Most of the Italian entrees contain plenty of vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes and fruits. So it becomes easy for making healthy choices at Italian restaurants. There are more to choose in an Italian restaurant beyond the most popular Italian menu, pizza. Cheese is also a common ingredient for many of the specialties. So, you must know these tips on how to make healthy choices at Italian restaurants.

• Normally the starters or antipasti preparations are quite a healthy choice in Italian cuisine. Select fresh salad with croutons or a bowl of clear soup based on vegetables or poultry. You can also choose dishes with fresh seafood, as they are low in fat. But you should avoid cheesy and creamy dressings for your salad or creamy soups as they are generally high in fat count.
• Pasta is one of the favorite and popular choices of many people. You will get a wide variety of pasta menus to taste from. However, it will be better to stick with sauces prepared with vegetables, seafood or chicken instead or red meat. At certain places, you might get a variation of whole-wheat pasta instead of the normal refined version, which is obviously a much healthier choice. Cheese is an essential ingredient in many of the pasta dishes; however you can go for the one having no cheese or order for the low-fat variety.
• If you want to try anything new from the menu, then be careful in your selection. Look for the description printed beside the entrees describing the ingredients of that particular dish. Usually the recipes with creamy or cheesy description, contains large amount of cheese or cream. Similarly you should avoid anything having a description of fried. In case, you are in confusion, you may ask for assistance to explain about the ingredients.
• While having meat dishes, it is always better to select poultry over any other type of meat. Roasted or grilled types of meat will definitely make a healthy choice. Additionally take whole grain bread, rice and vegetables to fill up your appetite.
• Without a special Italian dessert, your meal is not going to be complete. You will get a plenty of variations of fruit salads to maintain your objective of healthy eating. Just avoid the fresh cream topping over the salad, instead you can take a dollop of plain yogurt to make it more tasty and healthy.
• As for the drink, a glass of Italian red wine will be perfectly healthy for you than selecting any of the carbonated drinks.

While making healthy choices at Italian restaurants, use your normal sense to identify which one is good and which one is bad for your health; so that you can safely enjoy the taste of the most authentic Italian cuisine.
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