Need Food Suggestions for Low Carbers
 

Can anyone offer suggestions on dealing with my low carb diet while I'm in Rome? I know that the Italian diet does not consist soley of bread and pasta, but I want to avoid as much of that type of food as possible.

I don't eat bread, pasta, or rice. Yes, I know that I could throw caution to the wind and simply eat whatever is available while on vacation. But, carb loading has a very bad effect on me physically.

It's difficult enough in the States to explain my diet in restaurants, much less trying to do it in another country.

Any suggestions?

My daughter is on a NO carb diet and she has no problem since she eats salads, fish and chicken and vegetables. You will find that in Italy, those will be prepared in numerous and delicious ways. I would save the carb cheating for things like gelato and wine:)

Pasta is more often a starter course than a meal. Couldn't you simply order meat dishes, fish, salads, like that, and don't eat the bread that is served?

I think breakfast may be a trickier meal because sit down eggs and bacon doesn't seem to happen much, more like a pastry & coffee from a counter.

In a word: you do the SAME thing there that you do here..you choose where and what you eat. If you're smart, you'll check the menus before you decide to eat. It isn't like there won't be plenty of alternatives to pasta in Italy depending on the establishment chosen as has been pointed out above..but you obviously won't be frequenting the pizza take-out places and so forth. And I really don't think you're going to have to "explain" anything...am not sure why you would have to do so here...just tell the waiter what you want.

No problem in Italy. If you order a steak or other kinds of meat, you get just meat. Don't know if this is all over Italy, but in Tuscany you have to order rice or potatoes if you want it. If you don't order, most waiters don't care to ask if you want rice or potatoes. That is bad for most unaware foreigners, but good if you are on a lowcarb diet. On the other hand, they will serve you bread. In many (most?) places in Italy, you still have to pay for "pane e coperto".

It's easy enough to order "low-carb" in Italy, but you're going to miss one of the true joys of visiting that country...pasta & pizza in Italy is wonderful.

I like to eat "low-carb", too...I just feel better...but do give yourself some cheating room.

Another suggestion is don't "try to explain [my] diet in restaurants".

Really it's not necessary and the waiter doesn't care. If you don't speak Italian you might want to get a menu phrase book for reference if you are nervous. Then just order what you *do* want to eat.

In Italy most of the restaurant menus look a bit different than what we often encounter in the US. As another poster mentioned, pasta is a side-dish or one course of the meal. There is often a list of meat dishes and vegetables that can be ordered as an entree completely separate from any pasta. I don't think you'll have any problem avoiding carbs in Italy.

Although I do say (strictly in a gastronomic contenxt, of course), MizzEve, poor poor you! I'm piling on the pasta.

It's VERY easy to skip pasta and rice in Italy. You simply skip that course. When you sit down for regular meals, you'll find that the menus list the courses separately. There's an appetizer course, then a pasta course (or sometimes a rice dish or soup), then the main dish of meat or seafood, and there's also a side dish course of salad or cooked vegetables. You can just order a main dish and a vegetable or salad side dish (this course is called "contorno") or, if you're not toop hungry, maybe just an appetizer and a contorno. Bread will come with the meal, but you don't have to eat it.

Many hotels have buffet breakfasts instead of just a pastry and coffee. In addition to the usual hard rolls and pastries, there's often a huge range of foods at these breakfast, including ham, salami, cheeses, yogurt, and fruit.

I'm a low carber, too, and my experience is with France rather than Italy, but I find that despite eating more carbs than normal, I don't have any ill effects--mostly because of the amount of walking I do and the lack of snacking. I limit the amount of bread I eat (I would have to be a masochist to avoid it altogether)and I don't eat potatoes or pasta, but I don't worry much about what's in the sauces. I even eat things like cassoulet (beans) and the occasional dessert, and I drink a lot of wine. Breakfast can be a challenge, if you're staying in a hotel. It might be better to forego hotel breakfast and get an omelet at a cafe.

Good luck. With all the variety and fresh vegetables (and the smallwe portions), eating in Europe is much healthier in Europe than in North America.

I suggest packing some protein bars & protein powder, to mix with plain yogurt, in the a.m. I also pack a battery opperated hand held blender for my protein drink in the a.m. breakfast( for me) is by far the most difficult meal in Italy.
I find having a high prtein drink or prtein bar in the a.m. usually will take me to luch time, where I will order everything , but the pasta( and bread) I dosometimes splurge on galato or a glass of wim=ne... when in Rome.
Best of luck
fluffy

Thanks everyone. I have already decided to bring protein bars. I hadn't considered protein powder since I haven't been lifting weights for awhile. Now that I'm lifting again, I think that I'll need the powder. Sounds like food is ordered ala carte, which is great for me. Much better than ordering in the U.S. where I'm always stuck paying for a boatful of potatoes that I will not eat.

Fluffy ~ what brand of bars & powder do you use?

You must be blessed with awesome willpower! I too was a no refined carber before my latest trip to Italy. I took my bars, powder and supps. along with me. I brought them all home untouched. I broke down. I was weak. I am now paying big time for it! Gained 6 pounds in one month! Breakfast was the biggest ordeal. Be strong. Don't give in as I did. You can do it! Pasta only slows you down anyway.

HI
My low carb thing is a little different (low carb for part of the day but not all) but as others have said, there are plenty of salads and proteins to be had all day long.
Esp. in Italy, the main course may come with a little rice or a chunk or two of potato, but nothing else. If you want a side dish of a veg. or salad (contorno) then order that separately.
Spinach is a very popular cooked veg,.so that should be helpful

The hardest part is skipping the gelato, imo. Have it just once at least, it will be worth it unless it literally will make you ill.

IMHO the protein powder is a waste of money and effort. Its heavy and messy to carry on a trip and its value for the average person is questionable at best. Even a professional weight lifter can find plenty of other good sources of protein. A protein bar and coffee or tea is enough to keep you going until lunch. Salad dressing may be an issue unless you bring a few packets from home. The walking will make up for a little bit of cheating in the evening.

Haven't had any trouble in US restaurants getting substitutes for starches. Didn't have trouble in Germany, Austria, and Italy either.

There is plenty of protein on Italian menus: various meats, and when you're in a coastal area, fish and seafood. If you're an egg eater, you might also like frittata, which even egg haters like.

It is not as common as in the US to stop for snacks during the course of the day, except for gelato or granita, or maybe coffee and a biscotto, but from what I could see, the most common snack foods ARE high protein, namely various nuts and beans. A very common snack food it dried cooked salted chick peas (ceci).

Frittata, yummmmm. Bringing protein bars and knowing that I can order ala carte is great. I don't worry about dressings, as I stick with vinegarettes, which shouldn't be a problem (i hope).

The problem that I have with U.S. resturaunts is that they carb load all meals. I like to ask the servers what they recommend on the menu. They always seem flustered when I tell them that I don't want the potatoes, etc. And, if I'm part of a catered event, it's horrible. They seem to be able to cater to vegetarians, but tell them you don't want carbs and whoaaa, you may have well told them that you eat small children for dinner (disclaimer = i have no desire to eat children of any size).

Flying 1st class and I'm met with the same ignorance. They ask, "do you have a special diet request?" "Yes, I don't eat carbs." "So, you want vegetarian?" So, you see I don't feel obligated to explain my diet, but most people just don't know what a carb is, so they don't grasp the concept.

I'm glad to see that others have been able to stick with low-carb while in Rome :-)

My husband and I are on Atkins and certainly haven't wanted to spoil our weight loss we worked so hard to have. We order a lot of meat dishes and subsitute steamed veggies for whatever starches the restaurants offer. We load up on salads and SEAFOOD whenever possible. A great trick we learned in Switzerland was to visit the grocery stores for breakfast. A typical breakfast for me would be a hard boiled egg, luncheon meats and cubed cheeses. I'd get a decaff cappuchino (bring your Splenda or Stevia sweetners) and top it off with a big dollup (sp?) of fresh whipped cream. MMMM... fresh strawberries or blueberries are allowed on the ongoing phase of Atkins, so hit the markets often.