When you think of Italian food, you may think of many savory and indulgent things that would send the average American dieter’s head spinning. But, if you visit Italy, you will find that they are much fitter than you would expect. As it happens, they have many customs that help to keep them healthy that we could really learn a great deal from.

Here are four ways Italians keep their scrumptious menus on the table without breaking their belts.

Italians eat a small breakfast

Breakfast consists of coffee with milk and sugar, a small croissant or biscotti. Just enough to get the day going, not an enormous plate of eggs, bacon, waffles and syrup. And definitely no processed junk food. Breakfast is a small event. Lunch is the most important meal of the day and they save room for it.

Italians eat only fresh food

You would never catch Italians eating out of season frozen ingredients or frozen meals. If it’s not in season, they don’t have it. There’s no prepackaged low fat, sugar-free, non-fat nonsense. They eat a lot of fresh fish, leafy greens, tomatoes, zucchini, artichokes, eggplant, olives, lemons, and capers because these things are always available. Don’t expect to go to a restaurant and have your meal served within twenty minutes. They expect that you will take your time and enjoy your company so they will serve you at a leisurely pace, unlike a typical American restaurant.

Italians move

They walk constantly. They walk for business and they walk for pleasure. Italians stroll through the main streets, lakes sides, the old town, and piazzas just for the sheer enjoyment of being outside- and the calorie expenditure really adds up. Most people will walk 40 minutes to an hour after eating dinner each night and, if you follow their example you’ll notice how good it feels. It improves the quality of both sleep and digestion.

Italians eat small portions

They will usually have primo (a small serving of pasta) and secondo (a preparation of protein and veggies) courses with their meals. If you told the average carb-avoiding American dieter that she should be eating pasta along with the main course she’d be shocked, because the American conception of a serving of pasta and an entrée are about three times the size of an average Italian serving. They take a small serving of pasta and because they know another course is on its way- as well as a serving of fresh fish, or meat with veggies- they don’t stuff themselves. And because they’ve already had their pasta course they won’t eat much of what comes after. It’s a nicely balanced way to eat! A good rule of thumb is to never have a serving of anything larger than one’s own hand.

There is a good chance you have never enjoyed genuine Italian dishes. Stop on in for dinner at L’amore Italian Restaurant to experience the taste of real Italian food.

Italian food as we know it in America is not exactly what you will find if you go to Italy. In fact, there are some dishes that are different while others do not exist at all.

Many of these changes occurred when immigrants came over to the United States and did not have the access to the same ingredients used in Italy. Other dishes were created entirely in the United States and cannot be found in Italy. 

These are some of the dishes you will have trouble finding in Italy.

• Chicken Alfredo. In Italy, if you ask for chicken on your pasta, you may get a strange look. The only meat typically served in a traditional pasta is livers and kidneys. Not to mention, this is usually only found in a tomato sauce. Alfredo as we know it is also different because it is made with butter and sage instead of cream and parsley.

• Garlic Bread. If you like garlic bread with your Italian food, you will find something very different in Italy. The baguette used to make the garlic bread in the US very different that what you find in Italy. You definitely will not find garlic butter and mozzarella on it. Instead, you will find Tuscan bread with garlic on it. Italians also use garlic to make bruschetta and would not use garlic butter.

• Spaghetti and Meatballs. Traditional spaghetti does not include meat in the sauce. You can find meatballs as a starter for your meal but not with pasta. Additionally, you can get meatballs as your main course but it would be served with beans, vegetables, or potatoes instead.

• Italian Dressing. If you like Italian dressing on your salad, in Italy you will not get what you are expecting. Instead, if you ask for Italian dressing, you will get a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sometimes, you may even get a dressing that has white or red wine in it as well.

• Chicken Parmigiana. While you will find eggplant parmigiana, you will not find chicken or even veal parmigiana in Italy. This dish has been reproduced in the US and Canada with meat probably because it was more affordable here at the time.

• Neapolitan Ice Cream. This ice cream is supposed to be Italian and it is true that they layer ice cream together but they do not necessarily put chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry together. It’s locally known as Spumoni in Italy.

There is a good chance you have never enjoyed genuine Italian dishes. Stop on in for dinner at L’amore Italian Restaurant to experience the taste of real Italian food.