The Healthy way

Henry Bagatti

Mr. Kuykendall

English C

Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, and abundance of difference in taste. Most Italian dishes are actually quite simplistic only having four to eight ingredients. Key ingredients include olive oil, which is the most common used vegetable fat in Italian cooking. Olive oil is the basis for sauces often replacing other ingredients like butter or lard. Pesto a great Italian sauce, has a Ligurian sauce made out of basil, olive oil and pine nuts which is mixed with pasta for a dish. Other key ingredients to italian dishes include natural ingredients, such as tomatoes which are packed with vitamin C and lycopene, a heart-protective antioxidant that may also help prevent some cancers. Garlic which has both antibiotic and anti-fungal properties, and also has some cancer preventing properties. How can food help prevent cancer and promote health? Well the answer is sulfides. Those beneficial sulfides aren’t released, however, unless the garlic is crushed or chopped and left to sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes before eating. Dark leafy greens are a nutritions key in providing plenty of vitamin A, C and K as well as heart-healthy fiber, and whole grains these ingredients make Italian cuisine one of the world’s healthiest diets. What Italian dinner is complete without a glass of wine? Wine can increase “good” HDL cholesterol, and may help regulate blood sugar. It can even help you digest your food and absorb its nutrients. Many italian families grow there own produce in gardens so its always fresh, just like my great- grandmother. Research shows the the benefits of a Mediterranean-style eating patterns may include improved weight loss, and better control of blood sugar. Buon Appetito! 

http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101_basics_and_techniques/9_essential_ingredients_of_italian_cuisine?page=7