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Step 1
Avoid eating the bread before the meal. Even though it is fresh, it contains empty calories. If you can not wait for your meal, order a side salad to hold you over.
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Step 2
Choose items that are grilled or baked rather than fried or breaded. Items like grilled chicken with vegetables are a healthier alternative to chicken parmesan. You could save yourself almost 1000 calories and 60 grams of fat on an average dinner meal and almost 600 calories and 30 grams of fat for lunch.
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Step 3
Stay away from extra cheese and cream sauces. Those will add extra fat and calories to your meal. If you are viewing the cheese as a protein source, consider a meal made with grilled shrimp, fish or chicken instead.
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Step 4
Request whole grain pasta noodles. They might not be available, but it is worth asking.
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Step 5
Look for the sensible or smart choices on the menu. Some Italian restaurants will list them separately or mark them as healthy alternatives.
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Step 6
Choose light dressings, or use olive oil and vinegar as your salad dressing.
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Step 7
Cut your meal in half and eat the rest for lunch the next day. It might not be the ideal method for eating healthy, but cutting back on your portion size means taking in roughly 500 calories, rather than 1000 calories, for a lasagna meal.
