Skinny Italian Diet

 

One of Bravo TV’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” feisty and outspoken Teresa Guidice follows some other Housewives into the shilling products business and – she’s done pretty well here. Now there’s no arguing that Guidice has a great figure, and looks healthy and fit. She looks great. And according to her, the key to looking (and feeling) great is her “real” Italian diet – so she’s shared it with us in her book, “Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It – Live La Bella Vita.”

Giudice writes in her book that she, like most Italians, places a tremendous amount of importance on the value and enjoyment of good food – especially Italian food. She is of the belief that food is one of the great joys in life, and dieting by way of food deprivation and/or starvation should be out of the question for everyone – both for physical and emotional health. She believes that you can lose weight, or maintain your weight, not by giving up food – but instead by changing your relationship with it.

Guidice has “Six Rules For Loving Your Food And Having It Love You Back”:

1) No obsessing

2) Surround yourself with good friends and good food

3) No starving allowed

4) Eat real food

5) The fewer ingredients the better

6) Get in touch with your food

Given that some two-thirds of Americans would cite Italian as their favorite type of cuisine – Giudice is doing America a favor here. She describes in detail the fundamentals of true, authentic Italian food – quality, fresh ingredients including olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, beans, fish, shrimp, chicken, pork, veal, steak, pancetta, pasta, fresh bread, potatoes, olives, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, capers, lemon juice, almonds, strawberries, chocolate, wine – and how they are combined with healthy cooking methods (grilling, roasting, etc.) to create mouth-watering meals that won’t tip the scales. Accordingly, she blasts the so called Italian-American style foods that tend to be fried, dripping in butter or cream, and covered in melted cheese – sometimes all at once – as the enemy of a healthy diet and a healthy body. Giudice’s authentic Italian diet has an emphasis on lean protein and lots of vegetables, but pasta, potatoes and bread are always included, though always in a secondary role. And you’ll find that her recipes – of which the book is chock-full – are rich in herbs and spices to make every meal as tasty as it is healthy. (Nutritional information is included with the recipes.)

Because she is a television star and a glamour queen, it comes as no surprise to find that in addition to the cooking and nutrition guidance, Giudice also singles out the best recipes for little black dress emergencies, the best recipes for romance, advice on planning a big dinner and entertaining, and a chapter on fashion.

If we have one issue with Skinny Italian as a weight loss diet, it is that Giudice doesn’t include any exercise recommendations. By her own admission, she herself doesn’t follow a strict exercise regime - though she likes how she feels after she works – as there are so many other things in life she’d rather be enjoying than spending time in the gym. Still – if you want to lose weight, and keep it off, you can’t just modify your diet and food intake. For the sake of your metabolism, and your overall health, you need to get, and keep, moving. Our advice: incorporate regular exercise with Giudice’s diet (and sensible portions, of course), and you have a winning strategy for weight loss without deprivation and depressing, tasteless food.

Note: Giudice has also released a full-on Italian Cookbook called “Fabulicious!: Teresa’s Italian Family Cookbook”.