Hi everyone,

My husband follows a strict medical diet which prohibits starch, sugar, and dairy. So Fettucini Alfredo will be a killer. Is it even possible for us to consider a trip to Italy given the fact that he won't be able to eat any pasta or bread? Are there restaurants that can meet our dietary requirements? Thanks.

What about meat dishes, ie. steaks, chicken.. seafood? and 'antipasta', also 'ensalate' (sp?) for salads. Have to watch out for cheese ingredients...
Find little markets and buy fruit... what can he eat for breakfast?..
This must be tough all the time!

I don't think it will be a problem to get food he can eat in Italy. Italian food is not just pasta. You can get plenty of wonderful meat and seafood dishes. And of course, vegetable salads are always an option. Vegetarian restaurants usually offer healthy food, and they are usually frequented by the younger crowd who usually speaks better English.

It would be a good idea to learn how to say things like "no sugar" and "no milk or cheese" in Italian. Adding the word for "allergic" usually gives a good emphasis.

Sure you can ... Just order broiled chicken, beef, fish, etc. and a soup, salad, or vegetable. Breakfast might be the hardest as eggs etc. aren't really an everyday morning thing. Skip the bakeries. Pasta is more of a 1st course anyway. BTW, fettucinni alfredo will kill anyone!!!

Mitmap,
Just have with you a printed card written in Italian which explains your husband problems and give it to the waiters before you order the dinner:

Mio marito per ragione medica non puo mangiare nulla con lo zucchero, con i prodotti di latte( Burro, formaggio )e con l'amido ( Farina,pane, pasta)etc.., Puo dirmi per Piacere come e il cibo preparato?
Good luck and enjoy italy..,
Kismet

PS: the note said that" you want to know how the food is prepared, because of your husband's allergies problems..

Hi there was a similar post called gluten free in Italy. I'll top it for you if I can find it.
I fallow a pretty strict Atkins diet, and I eat very well in Italy, breakfast can be difficult, unless your hotel offers a complete buffet with yogurt and cheese/meat platter etc.
I usually pack a box of protein bars and eat one for breakfast, I also pack dried flavored protein powder and mix it with plain yougert in the morning.
The rest of the meals are easier, his starter can be a salad, or aniti pasta platter with meat and olives etc.
I usually order beef, chicken or fish as my main entree, and splurge on a glass of wine or galato.
Someone posted a good suggestion in Italian, write down a simple sentence saying; I am on a strict diet and can not eat flour or gluten products,most restarunts are very accomidating.
Your hubby can still enjoy the culinary flavors of Italy, and stay on his diet.
Best of luck
Fluffy

In addition to the meat or fish dishes, you should order from the "contorni" section of the menu. These are the vegetable side dishes, which, depending on the region and the style of restaurant, usually include simply cooked greens with oil, grilled or roasted vegetables, special regional dishes of vegetables cooked with interesting flavorings, and raw salads. It is not necessary to order a pasta or rice dish at all, but if you do want a first course, often soup is available as an alternative to a starch course. (By the way, I've been to Italy about 8 times, and my own ancestry is Italian, but I don't think I've ever had fettucine alfredo, and I don't remember ever seeing it on a menu in Italy. I'm not saying it's not available there, but it's not a real staple, at least not in the regions I have been visiting.) If you want eggs instead of meat or fish as your protein for a light meal, you can order frittata, which is egg usually with lots of herbs and vegetables and fairly dry. Fruit is readily available at fruit and produce stores, small groceries, and outdoor markets, and depending wswhere you're going, people may even offer you some right from their trees. Fruit is the normal non-holiday dessert in Italian families, and many restaurants also offer fruit in season as one of their desserts. Many hotels have really lavish buffet breakfasts, and although they feature a lot of breads and pastires and cheeses, they also offer many non-sugary, non-starchy, non-dairy choices, like fruits and cold cuts.

In first place it would be useful tu understand wether your husband will not be able to eat _any_ starch and sugar or if his diet only prohibits him lare amounts of these ingredients, allowing smaller amounts (such as a pinch of starch to thicken the sauce in a meat dish or sauces "montées au beurre&quot.
On the second case, he will be perfectly fine in Italian restaurants having an antipasto, a secondo and some vegetables (contorno).
If he falls into the first case, the problem gets a little bit more complex and he should really check first with the cook about what he should eat. Prepare a list of forbidden ingredients, and once you settle somewhere, find yourself a nice restaurant and talk to the cook in the morning, explaining your needs and planning a special meal for him. You may have to pay a little more for a specially-designed menu for him, but this way you will be safe from finding unwanted ingredients in his meal. Do not trust the waiter: I have an allergy to old cheeses, such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino, so I always ask just to make sure that after the meal I do not have to diet for a week just to get rid of the intoxication. A few days ago I went to one of my usual places for a fast pre-cinema dinner and asked a dish of "Gnocchi alla vesuviana", checking first that they just used mozzarella and no Parmigiano. After the waiter reassured me about my choice I had to send back the dish requiring a new portion with ABSOLUTELY NO PARMIGIANO. So, talk to the cook and organize your menu in the morning, just to make sure.

thanks everyone for these wonderful suggestions and reasurrances. I feel alot better about this now. Travelnut, it is tough having to watch the diet all the time. Eating out is difficult as we have to check with the waiters about everything my husband orders, but this gets so much more complicated when you're travelling, especially in a foreign country where you don't know the language and how foods are normally prepared. When we consider a trip abroad, the first thing we think about even before costs is whether we can find food for him to eat! But thanks again everyone.

You might try to get a book called Not Just a Salad--How to Eat Well and Stay Healthy When Dining Out by Cheryl Sindell. There are translations for several different kinds of food, including Italian. Check out her website--CherylSindell.com. Hope you have a great trip!

Polite Comment: Many Americans are habituated to breakfast, lunch and dinner. In reality much of this food is not necessary. In all probability you will be able to get more food choices in Europe than in the USA. Much European food has less sugar content than American. Learn what ingredients are in food dishes. Visit a food hall in an American mall. Note what people are eating and their physical condition. Most catsups are 30% sugar. Sugar is the least expensive food filler available! The availability of fruits and vegetables in Europe is better than the USA.

hi
good Italian advice above.

Pasta isn't usually a main course in Italy, it's a first course, so avoiding it is easy. Except for pizza restaurants or snack bars, every restaurant will offer grilled meats, fishes, and contorni--side dishes, usually vegetables or salads. On the fish and vegetables, just remind them "no butter"
But usually that's not a problem, olive oil is more often used.

What I feel saddest about is that your husband can't have any gelato!

Elaine: olive oil is most commonly used in SOME regions. In other regions Olive oil is used only for salads. You willl not find many dishes cooked with olive oil in Bologna, for instance!

MItmap: have you considered the option of renting an apartment/villa and buying your own food to prepare or even just assemble into meals?

While I have never had to accomadate a food regimen as strict as your husband's, I have travelled with a vegan in Italy and we found our week renting in Umbria to the the best part as we could relax. We ate breakfast prepared by Mom, packed a diet-appropriate picnic and toured to our heart's content and then ate in our own dining room with a view of those beautiful hills at night. Everybody pitched in a food prep. for dinner and that was fun, too.

We went out for a couple of fine dinners but without the stress of negotiating every meal.

Again: For trip utilize/eat a fruit and vegetable diet. Consult your physician or dietician.