Italian food can be a good dining choice when dieting if you select wisely. Northern Italian food is often rich in olive oil, but most chain Italian restaurants or cafes offer a good selection of fairly healthy meals.
Starters can often include salads, fruit or bean soups and parma ham. All are good choices unless accompanied by creamy dressings. For main courses grilled fish or chicken is good. Avoid main course meat dishes that have a creamy or buttery sauce. Pasta is a wise choice if in a tomato based sauce or pesto. Fried calamari, cannelloni, carbonara and risotto should be avoided if on a weight loss plan and when dieting.