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.

Another thought-- get some fresh bell peppers in an Italian market and dip slices into a fancy, cheesy artichoke dip. Mmm... Italian cheeses... Snack on olives and nuts...

I'm sure you folks didn't intend any harm, but my cholesterol level has risen 15 points just reading this thread. :&

I order low cal meals from the airlines and on Swiss that meant low carb and no sauces, it was usually a chicken breast and vegs. You can try that.

At breakfast, most hotels will boil you an egg for a little extra price if you are getting a continental breakfast. I stay where there are small buffets of cheese and meat for breakfast. So I have my ham, egg and a little cheese, with a chaser of a piece of the bread.

You might want to check with your hotel to see what the offer.
Like you have read here, eating in a restaurant is no problem, you just order what you eat.

Have fun, (I had the same concerns as you when I first went on The Zone).

Now I think I would quickly get sick eating all that cream. Eggs and milk--bad combination for me--impossible to digest! I think low-carb is not necessarily the same as Atkins, by the way.

Ira, read the latest research--you'll find that on low carb your HDL (good cholesterol) goes up, your LDL (bad) goes down, and your triglyceride levels plummet. In other words, your lipid profile is better than on high carb, low fat.

MizzEve- Hi I like to protein bars from Attkins, you can get them on his website, I think it's attkinscenter.com or you can usually buy them at trader Joe's in a box of 12.
I have to get the name of the little protein meal packets, they are great for traveling.I will be in Italy for 2 weeks in Sept. & plan on taking a box.
I will post the name a.s.a.p.
Best of luck
Fluff

Degas

I don't understand your point about salad dressing.

Surely all the carbs are distilled out during the vinegar making process? And aren't you going to dress salad in roughly an oil 4: vinegar 1 ratio?

So what's the low-carb problem in dressing a salad in Italy? If vinegar really is a problem, just dunk the salad in the oil. A great way of checking whether the restaurant really is serving extra virgine or whether it's palming you off with some kind of sump oil they bought down at the Ingrosso.

Oil and vinegar is indeed carb-free, but some prepared dressings, at least in the US, have lots of added sugar.

Atkins is just one of many in the low-carb diet category. I have a shelf full of low-carb diet books that I've collected, going back to the 1800s!

Did you know you can make 3 hard boiled eggs in a small coffee maker?

Makes sense! That's the best tip I've read all day, and useful even for non-dieters!

Carbs and salad dressings.

Yes, but we're talking about Italy. Why would anyone even dream of using prepared dressings in Italy? As for bringing dressings from the US....

Oil and vinegar. On every table in the country. That's how salads were meant to taste.

I've been on Atkins--low carb--for 4 months. Lost 34 pounds and 4 trouser sizes. Had chlorestoral test 2 weeks ago, went from 260 to 180. My doctor said he is going to try Adkins as he has had several patients with similar experiences in the past year.

Eat that beef, chicken, and fish.

MizzEve--you need to find different restaurants. I've not had any trouble getting double vegetables instead of a starch. Can't imagine why a waiter would be flustered by such a request as it is quite common, even before Adkins.

I agree that it is easier to eat low-carb in Italy than in the U.S. You can always forego the pasta. Unfortunately, I love pasta and all its sauces, so I have it once a week.

Just order a secondo rather than a primi, and add either a salad or vegetables.
The desserts in Italy aren't all that great, except for panna cotta, so that's easy for me to give up.

Also many appertizers are no-carb (seafood, prosciutto and the like).

Breakfast at the hotel isn't a problem either as you almost always have the choice of cheese and cold cuts. Going to a bar in Italy for breakfast is a problem because the only thing available is pastries, as wonderful as they may be.

You will walk a lot as everyone says, and you will probably be drinking more water than usual, so weight gain shouldn't be a problem.

This makes me feel that my trip to London and Paris in October shouldn't be too bad (food wise) after all. I too have been on Atkins for 3 months and have lost 23 pounds. My HDL is double what it has ever tested at before -- and I haven't taken up exercise to get it there. And I feel better than I have in a long time. I sure don't want to give that up while I'm on vacation.

Are you going for business? Because I hope diet and vacation are never thought of together! But truly, if you explore like we did, you'll need some carbs. We ate a ton and walked so much we both ended up losing some weight!