DAY 170 -- Inspired by Italian ways.

So, after living in Italy for five weeks (see previous three posts), I came home very excited about their healthy ways of eating.  I was convinced, more than ever, that typical diets (counting calories, watching carbs, measuring portions) was not the answer for me.  I have incorporated many of the Italian ways of eating into my own healthy eating plan.

• I make spaghetti without sauce
• I make pizza without sauce
• I use fresh foods as much as possible
• I use fresh herbs when I have them, and started growing some herbs too
• I try to eat fruits and vegetables in season
• I cut back on the amount of meat I used to eat
• I use olive oil for almost every meal (Hooray for Tony Caputos in downtown Salt Lake City.  I love their selection of olive oils, and they let me sample before buying.)
• I eat healthier cheeses, that are not as processed as the American cheese

Some Italian habits that still elude me:

• I need to take more time to eat, and savor my food.  Meals need to be more of a celebration.
• I don't go to the market daily, due to distance and only having one car.  So I go about twice a week to get the produce I need for upcoming meals.

An Italian eating habit I won't be adding to my life:

• I won't be having a breakfast of sweets like they do.  In fact while in Italy, I ate breakfast at our apartment because the little cafes usually did not serve anything I could eat.  Even their plain breakfast croissants were glazed with sugar.  In one cafe, I requested a roll with meat and cheese for breakfast and they looked at me like I was a kook.  I went with some of the interns to a cafe called "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and I gotta tell ya... I have never seen such beautiful pastries in all my life.  Little delicate pieces of culinary art. Thankfully, they had some bread and cheese for the kook.