Bring in the sun with the Mediterranean diet

The south of Italy is considered to be the poorer region and so the food tends to be based more on the staples of pasta, pizza and beans although there is sheep and goat meat. They also use hot peppers, garlic, herbs, olives and capers for flavouring food as they are grown locally and they are inexpensive. In the north where there is grazing land there are more recipes using beef and dairy products.

Pasta - a staple of the Italian diet, it is a good source of carbohydrate. It is a plant based food which WCRF recommends we should be eating more of. Italians tend to eat their pasta (primi) before the meat or fish dish (secondi) so be sure not to order something from every section of the menu, otherwise you may end up overeating. Opt for vegetable sauces which tend to be tomato based and therefore red and avoid the creamy ones which tend to be white in colour.

Beans - There are many Italian recipes that use beans, particularly cannellini and green beans in soups, salads, stews, casseroles and risottos. Beans are an excellent source of protein, fibre, iron, B vitamins and are low in fat.

Fruit for dessert - Join in with the Italians and have a piece of fresh fruit for dessert instead of having a calorie laden pudding.

Mozzarella - A medium fat content cheese. Served with a tomato and basil salad this would be a healthy lunch.

Pizza - this could be a good choice if the base is thin, you choose a vegetable topping and there is a moderate amount of cheese.

Salami - Very high in fat and salt.

Tiramisu - made from mascarpone and whipped cream this is a very high fat dessert. If you fancy sampling it, find someone to share it with.

Gelato (Ice cream) - Italy is famous for its fabulous ice creams and with so many flavours to choose from it would be easy to over indulge. Have ice cream as an occasional treat.

Ricotta - This is used in both sweet and savoury recipes and is a very high fat cheese.

Find out more about cancer prevention foods at www.wcrf-uk.org.

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