How To Eat Like An Italian Girl (Without Overdoing It On The Pasta)

What pops into your mind when you think of Italian food? You're likely picturing plenty of pasta, pizza, wine, bread, and cheese. When you think of Italian women, you likely think of a woman who is naturally beautiful, stylish, and slim. So if they are supposedly carb-loading 24/7, then how are they all in such good shape?

The truth is that Italian food is much broader than you’d think, and the Italian lifestyle is much healthier than the American lifestyle. From turning mealtime into a relaxing activity to embracing walking as a lifestyle, we can all learn some healthy tips from Italian women to make this summer the one of our dreams.   

Romanticize Your Meals

How often do you eat your meals quickly because you have to get back to work as soon as possible? How often do you eat alone? You’ve heard about romanticizing your life, so why not romanticize your meals?

Italian women view mealtime as leisure time. They see mealtime as a time to socialize, relax, and enjoy themselves. Americans often eat out of boredom or eat in front of the TV, leading to consuming more calories than needed, or we order high-calorie fast food due to the convenience. Sometimes Americans view eating as something to do while doing something else, like catching up on their favorite show or podcast, instead of really focusing on the meal and savoring their food.

Takeaway: While it’s not always realistic to dine with friends for every meal, you can take simple steps to make mealtime more enjoyable. Take advantage of the summer weather and eat dinner outside (your backyard or balcony may not be Florence, but that’s where using your imagination comes in handy), invite a friend for a glass of wine after dinner, or take your time cooking a meal with your man that you know both of you will enjoy. 

Eat Smaller Portions

Many Americans eat by the “clean plate club” mentality by eating everything on their plate. While this sounds like a good idea because it wastes less food, it makes it easier to overeat. Simply eating half of your plate sounds easy, but this ignores the portion size effect. According to Cognition Today, “Research suggests that being served smaller portions alters our belief about the ideal amount of food to eat. It even reduces future consumption because the size influences what we think is the norm for that food.”

Italians serve smaller portions. This is why you see cute pictures of small plates of pasta at restaurants in Italy. Eating just the right amount to quench your hunger and allow you to savor all of the flavors will prevent you from overeating and gaining unnecessary weight.

Takeaway: Eating smaller portions will not only prevent you from overeating but will teach you how to savor your meals. It’s worth it to reassess your portions, especially when you’re out at a restaurant. Don’t be afraid to ask for a separate plate to move the food that exceeds your portion size to make it easier. While losing weight is a huge bonus, the best part is that you’ll have enough food for lunch the next day!

Eat High Quality, Fresh Foods

According to HuffPost, “The Italian diet is very different from what we see on an American-Italian restaurant menu. People in Italy enjoy a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, beans, tomatoes, poultry, whole grains, olive oil, red wine, dairy – and they consume very little red meat.”

Italian women not only eat a variety of healthy foods but are sure to eat high quality foods. They choose to eat fresh foods over processed food, eliminating unnecessary ingredients (like seed oils or preservatives) that will only put on unwanted weight. One of the biggest differences between Italian cooking and American cooking is embracing fresh pasta. While it’s convenient to boil pasta noodles for a quick meal, fresh, high quality pasta is much more delicious and nutritious than pasta from a box.

Another huge difference between American and Italian eating habits is the grocery shopping itself. While Italians might buy their non-perishables and household items at a “normal” large chain grocery store, for their food, they tend to rely on small local stores that are limited to each category: green grocer, butcher, fishmonger, baker, pasta maker, cheesemonger, etc. Plus, Italians tend to go shopping multiple times a week, if not daily, for their food. 

Takeaway: Making fresh pasta takes work, so why not have fun with it? Make it a date night idea or a fun girls’ night. It’s important to take your time to research recipes and ingredients, as finding quality ingredients is key to quality pasta.

If you don’t have time to make fresh pasta, do your research regarding which pasta you buy at the grocery store. This goes for other types of foods too, as higher quality foods taste better and are better for you.

Take an Evening Walk

While we have our hot girl walks here in the United States, Italians take walking to another level. “La Passeggiata” refers to an evening stroll, and it’s “a way for Italians to connect back to their roots and to feel a sense of community and belonging.” Many Italian cities and towns are designed with walking in mind, making it accessible to everyone. And Italians just walk more as a lifestyle: They will walk to the local food markets, walk to meet up with friends for a meal, walk after the meal to aid digestion, walk to work, and more. 

Many Americans view exercise as a chore, often resorting to intense cardio and HIIT workouts to get the most bang for their buck. While these workouts can be productive for some, very few understand that you can get amazing results with low-impact workouts, and that includes walking. It’s so simple but can give you amazing results. 

Takeaway: Taking an evening walk is essential in Italy to socialize, unwind, and get some exercise, so why not take a page from the Italian handbook and start embracing after-dinner walks? If that sounds boring, turn it into a social activity and use the time to catch up with family and friends without spending a dime. If you live in a city, it’s also a great way to explore new neighborhoods and discover new places that you’ve never tried before. You’ll not only burn some calories, but it’s also the perfect way to end the day.

Detach Negative Emotions from Food

Many American women have an emotional attachment to food, often leading to bad habits like emotional eating or binge eating. Similar to French women, Italian women don’t usually have an emotional attachment to food. There is no such thing as “guilt-free” food in Italy because they eat in moderation and don’t view certain foods as “good” or “bad.”

This is all psychological and cultural. If you think about it, classifying a type of food as “bad” will only make you crave it more. Italians view food as something that is meant for nourishment and pleasure, making it pointless to associate negative emotions with certain foods.

Takeaway: Detaching emotions from food or breaking an emotional eating habit isn’t going to happen overnight, but there are some steps you can take to make the process easier. Start by focusing on eating nutritious foods that you enjoy. This can be as simple as adding more of your favorite fruits or vegetables to your diet or learning to cook a healthier version of a meal from your favorite restaurant.

Closing Thoughts

Italy is famous for many things, and its food is no exception. The Italian lifestyle makes it easier to enjoy food while staying healthy through cultural practices and healthy habits that we can all learn from. Whether you want to cut down your portions, walk more, or eliminate the guilt from eating, we can all learn something from Italian women.

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