine. I started with a Campari & soda like all the old ladies. I laughed. I cried. I cleaned up my plate with a heel of bread which I also ate. That is life, and life is beautiful. Weight loss continued to happen on the other days.12 -
I used to dislike going to Olive Garden, but they've recently revamped their menu with more lower calorie options that are pretty decent. I only go there when it's with a group, but I like that I can make it work pretty easily.
Most times when I go out for Italian I'm looking for dishes that are protein centric like chicken or seafood that aren't heavily breaded, where the pasta is optional or just rounds out the dish, and have a good portion of vegetables. I rarely have trouble making it work somehow.
Worst case, eat half and ask for a to-go box for later.0 -
Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories.
Exactly. Here are some sample dishes from my favorite Italian restaurant:
Lobster Risotto
Local corn, fava beans, cherry tomatoes
Veal Scaloppine Carciofi
Shrimp & artichokes, lemon white wine sauce
Tuscan Grilled Rib – Eye
Garlic herb rub, lemon zest, grilled to your liking
Black Sea Bass
Evoo, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon
Side dishes include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccoli and wild mushroom saute.
Yes, there are some cheese-laden calorie bombs, but there are plenty of good choices.
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My advice - leftovers. At the beginning, ask yourself "should I eat all of this in one sitting?" and if the answer is no, eyeball how much of it you're going to take home. Then when you've eaten half the entree, get a box and hide that *kitten* away before you are tempted to eat it, lol.
It's a good way to compromise splurge-y foods and portion sizes. It comes in handy when I still wanna go to my favorite restaurants!
*edit: seriously, the forums are censored? I cannot use the S-word? Ugh.0 -
booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories.
Exactly. Here are some sample dishes from my favorite Italian restaurant:
Lobster Risotto
Local corn, fava beans, cherry tomatoes
Veal Scaloppine Carciofi
Shrimp & artichokes, lemon white wine sauce
Tuscan Grilled Rib – Eye
Garlic herb rub, lemon zest, grilled to your liking
Black Sea Bass
Evoo, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon
Side dishes include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccoli and wild mushroom saute.
Yes, there are some cheese-laden calorie bombs, but there are plenty of good choices.
+1. I want to try that place, it sounds awesome!0 -
booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories.
Exactly. Here are some sample dishes from my favorite Italian restaurant:
Lobster Risotto
Local corn, fava beans, cherry tomatoes
Veal Scaloppine Carciofi
Shrimp & artichokes, lemon white wine sauce
Tuscan Grilled Rib – Eye
Garlic herb rub, lemon zest, grilled to your liking
Black Sea Bass
Evoo, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon
Side dishes include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccoli and wild mushroom saute.
Yes, there are some cheese-laden calorie bombs, but there are plenty of good choices.
Ok I don't really see most of those as lower calorie options... Risotto is often 300-400+ calories per cup, the lemon wine sauce is probably a calorie bomb for the veal (which is braided), and sauteed veggies can be all over the place but you probably have close to 1 tbsp of oil per serving..
So yeah, out of those things, the sea bass is probably the only one that isn't 800 calories...1 -
booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories.
Exactly. Here are some sample dishes from my favorite Italian restaurant:
Lobster Risotto
Local corn, fava beans, cherry tomatoes
Veal Scaloppine Carciofi
Shrimp & artichokes, lemon white wine sauce
Tuscan Grilled Rib – Eye
Garlic herb rub, lemon zest, grilled to your liking
Black Sea Bass
Evoo, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon
Side dishes include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccoli and wild mushroom saute.
Yes, there are some cheese-laden calorie bombs, but there are plenty of good choices.
Ok I don't really see most of those as lower calorie options... Risotto is often 300-400+ calories per cup, the lemon wine sauce is probably a calorie bomb for the veal (which is braided), and sauteed veggies can be all over the place but you probably have close to 1 tbsp of oil per serving..
So yeah, out of those things, the sea bass is probably the only one that isn't 800 calories...
Meh. I guess I don't see grilled rib eye and sautéed spinach to be the same as Olive Garden sausage stuffed giant rigatoni.5 -
I always plan to eat half of whatever I order and take the rest home. Pasta dishes reheat really well
There's some great suggestions here, too.
~Lyssa0 -
booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories.
Exactly. Here are some sample dishes from my favorite Italian restaurant:
Lobster Risotto
Local corn, fava beans, cherry tomatoes
Veal Scaloppine Carciofi
Shrimp & artichokes, lemon white wine sauce
Tuscan Grilled Rib – Eye
Garlic herb rub, lemon zest, grilled to your liking
Black Sea Bass
Evoo, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon
Side dishes include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccoli and wild mushroom saute.
Yes, there are some cheese-laden calorie bombs, but there are plenty of good choices.
Ok I don't really see most of those as lower calorie options... Risotto is often 300-400+ calories per cup, the lemon wine sauce is probably a calorie bomb for the veal (which is braided), and sauteed veggies can be all over the place but you probably have close to 1 tbsp of oil per serving..
So yeah, out of those things, the sea bass is probably the only one that isn't 800 calories...
Unless you're going out and eating specifically off of a low calorie menu, most restaurants aren't going to be particularly low calorie regardless of whether it's Italian or something else.
Most of that is going to clock in less calories than a typical entree at Olive Garden or similar institutionalized franchise slop house so in that regard it's really relative. Most local places I eat at also provide for more reasonable portions, not the mass portions that are typically served at franchise shops...and of course, the quality is far superior.
Personally, 800 calories or so for a nice lunch or dinner doesn't seem unreasonable.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories.
Exactly. Here are some sample dishes from my favorite Italian restaurant:
Lobster Risotto
Local corn, fava beans, cherry tomatoes
Veal Scaloppine Carciofi
Shrimp & artichokes, lemon white wine sauce
Tuscan Grilled Rib – Eye
Garlic herb rub, lemon zest, grilled to your liking
Black Sea Bass
Evoo, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon
Side dishes include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccoli and wild mushroom saute.
Yes, there are some cheese-laden calorie bombs, but there are plenty of good choices.
Ok I don't really see most of those as lower calorie options... Risotto is often 300-400+ calories per cup, the lemon wine sauce is probably a calorie bomb for the veal (which is braided), and sauteed veggies can be all over the place but you probably have close to 1 tbsp of oil per serving..
So yeah, out of those things, the sea bass is probably the only one that isn't 800 calories...
Unless you're going out and eating specifically off of a low calorie menu, most restaurants aren't going to be particularly low calorie regardless of whether it's Italian or something else.
Most of that is going to clock in less calories than a typical entree at Olive Garden or similar institutionalized franchise slop house so in that regard it's really relative. Most local places I eat at also provide for more reasonable portions, not the mass portions that are typically served at franchise shops...and of course, the quality is far superior.
Personally, 800 calories or so for a nice lunch or dinner doesn't seem unreasonable.
If it's a once in awhile thing even double that is still reasonable, even for a woman. 1700 or so maintenance + 400 calories exercise = 2100 calories. 200 calories for a morning omelette, 300 calories for a chicken salad for lunch, and you are left with 1600 calories. Heck, even having 500 more calories above that is still fine because it would only take one day of deficit to undo that.3 -
booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Actually, the finer the restaurant the broader your choices will be. If you only ever get Olive Garden quality Italian you'll walk away with a poor stereotype in terms of calories.
Exactly. Here are some sample dishes from my favorite Italian restaurant:
Lobster Risotto
Local corn, fava beans, cherry tomatoes
Veal Scaloppine Carciofi
Shrimp & artichokes, lemon white wine sauce
Tuscan Grilled Rib – Eye
Garlic herb rub, lemon zest, grilled to your liking
Black Sea Bass
Evoo, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon
Side dishes include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccoli and wild mushroom saute.
Yes, there are some cheese-laden calorie bombs, but there are plenty of good choices.
Ok I don't really see most of those as lower calorie options... Risotto is often 300-400+ calories per cup, the lemon wine sauce is probably a calorie bomb for the veal (which is braided), and sauteed veggies can be all over the place but you probably have close to 1 tbsp of oil per serving..
So yeah, out of those things, the sea bass is probably the only one that isn't 800 calories...
Those happened to be her particular favorites from that restaurant, not the whole menu. She was trying to illustrate that there are broader selections than big pasta sauce and cheese dishes that can fit almost anyone's goalsand needs.
Also, remember it's one meal. In the context of a day or week, even a meal that is a couple hundred calories over the ideal is no big deal. Life is too short to avoid family and social events because one might go over their calories for one meal. If anything, if the OP can successfully navigate the menu to lighter fare she might show some people she cares about that there other options.
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Thanks guys! I'm gonna opt for a salad I think!! Either that or the chicken. But salad may be safer.0
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I think we're are talking about corporate Italian American cuisine here; because REAL Italian cuisine is not as calorie dense. But people actually think Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant.
Fettuccini Alfredo and chicken Parmesan are American dishes, for example, and are pretty unknown on "the boot."
Checking the menu ahead of time is a good suggestion. Look for chicken and fish dishes. Marinara's are less calories than meat sauces which are less calories than cream sauces. If you do order a pasta, be mindful of a huge portion.
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