Photos by Sarah Sole
Eating healthful in general is a challenge, so finding healthful options in a typically rich, heavy cuisine such as Italian can seem nearly impossible.
It’s not easy to start from a dish such as pizza – with thousands of calories, saturated fat and sodium – or lasagna, which is almost entirely made up of fast carbohydrates, and come up with something acceptable for one’s diet.
“The problem is that many people are too accustomed to eating processed and artificially flavored food,” says Jami Householder, general manager of Moretti’s, an Italian restaurant with locations in Upper Arlington and northwest Columbus.
“When you start to eat ‘clean’ or healthy, it allows your palate to really appreciate the natural flavor of your food.”
With so many people out there giving their opinions on what food is acceptable and what food isn’t, Italian can be especially polarizing, Householder says. One expert will recommend pasta and cheese as dietary staples; another will warn diners to steer clear.
“I believe portion control is key,” says Householder. “In the U.S., many of us overeat, and we are drawn to the value of all-you-can-eat restaurants.”
Luckily, it’s perfectly possible to eat healthful at an Italian restaurant if you know what to look for. Some restaurants, like Moretti’s, make a concerted effort to put items on the menu for the health-conscious diner, be they packed with healthful ingredients or simply of smaller size.
“(Owner Tim Moretti) has many friends and customers who are competitors in the world of fitness and bodybuilding, and these customers know they can come to Moretti’s and our chefs will make items to order based on their dietary needs,” Householder says. “A customer can dine with us and get a salad with salmon, grilled chicken, shrimp or filet.”
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are abundantly popular in Italian food, from pizza to spaghetti sauce. Tomatoes are also incredibly healthful as they produce lycopene, which has been shown to reduce incidence of prostate cancer, possibly decrease risk of breast cancer, cut cholesterol and even diminish the severity of sunburns, all according to a recent review published in Annual Review of Food Science Technology.
But how does one go about eating tomatoes while avoiding the less-desirable dishes in which they appear?
Instead of going for the carb-loaded pizza, one could try a salad with tomatoes on the side, or a small pasta dish with a huge helping of tomato sauce. The pasta or penne entrée at the Moretti’s northwest Columbus location is a good example of the latter.
Fish
Dishes common to Italian restaurant menus include chicken Marsala and meatballs. In most cases, fish is a more healthful protein option.
Fish is well-known to be a good substitute for fat-filled red meat, but its benefits are farther-reaching than that.
For instance, fish is known to provide bioactive omega-3 compounds, which are suggested, through research, to protect neural brain function, alleviate signs of depression and help to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, based on a review published in Nutrients in 2014.
Whole-Grain Pasta
Those who dine at Italian restaurants are practically guaranteed to consume pasta – sometimes, a good deal of it.
Pasta, on its own, is a carb-packed affair. In fact, on average, pasta contains around 180 calories per cup, per online calorie counter www.calorieking.com. Of those calories, nearly 80 percent come from carbs.
Despite a lot of media hype, carbs are not inherently harmful. Some of them certainly are, but unrefined grains are loaded with phytonutrients, which have been known to reduce coronary heart disease and support satiation.
The take-home message should be this: Whole-grain pasta is unrefined pasta, and unrefined pasta is pasta that is not vitamin-depleted. Eating whole-grain pasta means getting more absorbable vitamins and helpful compounds.
Householder suggests “a plate of fresh, sauteed vegetables or wheat pasta with garlic, olive oil, basil and tomatoes.”
Salad
This one is going to hurt. It seems obvious to state, but the best way to stay healthy when eating Italian food may be to turn to the leafy side of Italy and choose big, vitamin-abundant salads.
The best part about salads is the variety of opportunities they offer, from helpful tomatoes to onions, which are known to reduce types of cancer and improve mood.
A good option when eating in an Italian restaurant is to try wild salmon on a salad– not only is it chock-full of reliable leafy greens, but it also includes seafood.
New Albany resident David Allen is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
