Italian food pros and cons

Great variety. It isn’t just all pizza and pasta as many people think. Red sauce dishes are the most common but there are also gravy and cream based sauces. Not well known vegetarian dishes also like caponata and pasta primavera. There are soups and roasts throughout the cuisines as well.

pro

Most popular cuisine. You wont find many people who don’t like Italian food so if you are pressed where to take someone for dinner or what to prepare at home Italian is a safe bet.

pro

Not vegetable heavy. Its hard to come across vegetables in Italian cuisine, there are some but not in large amounts like other options. Most dishes are comprised of starches, meats and sauce.

con

Liberal use of healthy fats. Italians are big on olive oil and oily fish which are proven to promote health and well being.

pro

A lot of cured meats. Italian cuisines is plentiful in cured meats like salami, pancetta and mortadella. These meats contain a lot of fat and a lot of sodium two things we get too much of in the western diet already.

con

Cheap. Italian I often reasonably priced due to the competitive market and common ingredients. The more expensive ingredients like olive oil can be bought in bulk and stored for a long time, Italian offers more bang for your buck.

pro

High in grain and starches. For the carb conscious or insulin sensitive Italian is a poor choice. There are some low carb dishes but the bulk contain rice, pasta, pizza and bread. Carbs are not very good for even the healthiest of us and should be consumed sparingly.

con