036: Italian Food Released: May 31, 2018 Adam and Anne chat about different ways you can still enjoy Italian food, either at home or in a restaurant, and keept it LCHF. News But first, our news for the week: CNN reports that childhood obesity is on the rise in Mediterranean countries. As the local diet shifts to include more sugars processed foods and activity levels decline, childhood obesity is spreading through several Mediterranean coutries. We're watching what happens as a traditional diet loses ground to the modern, processed food diet in real time, and the results are not encouraging. Italian Foods You can still enjoy Italian foods when you're eating a low-carb, high-fat diet. First, you need to rethink what it means to eat Italian food--it's not just massive bowls of pasta. In Italy, the pasta is a small course that's not meant to fill you up. Focus on the antipasti (appetizers) that generally include meats, cheese, and veggies, and the secondi course, which usually involves grilled meats and vegetables. Most "family-friendly" Italian restaurants in the US do not follow the traditional Italian model, instead focusing on pasta, pizza, and breaded and fried foods. In that setting, there may be an acceptable salad, or you can order a pizza and eat the toppings only. However, a nicer Italian restaurant should have plenty of options to choose from. If you're looking for Italian options to make at home, you could opt for konjac noodles or spaghetti squash to act as a base for otherwise LCHF sauces, or opt for LCHF "look alikes" like the "Just Like the Real Thing" lasagna, which is a long-time fave in our LCHF family.  We did an episode early on about keto/LCHF pizza options you can make for your family. Check it out here. Best Option When you're out and about and need to eat, the Best Option at Chik-fil-a is... nothing. Same with Domino's. Both restaurants use a lot of soy, industrial oils, and sugars. However, you can eat at Pizza Hut by ordering a pizza and just eating the toppings. Pick from the following list of toppings and load up with the ones you like best: bacon, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, green chilis, olives, pepperoni, banana peppers, jalapenos, or ham. If you're hankering for some Chick-fil-a, we love this LCHF-friendly taste-alike recipe. Give it a try! Many thanks to Lee Rosevere at Free Music Archive for the music we use in the podcast! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or your podcatcher of choice so new episodes arrive automatically. For more support, like and follow the community on Facebook, and check out our website! Please assume any links in the show notes that go to business sites are affiliate links. Purchasing things from our affiliates through those likes us pay for hosting fees and equipment for the podcast. You can see a list of our partners on the Support the Show page.